Mohanlal Verma Educational Institute
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
,
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
,
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...
and
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
films. Mohanlal has a prolific career spanning over four decades, during which he has acted in more than 400 films. The
Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
honoured him with
Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...
in 2001, and
Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...
in 2019, India's fourth and third highest civilian honours, for his contributions to
Indian cinema The cinema of India, consisting of motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various film industries, each focused on p ...
. In 2009, he became the first actor in India to be awarded the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel in the Territorial Army. Mohanlal was named as one of "the men who changed the face of the Indian Cinema" by
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
. Mohanlal made his acting debut at age 18 in the Malayalam film ''
Thiranottam ''Thiranottam'' () is a 1978-made Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by V. Ashok Kumar and written by Kumar and Pachalloor Sasi. The film stars Mohanlal, C. Chandramohan, Ravikumar, Maniyanpilla Raju, and Renu Chandra in their debut ...
'' 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 ''Manjil Virinja Pookkal'' () is a 1980 Indian Malayalam-language romantic thriller film produced by Navodaya Appachan under Navodaya Studio and written and directed by Fazil (director), Fazil. It stars Shankar (actor), Shankar, Mohanlal and P ...
'', 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 ''Rajavinte Makan'' () is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language gangster film directed and produced by Thampi Kannanthanam from a screenplay written by Dennis Joseph and based on the 1980 novel ''Rage of Angels'' by Sidney Sheldon. It stars Mohanla ...
'' released that year heightened his stardom. Mohanlal prefers to work in Malayalam films, but he has also appeared in other language films. Some of his best known non-Malayalam films include the Tamil political drama ''
Iruvar ''Iruvar'' () is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language epic political drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Mani Ratnam. The film, inspired by the lives of M. G. Ramachandran, M. Karunanidhi and J. Jayalalithaa, is set against the backdrop ...
'' (1997), the Hindi crime drama ''
Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...
'' (2002) and the Telugu film ''
Janatha Garage ''Janatha Garage'' () is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language vigilante action drama film written and directed by Koratala Siva and produced by Mythri Movie Makers. The film stars an ensemble cast including Mohanlal, N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Unni Mukund ...
'' (2016). Mohanlal has won five
National Film Awards The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...
two Best Actor, a Special Jury Mention and a Special Jury Award for acting, and an award for
Best Feature Film Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...
(as producer), also nine
Kerala State Film Awards The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...
and
Filmfare Awards South The Filmfare Awards South are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema and Kannada cinema. They are presented by ''Filmfare'' magazine of The Times Group. When it was intr ...
and numerous other accolades. He received
honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
s from
Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit The Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) is a Sanskrit university in India established in 1993 When Indian Union Muslim league leader Sri. ET Muhammed Basheer was the. Education minister of Kerala in Kalady, Kochi, Kerala. The founda ...
in 2010 and the
University of Calicut The University of Calicut, also known as Calicut University, is a State ownership, state-run public university headquartered at Tenhipalam in Malappuram district of the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1968, it is the first university to ...
in 2018. Mohanlal is also known for his philanthropic endeavours. He founded the ViswaSanthi Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization, to create and deliver high-impact and focused programs to the underprivileged sections of society in the areas of healthcare and education.


Early life

Mohanlal Viswanathan was born in the village of
Elanthoor Elanthoor is a village in Pathanamthitta district of the southern state of Kerala, India. Situated halfway between Kozhencherry and Pathanamthitta, the area was part of the Kingdom of Travancore presumably since 1820. This peaceful rural belt ...
,
Kollam district Kollam district (), (formerly Quilon district) is one of 14 List of districts in Kerala, districts of the state of Kerala, India. The district has a cross-section of Kerala's natural attributes; it is endowed with a long coastline, a major La ...
(present-day
Pathanamthitta district Pathanamthitta District (), is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. The district headquarters is in the town of Pathanamthitta. There are four municipalitie ...
),
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
on 21 May 1960. He is the youngest child of Viswanathan Nair, a former bureaucrat and Law Secretary with the
Kerala government The Government of Kerala (abbreviated as GoK), also known as the Kerala Government, is the administrative body responsible for governing the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. ...
, and Santhakumari. He had an elder brother named Pyarelal (died in 2000, due to heart related issues). Director
B. Unnikrishnan Unnikrishnan Bhaskaran Pillai (born 14 August 1970), known mononymously as B Unnikrishnan, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, distributor and exhibitor who works in the Malayalam film industry. Early life Unnikrishnan. B. was born on 14 ...
is a close maternal relative of Mohanlal. Mohanlal was named by his maternal uncle Gopinathan Nair, who initially decided to name him Roshanlal before choosing "Mohanlal". However, his father avoided giving him their surname. His father was adamant that he should not bear their caste name (
Nair The Nair (, ) also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom hi ...
) as surname which they all had. Mohanlal grew up in Mudavanmugal at his paternal home in
Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...
. He studied at
Government Model Boys Higher Secondary School Government Model Boys Higher Secondary School, previously called Government Model High School, is a school in Thycaud, Thiruvananthapuram, India. The school is affiliated to the Kerala State Board of Education and is one of the oldest schools i ...
,
Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...
and graduated with a
Bachelor of Commerce A Bachelor of Commerce (BCom or B Com) is an undergraduate degree in commerce, accounting, mathematics, economics, and management-related subjects. The degree is mainly offered in Commonwealth nations. Structure Bachelor of Commerce The Bac ...
degree from
Mahatma Gandhi College Mahatma Gandhi College is a college in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. It was founded by Mannathu Padmanabhan, the founder of the Nair Service Society. The college is affiliated to University of Kerala and is managed by Nair Service Societ ...
