Mohanlal Saxena

Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada-language films. Mohanlal has a prolific career spanning over four decades, during which he has acted in more than 400 films. Mohanlal's contributions to the Malayalam cinema have been praised by his contemporaries in the Indian film industry. The Government of India honoured him with Padma Shri in 2001, and Padma Bhushan in 2019, India's fourth and third highest civilian honours, for his contributions to Indian cinema. In 2009, he became the first actor in India to be awarded the honorary rank of Lieutenant colonel in the Territorial Army.

Mohanlal made his acting debut at age 18 in the Malayalam film ''Thiranottam'' in 1978, but the film was delayed in its release for 25 years due to censorship issues. His screen debut was in the 1980 romance film ''Manjil Virinja Pookkal'', in which he played the antagonist. He continued to do villainous roles and rose to secondary lead roles in the following years. By the mid-1980s, he established himself as a bankable leading actor and attained stardom after starring in several successful films in 1986; the crime drama ''Rajavinte Makan'' released that year heightened his stardom. Mohanlal prefers to work in Malayalam films, but he has also appeared in some of Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films. Some of his best known non-Malayalam films include the Tamil political drama ''Iruvar'' (1997), the Hindi crime drama ''Company'' (2002) and the Telugu film ''Janatha Garage'' (2016).

Mohanlal has won five National Film Awardstwo Best Actor, a Special Jury Mention and a Special Jury Award for acting, and an award for Best Feature Film (as producer), also nine Kerala State Film Awards and Filmfare Awards South and numerous other accolades. He received honorary doctorates from Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit in 2010 and the University of Calicut in 2018.

Mohanlal is also known for his philanthropic endeavours. He founded the ViswaSanthi Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization that was started to create and deliver high-impact and focused programs to the underprivileged sections of society in the areas of Healthcare and Education. Mohanlal was named as one of "the men who changed the face of the Indian Cinema" by CNN-News18.

Early life

Mohanlal Viswanathan was born in the village of Elanthoor in the Pathanamthitta district, Kerala on 21 May 1960. He is the youngest child of Viswanathan Nair, a former bureaucrat and Law Secretary with the Kerala government, and Santhakumari. He had an elder brother named Pyarelal (died in 2000, during a military exercise).Lalettan – The most versatile and iconic figure in Indian cinema
. Manorama Online (28 April 1988). Retrieved on 6 May 2012. Mohanlal was named by his maternal uncle Gopinathan Nair, who initially decided to name him Roshanlal before chosing "Mohanlal". However, his father avoided giving him their surname. His father was adamant that he should not bear their caste name (Nair) as surname which they all had. Mohanlal grew up in Mudavanmugal at his paternal home in Thiruvananthapuram. He studied at Government Model Boys Higher Secondary School, Thiruvananthapuram and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Mahatma Gandhi College, Thiruvananthapuram. Mohanlal's first role was as a sixth grader for a stage play called ''Computer Boy'', in which he played a ninety-year-old man.

During 1977 and 1978 he was the Kerala state wrestling champion.

Film career

Early years (1978–85)

Mohanlal made his acting debut in 1978 with the film ''Thiranottam'', which was produced and made by Mohanlal and his friendsManiyanpilla Raju, Ravi Kumar and a few others. Mohanlal played Kuttappan, a mentally disabled servant. Due to some issues with censorship, the film was not released on time. It took 25 years to release the film.

In 1980, Mohanlal was cast in the lead antagonist role in ''Manjil Virinja Pookkal'' – the directorial debut of Fazil. The film became a major success. Mohanlal's friends had sent his application in response to an advertisement released by Navodaya Studio. He auditioned for the role in front of a panel that included professional directors. Displeased with his appearance, two of them gave him poor marks, but Fazil and Jijo Appachan gave him 90 and 95 marks out of 100. In an interview with Reader's Digest in 2004, Mohanlal said that his looks as a young man might have fit the villain's image.

