Mohanlal

Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair (born May 21, 1960), is a four time National award winning Indian actor, producer, who mostly works in Malayalam films, a part of Indian Cinema. He is one of the most popular actors[1] in the Indian state of Kerala. He was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honor by the Indian Government in 2001 for his contributions to Indian cinema. He is the current General Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA).

Mohanlal is best known for his roles in the Malayalam movies of the late 80's and the early 90's, particularly Balagoplan in T.P.Balagopalan M.A, Sedhumadhavan in Kireedam, Jayakrishnan in Thoovanathumbikal, Muralidharan in Varavelpu, Vishnu in Chithram, Mangalasherry Neelakantan in Devasuram and Sunny in Manichitrathazhu. In recent times, film-makers have used his popularity in Kerala to cast him in super-human roles. Some of his notable portrayals in this genre were Thomas in Spadikam, Jagannadhan in Aaram Thamburan and Mullankolli Velayudhan in Naran. However he was relatively unknown outside the Malayalam speaking world, until, in 2002, he acted in the critically acclaimed Bollywood movie Company and came to be recognized outside Kerala.

Mohanlal was born in Elanthur in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala State (India), to father Vishwanathan Nair, an advocate, and mother Santhakumari and later shifted to his father's place, Mudavanmugal in Thiruvananthapuram. He attended the local school in Mudavanmugal and later enrolled into the Model School, Thiruvananthapuram(Trivandrum). An average student at school, he started his association with the world of acting very early, when he used to participate in school-plays. In the sixth grade, young Mohanlal was chosen the best actor in school, an award that was usually bagged by tenth graders[2].

After schooling, he went to Mahatma Gandhi College, Thiruvananthapuram for his Bachelor's in Commerce,but failed to complete it. During this time he continued to act in college productions and won best actor awards[2]. He made friends with a group of fellow-students, who were passionate about theatre and feature films[citation needed]. They were instrumental in getting him his first breakthrough and some of them, notably Priyadarshan and Raju, went on to become popular movie directors and actors.

His introduction to movies was automatic, when his friends combined to establish a movie company, Bharath Cine Group and began shooting a film titled Thiranottam, which was in 1978. Mohanlal was given a small comic role. The film ran into trouble with the Censor Board and was never released.

His first breakthrough came in 1980, at the age of 20, when a Malayalam production house Navodaya wanted to make a film with new artistes in leading roles. Mohanlal's friends sent his photographs to Navodya productions. He was auditioned and selected for the role of Narendran, the antagonist, in Manjil Virinja Pookkal.

He had no dearth of opportunities after this and he played roles of gradually increasing importance in a number of movies in the following years. In the year 1983, he is credited in more than 25 feature films. Uyarangalil, a story of cheating and deception, written by noted script-writer M.T.Vasudevan Nairand directed by I. V. Sasi was a highlight of this period of his career. He then expanded into comic roles in his director-friend and college mate Priyadarshan's debut Poochakkoru Mookkuthi.

Malayalam cinema was entering its golden age at this time with films characterised by detailed screenplays, lucid narration and fresh ideas that narrowed the gap between art and commercial films[3]. As a young talent on the rise, Mohanlal obtained roles that gave him ample scope to display a wide range of emotions and started some very fruitful associations with some of the best directors and writers in Malayalam cinema.

The year 1986 was one of his best years. Sathyan Anthikad's T.P.Balagopalan M.A got him his first Kerala State award for best actor. His role of an underworld don in Rajavinte Makansaw the emergence of Mohanlal as one of the leading stars in Malayalam cinema along with the other popular Malayalam actor, Mammootty. In the same year, he played an asylum inmate in Thalavattom, a harassed house-owner in Sanmanassu Ullavarku Samadhanam, a journalist in M.T.Vasudevan Nair's Panchagni, a farm owner in love in Namukku Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal and an unemployed youth forced to become a Goorkha in Gandhi Nagar 2nd street.

His association with the writer-director combination of Sreenivasan and Sathyan Anthikkad, who excelled in making socially hard-hitting satires, resulted in films such as Varavelpu, in which he played a Gulf returnee who is welcomed back home to greedy relatives and a state with a hostile climate for entrepreneurs. Director Priyadarshan's musical comedies, notably Chithram had him playing the typical Indian romantic hero and increased his popularity among the teenage movie-goers.

During this period of his career, film makers cashed in on the immense popularity that Mohanlal enjoyed in Kerala by portraying him as an invincible larger-than-life hero in movies. Movies like Aaram Thamburan, Ustad, Narasimham, Praja, Naran used this superstar image to great effect and became blockbusters .. After their initial novelty, these films faced criticism from most quarters over their lack of realism and for creating movies around Mohanlal[citation needed]. Priyadarshan's Kalapani, an account of India's freedom struggle against the British that focused on the Cellular prisons of Andaman islands and Lohithadas's Kanmadam were some of his notable films during the late 90's. In 1997 mohanlal's film guru directed by rajiv anchal based on communalism was selected by the government of india as official entry for best foreign language film academy(OSCAR)nomination.

He is an avid collector of paintings and antiques and has a private art gallery at his home. He married Suchitra, daughter of veteran Tamil actor-producer K. Balaji, on 28 April 1988. He has two children Pranav and Vismaya. He is currently settled in Chennai.His father Viswanathan Nair and brother PyareLal have passed away

1989 Special Jury Award - Kireedam
1991 Best Actor - Bharatham
1999 Best Actor - Vanaprastham
1999 Best Film ( Producer ) - Vaanaprastham

Kerala State Film Awards
1986 Best Actor - T .P. Balagopalan M.A.
1988 Actor (Special Award) - Padha Mudhra, Chitram, Utsavappittennu, Aryan and Vellanakalude Nadu
1991 Best Actor - Ulladakkam, Kilukkam, Abhimanyu
1991 Best Second Film - Bharatham (Producer)
1995 Best Actor - Kalapani, Spadikam
1995 Best Second Film - Kalapani (Producer)
1999 Best Actor - Vaanaprastham
2005 Best Actor - Thanmatra

International Indian Film Academy Awards
2002 Best supporting Actor - Company

Filmfare Awards
1986 Sanmasullavarkku Samadhaanam
1988 Padamudra
1993 Devasuram
1994 Pavitram
1997 Iruvar
1995 Sphadikam
1999 Vaanaprastham
2005 Thanmathra


What members say | Filmography

Mohanlal - what members say

Mohanlal - filmography

5 most recent films

Aag - 1.5 stars
Unnaipol Oruvan - 3 stars

5 highest-rated films

Aag - 1.5 stars
Unnaipol Oruvan - 3 stars

5 lowest-rated films

Unnaipol Oruvan - 3 stars
Aag - 1.5 stars

Most frequent co-stars

Prashant Raj - 1 times - show films
Kamal Haasan - 1 times - show films
Lakshmi - 1 times - show films
Ganesh Venkatraman - 1 times - show films
Nisha Kothari - 1 times - show films

Most frequent directors

Ram Gopal Varma - 1 times - show films
Chakri Toleti - 1 times - show films