,
Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...
. 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 Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
state wrestling champion.


Film career


Early years (1978–1985)

Mohanlal made his acting debut in 1978 with the film ''
Thiranottam ''Thiranottam'' () is a 1978-made Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by V. Ashok Kumar and written by Kumar and Pachalloor Sasi. The film stars Mohanlal, C. Chandramohan, Ravikumar, Maniyanpilla Raju, and Renu Chandra in their debut ...
'', which was produced and made by Mohanlal and his friends
Maniyanpilla Raju Sudheer Kumar (born 20 April 1955), better known by his stage name Maniyanpilla Raju (Malayalam: മണിയൻപിള്ള രാജു), is an Indian actor and producer who works in Malayalam film industry.Priyadarshan Priyadarshan Soman Nair (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director and screenwriter. He has worked primarily in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam and Hindi cinema, Hindi cinema since 1982, directing over 90 films in multiple Indian languages, ...
, 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 ''Manjil Virinja Pookkal'' () is a 1980 Indian Malayalam-language romantic thriller film produced by Navodaya Appachan under Navodaya Studio and written and directed by Fazil (director), Fazil. It stars Shankar (actor), Shankar, Mohanlal and P ...
'' – 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 Navodaya Studio is an Indian film studio headquartered at Kochi, Kerala. It is one of the earliest film studios in Kerala, established in 1976 by Navodaya Appachan. Navodaya is known for producing some of the landmark films in Indian cinema. His ...
. 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 ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...
in 2004, Mohanlal said that his looks as a young man might have fit the
villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...
's image. His acclaimed negative roles include ''
Sandhyakku Virinja Poovu ''Sandhyakku Virinja Poovu'' () is a 1983 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written by Thoppil Bhasi and directed by P. G. Viswambharan. It is based on the 1980 novel of the same name by P. R. Shyamala. The film features Mammootty, Shankar ...
'' and '' Kuyiline Thedi.'' By 1983, Mohanlal was credited in more than 25 feature films, most of them had him playing negative roles. Films such as ''
Ente Mohangal Poovaninju ''Ente Mohangal Poovaninju'' () is a 1982 Indian Malayalam-language romance film written and directed by Bhadran (in his directorial debut), starring Shankar, Menaka and Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mon ...
'', ''
Iniyengilum ''Iniyengilum'' () is a 1983 Indian Malayalam-language social problem film directed by I. V. Sasi, written by T. Damodaran and produced by N. G. John. It stars Mohanlal, Ratheesh, Lalu Alex, Ranipadmini, Seema, and Mammootty. The film features ...
'', ''
Visa Visa most commonly refers to: * Travel visa, a document that allows entry to a foreign country * Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Vi ...
'', '' Attakkalasham'', ''
Kaliyil Alpam Karyam ''Kaliyil Alpam Karyam'' is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Sathyan Anthikad, starring Mohanlal, Neelima Azeem, Rahman, Jagathy Sreekumar and Lissy in the lead roles. The film was shot in different parts of Ernakulam distric ...
'', '' Ente Mamattukkuttiyammakku'', ''
Engane Nee Marakkum ''Engane Nee Marakkum'' () is a 1983 Indian Malayalam-language romantic drama film produced and directed by M. Mani and written by Priyadarshan. It stars Shankar (actor), Shankar, Mohanlal and Menaka (actress), Menaka. The film features songs an ...
'', ''
Unaroo ''Unaroo'' () is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language political drama film directed by Mani Ratnam and written by T. Damodaran, starring Mohanlal, Sukumaran, Ratheesh, Sabitha Anand, Ashokan and Balan K. Nair, with music composed by Ilaiyaraaja an ...
'' and ''
Sreekrishna Parunthu ''Sree Krishna Parunthu'' () is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language horror film directed by A. Vincent and written by P. V. Thampi based on his novel ''Krishna Parunthu''. The film stars Mohanlal, Balan K. Nair, Jagathy Sreekumar, Pavithra, and Bi ...
'' 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 a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...
in the 1984 comedy ''
Poochakkoru Mookkuthi ''Poochakkoru Mookkuthi'' () is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language screwball comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan in his directorial debut. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Mohanlal, Shankar, Menaka, M. G. Soman, Nedu ...
'', 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 ''Uyarangalil'' () is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language thriller film directed by I. V. Sasi and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. It stars Mohanlal, Nedumudi Venu, Rahman, Ratheesh, Kajal Kiran and Swapna. The music for the film was provided by ...
'', ''
Nokketha Doorathu Kannum Nattu ''Nokkethadhoorathu Kannum Nattu'' () is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by Fazil (director), Fazil, and starring Padmini (actress), Padmini, Nadhiya, Nadhiya Moidu and Mohanlal. The film features original songs ...
'', '' Boeing Boeing'' and ''
Aram + Aram = Kinnaram Aram may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Aram'' (film), 2002 French action drama * Aram, a fictional character in Japanese manga series '' MeruPuri'' * Aram Quartet, an Italian music group * ''Aram'' (Kural book), the first of the three ...
'' were some of his films in this period.


Established actor (1986–1999)

During this period, Mohanlal played very different roles in films "made by the great masters", such as G. Aravindan, Hariharan,
M. T. Vasudevan Nair Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Narayanan Nair (15 July 1933 – 25 December 2024) was an Indian author, lecturer, Screenwriter, screenplay writer and film director. He was a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and was o ...
,
Padmarajan Padmarajan Padmanabhan Pillai, better known as P. Padmarajan (23 May 1945 – 23 January 1991) was an Indian film maker, screenwriter and author who was known for his works in Malayalam literature and Malayalam cinema. He was the founder of a ...