By 1983, Mohanlal was credited in more than 25 feature films, most of them had him playing negative (villain) roles. Films such as ''Ente Mohangal Poovaninju'', ''Iniyengilum'', ''Visa'', '' Attakkalasham'', ''Kaliyil Alpam Karyam'', '' Ente Mamattukkuttiyammakku'', ''Engane Nee Marakkum'', ''Unaroo'' and ''Sreekrishna Parunthu'' changed his image. Through Sasikumar's ''Ivide Thudangunnu'', he became a successful hero with a "good heart". Mohanlal played his first comic lead role in an ensemble cast in the 1984 comedy ''Poochakkoru Mookkuthi'', directed by Priyadarshan, as a young man in love with a girl whom he mistakenly believes to be rich. It also marked the beginning of the Mohanlal-Priyadarshan duo, who as of 2016, have worked together in 44 films.

In 1985, he recorded a song for the film ''Onnanam Kunnil Oradi Kunnil''. ''Uyarangalil'', ''Nokketha Doorathu Kannum Nattu'', '' Boeing Boeing'' and '' Aram + Aram = Kinnaram'' were some of his films in this period.

1986–2000

During this period, Mohanlal played very different roles in films "made by the great masters", such as G. Aravindan, Hariharan, M. T. Vasudevan Nair, Padmarajan, Bharathan and Lohithadas. Mohanlal, along with actor and scriptwriter Sreenivasan, who played his sidekick in several films, showcased the angst of unemployed, educated Malayali youth forced to adapt to hostile environments in many realistic social satires, some of which were written by Sreenivasan himself.

In 1986, he starred in '' T. P. Balagopalan M.A.'', directed by Sathyan Anthikad, for which he received his first Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor. He portrayed an unemployed young man who shoulders the responsibility of his family. His performance in ''Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam'' as a harassed house-owner won him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Malayalam) in the same year. Mohanlal was given the status of a new Malayalam superstar by the public after the box office success of ''Rajavinte Makan'' (1986), in which he played an underworld don, Vincent Gomez. He also starred in the tragedy ''Thalavattom'', playing Vinod, a young man who becomes mentally ill upon witnessing his girlfriend's death. He played Solomon in Padmarajan's ''Namukku Parkkan Munthirithoppukal''. Mohanlal's association with Padmarajan was very well noted because their films told stories that were well and truly ahead of their times and broke many conventional stereotypes prevailing during that time in the Malayalam film industry. In 1986 alone, Mohanlal appeared in 36 Malayalam films.

The following year, Mohanlal starred with Sreenivasan and Shobana in the Sathyan Anthikad comedy ''Nadodikkattu'', which became a box office success. Mohanlal and Sreenivasan reprised their roles as the detectives Dasan and Vijayan respectively in its sequels; ''Pattanapravesham'' (1988) and '' Akkare Akkare Akkare'' (1990). ''Thoovanathumbikal'', directed by Padmarajan, in which he portrayed a person torn between his twin love interests, broke many stereotypes in Indian films, such as, the leading man falling in love with a second woman immediately after he is rejected by the first, and of a man falling in love with a sex worker. The romantic comedy '' Chithram'', released in 1988, played for 366 days in a theatre, becoming the longest-running Malayalam film. Mohanlal won a Kerala State Special Jury Award in 1988 for his acting in '' Padamudra'', ''Aryan'', ''Vellanakalude Nadu'', ''Ulsavapittennu'' and ''Chithram''.

In 1989, the combination of the writer Lohitha Das and director Sibi Malayil created the character Sethumadhavan, a person who dreams of becoming a police officer, but ends up as a criminal, in the tragedy '' Kireedam''. The role earned Mohanlal a National Film Special Jury Mention. Mohanlal later recalled that his portrayal of Sethumadhavan's mental agony, commended as a natural performance, was spontaneous and that he "did what Sethumadhavan, my character, would have done in such a situation", adding that acting was "akin to entering another person's body." In the same year, he acted in a film which became a commercial success, ''Varavelpu'', which tells the story of a man who earned money working in the Gulf and came back home to enjoy his life with his family. He bought a bus, which eventually gets him into trouble. The former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, mentioned the film as an example of ignorance by Malayali towards global economic changes during the inauguration of the Global Investor Meet held at Kochi on 18 January 2003. In 1989, he starred in another one of Padmarajan's movies; ''Season''.