,
Bharathan Bharathan Parameshwara Menon Palissery (14 November 1946 – 30 July 1998) Known mononymously Bharathan was an Indian people, Indian film maker, artist, and art director. Bharathan is noted for being the founder of a new school of film ma ...
and
Lohithadas Ambazhathil Karunakaran Lohithadas (10 May 1955 – 28 June 2009) was an Indian screenwriter, playwright, film maker, and producer who worked in the Malayalam film industry. In a career spanning over two decades, his films have won a Nationa ...
. Mohanlal, along with actor and scriptwriter
Sreenivasan Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such a ...
, who played his sidekick in several films, showcased the angst of unemployed, educated
Malayali The Malayali people (; also spelt Malayalee and sometimes known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala and Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, occupying its south ...
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 Sathyan Anthikad is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and lyricist who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. In a career spanning five decades he has directed more than 50 films, been the lyricist for 12 films and been the scriptwriter ...
, for which he received his first
Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor The Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor is an award, begun in 1969, presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India to an actor for best performance in a Malayalam cinema, Malayalam film. Until 1997, the awards were managed direct ...
. He portrayed an unemployed young man who shoulders the responsibility of his family. His performance in ''
Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam ''Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam'' () is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film directed by Sathyan Anthikkad and written by Sreenivasan from a story by Anthikkad. The film stars Mohanlal, Karthika (Malayalam actress), Karthika, Sree ...
'' as a harassed house-owner won him the
Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Malayalam) The Filmfare Award for Best Actor is an award, which is presented annually at the Filmfare Awards to an actor via a jury; it is given by ''Filmfare ''Filmfare'' is an Indian English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media ...
in the same year. Mohanlal was given the status of a new Malayalam
superstar A superstar is someone who has great popular appeal and is widely known, prominent, or successful in their field. Celebrities referred to as "superstars" may include individuals who work as actors, musicians, athletes, and other media-based profe ...
by the public after the box office success of ''
Rajavinte Makan ''Rajavinte Makan'' () is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language gangster film directed and produced by Thampi Kannanthanam from a screenplay written by Dennis Joseph and based on the 1980 novel ''Rage of Angels'' by Sidney Sheldon. It stars Mohanla ...
'' (1986), in which he played an underworld don, Vincent Gomez. He also starred in the
tragedy A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...
'' 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
stereotype In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...
s 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 Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such a ...
and
Shobana Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai (born 21 March 1970); known mononymously as Shobana, is an Indian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer, who works predominantly in Malayalam films, in addition to Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, English and Kannada films. She is ...
in the Sathyan Anthikad comedy ''
Nadodikkattu ''Nadodikkattu'' () is a 1987 Indian Malayalam-language satirical comedy film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan based on a story by the Siddique–Lal duo. It stars Mohanlal and Sreenivasan in the lead roles, along with an ...
'', which became a box office success. Mohanlal and Sreenivasan reprised their roles as the detectives
Dasan and Vijayan Dasan and Vijayan (or Ramadas and Vijayan) are the protagonists of the ''Nadodikkattu'' trilogy. The comical characters were created by directors Siddique–Lal and are portrayed by Mohanlal (Dasan) and Sreenivasan (Vijayan). They first appeare ...
respectively in its sequels; ''
Pattanapravesham ''Pattanapravesham'' () is a 1988 Indian Malayalam-language Detective fiction, detective Comedy film, comedy film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan. It stars Mohanlal, Sreenivasan, Karamana Janardhanan Nair, Karamana Janar ...
'' (1988) and ''
Akkare Akkare Akkare ''Akkareyakkareyakkare'', also known ''Akkare Akkare Akkare'' () is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language buddy cop comedy film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Sreenivasan. It stars Mohanlal, Sreenivasan, M. G. Soman, Mukesh, Maniyanpilla ...
'' (1990). ''
Thoovanathumbikal ''Thoovanathumbikal'' () or, Dragonflies in the Gentle Rain, is a 1987 Indian Malayalam-language romantic drama film written and directed by P. Padmarajan, based partly on his own novel ''Udakappola''. It revolves around Jayakrishnan (Mohanlal) ...
'', 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 Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...
''
Chithram ''Chithram'' () is a 1988 Indian Malayalam-language screwball comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan. The film was produced by P. K. R. Pillai under his production house Shirdi Sai Creations, and stars Mohanlal, Ranjini, Nedumudi V ...
'', 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 ''Aryan'' (), or ''Arya'' (borrowed from Sanskrit ''ārya''), Oxford English Dictionary Online 2024, s.v. ''Aryan'' (adj. & n.); ''Arya'' (n.)''.'' is a term originating from the ethno-cultural self-designation of the Indo-Iranians. It stood ...
'', ''
Vellanakalude Nadu ''Vellanakalude Nadu'' () is a 1988 Indian Malayalam-language political satire crime film directed by Priyadarshan, written by Sreenivasan and produced by Maniyanpilla Raju. The film stars Mohanlal, Shobhana, Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair, M. G. ...
'', '' Ulsavapittennu'' and ''Chithram''. In 1989, the combination of the writer Lohitha Das and director
Sibi Malayil Sibi (; ;) is a city situated in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. The city serves as the administrative headquarters of the district and tehsil of the same name. Etymology The origin of the town's name is attributed to Rani Sewi, a Hin ...
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 A gulf is a large inlet from an ocean or their seas into a landmass, larger and typically (though not always) with a narrower opening than a bay (geography), bay. The term was used traditionally for large, highly indented navigable bodies of s ...
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 The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...
,
Atal Bihari Vajpayee Atal Bihari Vajpayee (25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian poet, writer and statesman who served as the prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months from 1998 ...
, 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 Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...
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 ''His Highness Abdullah'' is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language musical drama film written by A. K. Lohithadas and directed by Sibi Malayil. It stars Mohanlal, Nedumudi Venu, Gautami, Sreenivasan, Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair and Mamukkoya. The ...
'', ''
Midhunam The Malayalam Calendar, or the Kollam Era (), is a sidereal solar calendar used in Kerala. The origin of the calendar has been dated to 825 CE, commemorating the establishment of Kollam. There are many theories regarding the origin of th ...
'' 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 ''Thazhvaram'' () is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language epic western film directed by Bharathan and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. It stars Mohanlal, Salim Ghouse, Sumalatha, Anju, and Sankaradi. It tells the story of Balan (Mohanlal) who's on t ...
'' in 1990, as a widower seeking revenge for the murder of his wife by his most trusted friend. His romantic comedy ''
Kilukkam ''Kilukkam'' () is a 1991 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Venu Nagavalli. The story set in Ooty revolves around tourist guide Joji (Mohanlal) and photographer Nishchal (Jagathy Sreekumar). They ...
'' 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 ''Bharatham'' is a 1991 Indian Malayalam-language musical drama film written by A. K. Lohithadas and directed by Sibi Malayil. It stars Mohanlal, Urvashi, Nedumudi Venu, Lakshmi, and Murali. The film was produced by Mohanlal through his pro ...
'', which is interpreted as a modern-day adaptation of the ''
Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...
'' 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 The National Film Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India instituted since 1967 to actors who have delivered the best performance in a leading role within the Indian film indus ...
for that year. His role in Bharatham was listed among the "25 Greatest Acting Performances of
Indian cinema The cinema of India, consisting of motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various film industries, each focused on p ...
" by
Forbes India ''Forbes India'' is the Indian edition of ''Forbes'', which is managed by the Reliance Industries-owned media conglomerate, Network 18. History and profile Since its founding in 2008, ''Forbes India'' has achieved a circulation of 50,000 copies ...
on the occasion of celebrating 100 years of Indian Cinema. He portrayed a
Bharatanatyam ''Bharatanatyam'' is a Indian classical dance form that came from Tamil Nadu, India. It is a classical dance form recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas of Hinduism and Jainism.< ...
dancer in ''
Kamaladalam ''Kamaladalam'' () is a 1992 Indian Malayalam-language musical drama film written by A. K. Lohithadas and directed by Sibi Malayil, starring Mohanlal, Murali, Vineeth, Nedumudi Venu, Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair, Monisha, Parvathy Jayaram a ...
''(1992). He took help from his choreographer and his co-actors and professional dancers
Vineeth Vineeth Radhakrishnan (born 23 August 1969) is an Indian actor, Bharatanatyam dancer, voice artist and choreographer who primarily works in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu language films. He has also appeared in a few Hindi and Kannada films. He h ...
and
Monisha Monisha Unni (24 January 1971 – 5 December 1992) was an Indian actress, known for her works Predominantly in Malayalam films and in a few Tamil films. Monisha was 16 when she became the youngest actress ever to receive the National Fil ...
for enacting the dance scenes. ''
Rajashilpi ''Rajashilpi'' () is a 1992 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by R. Sukumaran, starring Mohanlal and Bhanupriya. The plot is a re-telling of the legend about lord Shiva and goddess Sati who was later reborn as goddess Pa ...
'', ''
Sadayam ''Sadayam'' () is a 1992 Indian Malayalam-language psychological drama written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair and directed by Sibi Malayil. It stars Mohanlal, Thilakan, Nedumudi Venu, Murali, Sreenivasan, Maathu, K. P. A. C. Lalitha, and T. G. R ...
'', '' Yoddha'', and ''
Vietnam Colony ''Vietnam Colony'' is a 1992 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film written and directed by Siddique-Lal. It stars Mohanlal, Innocent, Kanaka, and K. P. A. C. Lalitha. The soundtrack of the film was composed by S. Balakrishnan. The film ...
'' were his other films released in 1992. The drama ''
Devaasuram ''Devaasuram'' () is a 1993 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed by I. V. Sasi and written by Ranjith. It stars Mohanlal, Revathi, and Napoleon, with Innocent, V. K. Sreeraman, Maniyanpilla Raju, and Augustine in supporting ...
'' (1993), written by
Ranjith Ranjit or Renjith may refer to: Religion * Anton Ranjith Pillainayagam (born 1966), Sri Lankan Tamil Catholic priest, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Colombo * Malcolm Ranjith (born 1947), Sri Lankan Cardinal of the Catholic Church, Archbi ...
and directed by
I. V. Sasi Irruppam Veedu Sasidaran (28 March 1948 – 24 October 2017) was an Indian film director who made over 110 films predominantly in Malayalam, in addition to Tamil and Hindi languages. In 2015, he was awarded the J. C. Daniel Award, the highest a ...
, was one of Mohanlal's most successful films and is regarded as a
cult classic A cult following is a group of Fan (person), fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some List of art media, medium. The latter is often cal ...
. In 1994, Mohanlal starred in the lead role as Dr. Sunny Joseph in the Fazil-directed cult classic ''
Manichitrathazhu ''Manichitrathazhu'' () is a 1993 Indian Malayalam-language epic psychological horror Thriller film directed by Fazil, written by Madhu Muttam and produced by Swargachitra Appachan. The film stars Mohanlal, Shobana and Suresh Gopi. It also ...
'', as a psychiatrist. ''
Spadikam ''Spadikam'' () is a 1995 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed and co-written by Bhadran and produced by R. Mohan through Shogun Films. Starring Mohanlal, Thilakan, Urvasi and Spadikam George, the film revolves around Thomas ...