In the early 1990s, Mohanlal acted in a number of commercial films, such as ''His Highness Abdullah'', '' Midhunam'' and ''No.20 Madras Mail''. ''His Highness Abdullah'' was the first independent production of Mohanlal under his company Pranavam Arts International. Mohanlal appeared in Bharathan's ''Thazhvaram'' in 1990, as a widower seeking revenge for the murder of his wife by his most trusted friend. His romantic comedy ''Kilukkam'' in 1991 won him a State Film Award for Best Actor. The film is considered one of the greatest comedy films of all time in Malayalam. It also became the highest-grossing Malayalam film of the time. In 1991, Mohanlal produced and starred in '' Bharatham'', which is interpreted as a modern-day adaptation of the ''Ramayana'' from Bharath's perspective. The film was a critical and commercial success, with his role as a Carnatic singer who is burdened by a jealous brother, earning him the National Film Award for Best Actor for that year. His role in Bharatham was listed among the "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian cinema" by Forbes India on the occasion of celebrating 100 years of Indian Cinema. He portrayed a Bharatanatyam dancer in ''Kamaladalam''(1992). He took help from his choreographer and his co-actors and professional dancers Vineeth and Monisha for enacting the dance scenes. ''Rajashilpi'', ''Sadayam'', ''Yoddha'', and ''Vietnam Colony'' were his other films released in 1992. The drama '' Devaasuram'' (1993), written by Ranjith and directed by I. V. Sasi, was one of Mohanlal's most successful films and is regarded as a cult classic.

In 1994, Mohanlal starred in the lead role as Dr. Sunny Joseph in the Fazil-directed cult classic ''Manichitrathazhu'', as a psychiatrist. ''Spadikam'' was a 1995 work for which he won his third Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor and fifth Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Malayalam) for his portrayal of Thomas "Aadu Thoma" Chacko, a young man who becomes a thug, estranged from his father, upon failing to meet the latter's high expectations. In 1996, Mohanlal starred in Priyadarshan's ''Kaalapani'', an epic film about the prisoners in the Cellular Jail of Port Blair and Lohithadas's ''Kanmadam'' (1998). He played the lead role in ''Guru'', directed by Rajiv Anchal in 1997. The film was chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars to be considered for nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category for 1997.

Mohanlal acted in his first non-Malayalam film in 1997, in the Tamil biographical film ''Iruvar'', directed by Mani Ratnam. The film, in which Mohanlal depicted an actor who turns to politics (based on the life of M. G. Ramachandran), was a critical success and won many awards including the Best Film award at the Belgrade International Film Festival and two National Film Awards. In 1998, he produced and starred in ''Harikrishnans'', co-starring Mammootty and Juhi Chawla. The film was a commercial success, but was not well received by critics. The film had dual climaxes, which were screened in different regions, based on the popularity of the two lead actors in each particular region. This, however, became controversial and took a communal turn when lawsuits were filed claiming that prints exhibited in Hindu-dominated areas showed Mohanlal marrying the heroine, whereas the ones in Muslim-dominated areas showed Mammootty marrying her. The major issue was that the film showed uncensored scenes, as the submitted cut of the film to the Central Board of Film Certification was the version in which Mohanlal wins the leading lady. Hence they were forced to remove the Mammootty version from theatres, replacing it with the original. However, in television premieres, both film versions were shown.

Mohanlal depicted a Kathakali artist whose personal life is a tragedy in the 1999 Indo-French period drama ''Vanaprastham'', produced by him and directed by Shaji N. Karun. It won him the second National Award for Best Actor and was the first film that got him international recognition by screening in various Film festivals. The film was selected for the competitive section at the Cannes Film Festival and his performance was critically acclaimed. It also earned him his fourth Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor, second National Film Award for Best Actor and sixth Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Malayalam). ''Vanaprastham'' was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the AFI Fest. ''Vanaprastham'' was screened in retrospective, during the 2014 International Film Festival of India in the 'Celebrating Dance in Indian Cinema' section.

2000–09

In 2000, Mohanlal starred in '' Narasimham'', playing a rogue with a good heart. It became the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time. In the next two years, Mohanlal was typecasted in similar larger-than-life action hero roles in films such as ''Ravanaprabhu'' (2001), ''Praja'' (2001), ''Onnaman'' (2002), ''Thandavam'' (2002) and '' Chathurangam'' (2002). Except for ''Ravanaprabhu'', these films were widely criticised for their repetitive plots, lewd dialogues, punch lines and male chauvinistic outlook. A critic from ''The New Indian Express'' wrote: "The ''Narasimham'' hangover is terrifically strong and it has, at least for the moment, killed the prospects of good films. I don't see any other reason for the failure of well made female-oriented films like ''Mazha'' and '' Madhuranombarakkattu''".