'' 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 ''Kaalapaani'' () is a 1996 Indian Malayalam-language epic historical drama film written by T. Damodaran and directed by Priyadarshan. Set in 1915, the film focuses on the lives of Indian independence activists incarcerated in the Cellular Ja ...
'', an epic film about the prisoners in the
Cellular Jail The Cellular Jail, also known as Kālā Pānī (), was a British colonial prison in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The prison was used by the colonial government of India for the purpose of exiling criminals and political prisoners. Many ...
of
Port Blair Port Blair (), officially named Sri Vijaya Puram, is the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India in the Bay of Bengal. It is also the local administrative sub-division (''tehsil'') of the islands, the headqu ...
and Lohithadas's '' Kanmadam'' (1998). He played the lead role in ''
Guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...
'', directed by
Rajiv Anchal Rajiv Anchal (born 20 December 1956) is a film director, screenwriter, and sculptor who works in Malayalam cinema. In 1997, he made ''Guru'', India's official submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. His first English ...
in 1997. The film was chosen as
India's official entry to the Oscars India has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (formerly Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film) since 1957, a year after the incorporation of the category. The award is given annually by the United St ...
to be considered for nomination in the
Best Foreign Language Film The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...
category for 1997. Mohanlal acted in his first non-Malayalam film in 1997, in the
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from Docudrama, docudrama films ...
''
Iruvar ''Iruvar'' () is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language epic political drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Mani Ratnam. The film, inspired by the lives of M. G. Ramachandran, M. Karunanidhi and J. Jayalalithaa, is set against the backdrop ...
'', directed by
Mani Ratnam Gopalaratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and a few Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. H ...
. The film, in which Mohanlal depicted an actor who turns to politics (based on the life of
M. G. Ramachandran Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 – 24 December 1987), popularly known by his initialism M.G.R. and as Makkal Thilagam/Puratchi Thalaivar, was an Indian actor, politician, and philanthropist who served as the chief minister of ...
), was a critical success and won many awards including the Best Film award at the
Belgrade International Film Festival FEST is an annual film festival held in Belgrade, Serbia since 1971., International Radio of Serbia'', (VoiceOfSerbia.org in English) (glassrbije.org in Serbian), February 22, 2013. The festival is usually held in the first quarter of the year. ...
and two National Film Awards. In 1998, he produced and starred in ''
Harikrishnans ''Harikrishnans'' is a 1998 Indian Malayalam-language mystery buddy comedy film written and directed by Fazil. The film was produced and distributed by Suchitra Mohanlal under the production company Pranavam Arts, starring Mohanlal and Mammo ...
'', co-starring
Mammootty Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam-language films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, ...
and
Juhi Chawla Juhi Chawla Mehta ( Chawla; born 13 November 1967) is an Indian actress. She established herself as one of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. Recognised for her comic timing and vivacious on-screen ...
. 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 Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
-dominated areas showed Mohanlal marrying the heroine, whereas the ones in
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
-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 The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory Motion picture content rating system, film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of ...
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 ''Kathakali'' (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: Kathakaḷi ) is a traditional form of Indian Classical Dance, and one of the most complex forms of Theatre of India, Indian theatre. It is a play of verses. These vers ...
artist whose personal life is a tragedy in the 1999 Indo-French
period drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...
'' 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 The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...
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 The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...
. ''Vanaprastham'' was screened in retrospective, during the 2014
International Film Festival of India The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is an annual film festival currently held in Goa, on the western coast of India. The festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excel ...
in the 'Celebrating Dance in Indian Cinema' section.


Career expansion and stardom (2000–2009)

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 An action hero (sometimes action heroine for women) is the protagonist of an action film or other form of entertainment which portrays action, adventure, and often violence. Action heroes are depicted in exciting or perilous chase sequences, figh ...
roles in films such as ''
Ravanaprabhu ''Raavanaprabhu'' () is a 2001 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film written and directed by Ranjith (director), Ranjith in his directorial debut. It is a sequel to the 1993 film ''Devaasuram'' written by Ranjith (director), Ranjith, d ...
'' (2001), ''
Praja ''Praja'' () is a 2001 Indian Malayalam-language political action film directed by Joshiy and written by Renji Panicker. It was also produced by Joshiy and Panicker. The film stars Mohanlal, Aishwarya,Biju Menon,Cochin Haneefa, Manoj K Jayan B ...
'' (2001), ''
Onnaman ''Onnaman'' () is a 2002 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film written and directed by Thampi Kannanthanam, starring Mohanlal, N. F. Varghese, Biju Menon, and Ramya Krishnan. The film features an original soundtrack composed by S. P. Ven ...
'' (2002), ''
Thandavam ''Thandavam'' is a 2002 Indian Malayalam-language action film directed by Shaji Kailas, written by S. Suresh Babu, and produced by Johny Sagariga. It stars Mohanlal, Kiran Rathod, Nedumudi Venu, Vijaykumar, Sai Kumar, Jagathy Sreekumar,Manoj ...
'' (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 ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naidu ...
'' 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 ''Mazha'' () is a 2000 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by Lenin Rajendran based on the short story ''Nashtappetta Neelambari'' by Madhavikkutty. It stars Biju Menon, Samyuktha Varma, and Lal. The music was composed b ...
'' and '' Madhuranombarakkattu''". In 2002, Mohanlal played Sreenivasan IPS, a
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
police officer, in his first
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
film ''
Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...
'', which introduced him to the
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
-speaking audience in India and for which he won the
International Indian Film Academy Awards The International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) is an annual awards ceremony for Hindi cinema. Produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the winners of the awards are decided by fans, who vote online for their favourite a ...