In 2002, Mohanlal played Sreenivasan IPS, a Mumbai police officer, in his first Bollywood film ''Company'', which introduced him to the Hindi-speaking audience in India and for which he won the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) and Star Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film dealt with the real-life story of two underworld dons who ruled Mumbai (played by Ajay Devgn and Vivek Oberoi). Mohanlal's performance was well received. ''The Hindu'' noted that the actor is "at his natural best" and "does not look stifled or anxious as other South Indian stars do when they appear in a Hindi movie for the first time". In a 2010 online poll by Hindifilmnews.com, Mohanlal's performance in ''Company'' was chosen as "The Finest Performance of a Bollywood Actor in the Last Decade (2001–2010)". He was No. 1 in the audiences' list and maintained No. 6 in the critics' list.

The following year, Mohanlal, trying to change his action hero image, returned to comedic roles with ''Kilichundan Mampazham'', ''Balettan'', ''Hariharan Pillai Happy Aanu'' and ''Mr. Brahmachari''. ''Kilichundan Mampazham'', promoted as a comeback vehicle for the actor, received good reviews and a decent box office collection. ''Balettan'', directed by V. M. Vinu, was also a commercial success. Mohanlal played Athanipparambil Balachandran, a bank employee always willing to lend a helping hand to others, who is forced to hide many secrets after his father's death leading to his family's mistrust. In 2004, ''Natturajavu'' and ''Mambazhakkalam'' were his only successes.

Mohanlal appeared in the 2005 black comedy ''Udayananu Tharam'' as an aspiring film director. It was well received by critics and performed well even in places where Malayalam films do not run in regular shows, such as Vadodara, Rajkot, Pune and Ahmedabad. In the same year, he appeared in director Blessy's second film ''Thanmathra'', a film that tells the story of an individual suffering from Alzheimer's disease. The film received positive reviews and Mohanlal's performance was highly praised by critics. Mohanlal won his fifth Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor and seventh Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his performance. In the movie, his character does not speak in the second half.

In 2006, he worked with director Sathyan Anthikkad in ''Rasathanthram'', a family drama. Mohanlal also acted in ''Kirtichakra'', by director Major Ravi, in which he plays an Indian Army officer, Major Mahadevan. The film was shot in Kashmir, and was a notable commercial success. A dubbed Tamil version of the film was released in Tamil Nadu as '' Aran'', but Mohanlal disassociated himself with the film since his voice was not used, stating that "I prefer to speak for my role in the film." Mohanlal also acted in the sequels ''Kurukshetra'' (2008) and ''Kandahar'' (2010) in the Major Mahadevan series. In 2009, the Indian government conferred him with the honorary title of Lieutenant colonel in the Indian Territorial Army.

In 2007, Mohanlal won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in '' Paradesi'', directed by P. T. Kunju Muhammed. Sify.com stated that "Mohanlal is mesmerising and reinvents the idiom of acting once more with feeling." His July release '' Hallo'' became one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of the year. In August that year, he appeared in his second Bollywood film '' Aag'', (also called ''Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag''), a remake of the Bollywood classic ''Sholay'' (1975). Mohanlal reprised the role played by Sanjeev Kumar from the original. In 2008, Mohanlal did the lead role in the multi-starrer blockbuster '' Twenty:20'' and in 2009, he co-starred with Kamal Haasan in the Tamil film '' Unnaipol Oruvan''. His last film of the year, ''Evidam Swargamanu'', was directed by Rosshan Andrrews.

2010–present

In 2010, he acted in five films, the first being ''Janakan'', a crime thriller in which he co-starred with Suresh Gopi, written by S. N Swamy. In the film, he played Adv. Surya Narayanan encounters some runaway suspects as they approach him for justice. ''Alexander the Great'', directed by Murali Nagavally was a comical racy entertainer released in May. ''Oru Naal Varum'', directed by T. K Rajeev Kumar, scripted by Sreenivasan and produced by Maniyanpilla Raju

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