(IIFA) and
Star Screen Award The Screen Awards was an annual awards ceremony held in India, honouring professional excellence in Bollywood. The nomination and award selection was done by a panel of distinguished professionals from the industry. The awards were introduced ...
for Best Supporting Actor. The film dealt with the real-life story of two underworld dons who ruled Mumbai (played by
Ajay Devgn Vishal Veeru Devgan (born 2 April 1969), known professionally as Ajay Devgn, is an Indian actor, film director, and producer. One of the most prolific actors of Hindi cinema, Devgn has appeared in over Ajay Devgn filmography, 100 films and ha ...
and
Vivek Oberoi Vivek Anand Oberoi (born 3 September 1976) is an Indian actor and businessman. The son of actor Suresh Oberoi, he began acting in 2002 with starring roles in the Hindi crime film ''Company'' and romantic drama '' Saathiya''. His performances ...
). Mohanlal's performance was well received. ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
'' noted that the actor is "at his natural best" and "does not look stifled or anxious as other
South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
n 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 ''Kilichundan Mampazham'' (Malayalam: ''Bird-beaked Mango'') is a 2003 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan from a story by Sreenivasan. It was produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the company A ...
'', ''
Balettan ''Balettan'' is a 2003 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film directed by V. M. Vinu, written by T. A. Shahid, and produced by M. Mani. It stars Mohanlal in the title role, along with Devayani, Nedumudi Venu, Harisree Ashokan, Riyaz Kh ...
'', ''
Hariharan Pillai Happy Aanu ''Hariharan Pilla Happy Aanu'' () is a 2003 Indian Malayalam-language comedy film directed by Vishwanathan, starring Mohanlal and Jyothirmayi. This was Vishwanathan's directorial debut, and the first film for Stephen Devassy as composer. Plot ...
'' and '' Mr. Brahmachari''. ''Kilichundan Mampazham'', promoted as a comeback vehicle for the actor, received good reviews and a decent box office collection. ''
Balettan ''Balettan'' is a 2003 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film directed by V. M. Vinu, written by T. A. Shahid, and produced by M. Mani. It stars Mohanlal in the title role, along with Devayani, Nedumudi Venu, Harisree Ashokan, Riyaz Kh ...
'', 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 ''Naatturajavu'' () is a 2004 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed by Shaji Kailas and written by T. A. Shahid. The film stars Mohanlal in the lead role and Meena, Nayanthara, Kalabhavan Mani, Manoj K Jayan, Ranjith, and Siddiq ...
'' and ''
Mambazhakkalam ''Mambazhakkalam'' () is a 2004 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film directed by Joshiy, written by T. A. Shahid and produced by M. Mani. It stars Mohanlal and Shobana, alongside a large supporting cast. The film features original songs ...
'' were his only successes. Mohanlal appeared in the 2005
black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
''
Udayananu Tharam ''Udayananu Tharam'' () is a 2005 Indian Malayalam-language black comedy satire film directed by Rosshan Andrrews and written by Sreenivasan based on a story he had co-written with the director. The film stars Mohanlal, Sreenivasan, Meena, Muke ...
'' 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 Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...
,
Rajkot Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the ...
,
Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
and
Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...
. In the same year, he appeared in director
Blessy Blessy Ipe Thomas (born 3 September 1963), best known mononymously as Blessy, is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Malayalam cinema. He has won one National Film Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and nine Kerala State Fil ...
's second film ''
Thanmathra ''Thanmathra'' () is a 2005 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by Blessy and starring Mohanlal, Meera Vasudevan and Arjun Lal. Based on Padmarajan's short story "Orma", it portrays the effects of Alzheimer's disease on ...
'', a film that tells the story of an individual suffering from
Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
. 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 The Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor is an award, begun in 1969, presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India to an actor for best performance in a Malayalam cinema, Malayalam film. Until 1997, the awards were managed direct ...
and seventh
Filmfare Award for Best Actor The Filmfare Award for Best Actor is an award, which is presented annually at the Filmfare Awards to an actor via a jury; it is given by ''Filmfare'' for Hindi (Bollywood) films. The award was first given in 1954. The most recent winner, as of 2 ...
for his performance. In the movie, his character does not speak in the second half. In 2006, he worked with director
Sathyan Anthikkad Sathyan Anthikad is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and lyricist who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. In a career spanning five decades he has directed more than 50 films, been the lyricist for 12 films and been the scriptwriter ...
in ''
Rasathanthram ''Rasathanthram'' () is a 2006 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film written and directed by Sathyan Anthikkad and starring Mohanlal and Meera Jasmine, with Bharath Gopi, Innocent, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, and Mamukkoya in prominent roles. ...
'', a family drama. Mohanlal also acted in '' Kirtichakra'', by director
Major Ravi Major A. K. Raveendran SM (born 13 June 1958) is a retired officer of the Indian Army, former National Security Guard commando, film actor and film director predominantly works in Malayalam cinema and some films in Tamil and Hindi. He was aw ...
, in which he plays an
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
officer, Major Mahadevan. The film was shot in
Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...
, and was a notable commercial success. A dubbed Tamil version of the film was released in
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
as ''
Aran Aran may refer to: Places Azerbaijan Villages and municipalities: * Aran, Aghjabadi * Aran, Lerik * Aran, Shaki * Aran, Tovuz * Aran, Yevlakh Iran * Aran, Alborz, a village in Alborz Province * Aran, Nain, a village in Isfahan Province * Ar ...
'', 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 Kurukshetra () is a city and administrative headquarters of Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is also known as Dharmakshetra ("Realm of duty") and as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita". Legends According to the Puranas ...
'' (2008) and ''
Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...
'' (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 The Territorial Army (TA) is a military reserve force composed of Part-time job, part-time Military volunteer, volunteers who provide support services to the Indian Army. It consists of Officer (armed forces), officers, junior commissioned offi ...
. In 2007, Mohanlal won the
Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor The Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor is an award, begun in 1969, presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India to an actor for best performance in a Malayalam cinema, Malayalam film. Until 1997, the awards were managed direct ...
for his performance in '' Paradesi'', directed by P. T. Kunju Muhammed.
Sify.com Sify Technologies Limited (formerly Satyam Infoway) is an Indian information and communications technology (ICT) company providing telecom services, data center services, cloud & managed services, transformation integration services, and a ...
stated that "Mohanlal is mesmerising and reinvents the idiom of acting once more with feeling." His July release ''
Hallo Hello is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses ''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the ''Norwich Couri ...
'' became one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of the year. In August that year, he appeared in his second
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
film '' Aag'', (also called ''Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag''), a remake of the Bollywood classic ''
Sholay ''Sholay'' (, ) is a 1975 Indian epic action-adventure film directed by Ramesh Sippy, produced by his father G. P. Sippy, and written by Salim–Javed. The film is about two criminals, Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jai (Amitabh Bachchan), hired ...
'' (1975). Mohanlal reprised the role played by
Sanjeev Kumar Sanjeev Kumar (born Harihar Jethalal Jariwala; 9 July 1938 – 6 November 1985) was an Indian actor. Considered as one of the greatest actors of Indian Cinema, he is well remembered for his versatility and genuine portrayal of his characters. ...
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 Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Considered as one of the most accomplished actors of Indian Cinema, Haas ...
in the Tamil film '' Unnaipol Oruvan''. His last film of the year, ''
Evidam Swargamanu ''Ividam Swargamanu'' () is a List of Malayalam films of 2009, 2009 Indian Malayalam cinema, Malayalam-language family drama Thriller film, thriller film directed by Rosshan Andrrews and written by James Albert (screenwriter), James Albert. It wa ...
'', was directed by
Rosshan Andrrews Rosshan Andrrews (born 6 January 1975) is an Indian film director who mainly works in Malayalam cinema. Biography Rosshan Andrrews was born to Burney and Andrews of the Moolakuzhi Nedumparampil house in Thrissur. He attended St. Aloysious Thriss ...
.


Continued commercial success (2010–2015)

In 2010, he acted in five films, the first being ''
Janakan ''Janakan'' () is a 2010 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film directed by N. R. Sanjeev and written by S. N. Swami, starring Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi. The music was composed by M. Jayachandran. It was released on 8 April 2010 in Kerala ...
'', a crime thriller in which he co-starred with
Suresh Gopi Suresh Gopi (born 26 June 1958) is an Indian actor, playback singer, television presenter and politician who is currently serving as the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Minister of Tourism since June 2024. He was ele ...
, 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 ''Oru Naal Varum'' () is a 2010 Indian Malayalam-language satirical film directed by T. K. Rajeev Kumar, written by Sreenivasan, and produced by Maniyanpilla Raju. It stars Mohanlal and Sameera Reddy in her Malayalam debut, with Sreenivasan, ...
'', directed by T. K Rajeev Kumar, scripted by
Sreenivasan Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such a ...
and produced by
Maniyanpilla Raju Sudheer Kumar (born 20 April 1955), better known by his stage name Maniyanpilla Raju (Malayalam: മണിയൻപിള്ള രാജു), is an Indian actor and producer who works in Malayalam film industry.corruption in India Corruption in India is an issue that affects the economy of central, state, and local government agencies. Corruption is blamed for stunting the economy of India. A study conducted by Transparency International in 2005 recorded that more than 6 ...
. It reunited the much-adored classic combo of Mohanlal-
Sreenivasan Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such a ...
onscreen. His next film was ''
Shikkar ''Shikkar: The Hunt'', or simply ''Shikkar'' () is a 2010 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by M. Padmakumar, written by S. Suresh Babu, and produced by K. K. Rajagopal. The film stars Mohanlal, alongside Kalabhavan Man ...
,'' a dark revenge thriller directed by M. Padmakumar, in which he played a lorry driver who is haunted by his past. The film topped at the Ramzan box office. It was followed by ''Kandahar'', a war film directed by
Major Ravi Major A. K. Raveendran SM (born 13 June 1958) is a retired officer of the Indian Army, former National Security Guard commando, film actor and film director predominantly works in Malayalam cinema and some films in Tamil and Hindi. He was aw ...
, based on the hijacking of
Indian Airlines Flight 814 Indian Airlines Flight 814, commonly known as IC 814, was an Indian Airlines Airbus A300 that was Aircraft hijacking, hijacked on 24 December 1999 by five members of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. The passenger flight, en route from Tribhuvan Internat ...
in 1999. Mohanlal reprised the role of Major Mahadevan in the film. It was the third installment in the Major Mahadevan film series, and the debut Malayalam film of
Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.* * * * * With a cinemati ...
. Mohanlal's first release in 2011 was the multi-starrer '' Christian Brothers'', an
action drama The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...
directed by
Joshiy Joshiy (born 18 July 1952) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and also directed Tamil language, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu language, Telugu and Kannada-language films. Joshiy made his directorial ...
and scripted by Udayakrishna-Siby K. Thomas, in which he co-starred with
Suresh Gopi Suresh Gopi (born 26 June 1958) is an Indian actor, playback singer, television presenter and politician who is currently serving as the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Minister of Tourism since June 2024. He was ele ...
,
Dileep Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan, better known by his stage name Dileep, is an Indian actor, producer, comedian and entrepreneur who predominantly works in the Malayalam film industry. He has also acted in Tamil, Hindi, and Kannada films. He has ...
and
Sarath Kumar Ramanathan Sarathkumar (born 14 July 1954) is an Indian actor, politician and former bodybuilder who works predominantly in Tamil cinema in addition to Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. He has acted in more than 150 films and won two ...
. Released worldwide in March across 300 screens, which was the largest release for a Malayalam film at the time, this racy film was a commercial success and one of the top grossing Malayalam films of the year. His
Vishu Vishu (Malayalam: വിഷു) is a Hindu festival celebrating the Malayali New Year in Kerala, Tulu Nadu, and Mahe of India. Vishu falls on the first day of the month of ''Medam'', the first month of the Solar calendar used in Malabar of ...
(April) release was ''
China Town Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...
'', another multi-starrer in which he co-starred with
Jayaram Jayaram Subramaniam, (born 10 December 1965), is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema, in addition to Tamil cinema, Tamil, Telugu cinema, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Sanskrit, and Bhojpuri language films. He is also a chenda ...
and
Dileep Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan, better known by his stage name Dileep, is an Indian actor, producer, comedian and entrepreneur who predominantly works in the Malayalam film industry. He has also acted in Tamil, Hindi, and Kannada films. He has ...
, which was a comedy film directed by
Rafi Mecartin Rafi may refer to: Places * Rafi, Iran, a city in Khuzestan Province * Rafi, Abadan, a village in Khuzestan Province * Rafi, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Niger State Other uses * Rafi (name), a name of Arabic origin * Rafi, Indian fil ...
. Despite mixed reviews, the film ran over 100 days and became one of the highest grossing Malayalam films of the year. He starred in ''
Pranayam Pranayam ( in Indian languages) may refer to: *Pranayam (2011 film), ''Pranayam'' (2011 film), a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language romantic drama film by Blessy * Pranayam (2024 film), ''Pranayam'' (2024 film), a 2024 Indian Kannada-language romantic ...
'', released in August, an off-beat
romantic drama Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...
directed by
Blessy Blessy Ipe Thomas (born 3 September 1963), best known mononymously as Blessy, is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Malayalam cinema. He has won one National Film Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and nine Kerala State Fil ...
. It was a love story between three aged characters played by Mohanlal,
Anupam Kher Anupam Kher (born 7 March 1955) is an Indian actor, director and producer who works primarily in Hindi cinema. In a career spanning over four decades, he has acted in more than 540 films. A veteran of Indian cinema, Kher is recipient of two Na ...
and
Jayapradha Jaya Prada Nahata (born Lalitha Rani Rao; 3 April 1962) is an Indian actress and politician known for her works majorly in Telugu cinema and Hindi cinema as well as in Tamil films in late '70s, '80s and early '90s. Jayaprada is the recipient o ...
. The film was highly acclaimed by critics and Mohanlal's performance as Mathews was well appreciated. His next film ''
Snehaveedu ''Snehaveedu'' () is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film written and directed by Sathyan Anthikad. It was produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the company Aashirvad Cinemas. The film stars Mohanlal, Sheela, and Rahul Pillai. ...
'', was directed by Sathyan Anthikkadu, a family film in the background of a village in
Palakkad Palakkad (), Renaming of cities in India, also known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery, is a city and a municipality in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of P ...
. For the first time, actress
Sheela Sheela Celine (born 24 March 1945) is an Indian actress and director who appears predominantly in Malayalam cinema. Paired with Prem Nazir, they hold the Guinness World Record for acting in the largest number of films (130) together as heroine ...
shared screen space with Mohanlal. She played his mother. ''Snehaveedu'' is credited as his 300th film. The film was a hit. His last movie that year was '' Oru Marubhoomikkadha'', directed by
Priyadarshan Priyadarshan Soman Nair (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director and screenwriter. He has worked primarily in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam and Hindi cinema, Hindi cinema since 1982, directing over 90 films in multiple Indian languages, ...
, which was an
action comedy The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the America ...
thriller entirely set in the
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
. It marked the return of the Priyadarshan-Mohanlal-
Mukesh Mukesh is an epithet for the Hindu god Shiva, and literally means "conqueror of the Muka demon". It is commonly used as a male given name in India. People with the name Mukesh include: * Mukesh (singer) (1923–1976), Indian playback singer from ...
combo of the late 1980s and 90s. The film performed well at the Christmas-New Year's box office. In 2012, he acted in six films. His first release was the much hyped big-budget
romantic thriller A romantic thriller is a narrative that combines elements of both the romance and thriller genres. The goal of romantic thrillers is to entertain audiences by evoking discomfort through moments of suspense along with heightened feelings of anxi ...
film ''
Casanovva ''Casanovva'' (also known as ''Confident Casanovva'') is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language romantic action thriller film directed by Rosshan Andrrews and written by Bobby & Sanjay. It was produced by Roy C. J. of Confident Group in association ...
'', directed by
Rosshan Andrrews Rosshan Andrrews (born 6 January 1975) is an Indian film director who mainly works in Malayalam cinema. Biography Rosshan Andrrews was born to Burney and Andrews of the Moolakuzhi Nedumparampil house in Thrissur. He attended St. Aloysious Thriss ...
and written by Bobby-Sanjay. He enacted the role of Casanova, a serial womaniser and the owner of Casanova's Eternal Spring – an international chain of flower boutiques. Later, he appeared in a cameo role in the Bollywood movie ''
Tezz ''Tezz'' () is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Priyadarshan. It stars Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut, Zayed Khan, Sameera Reddy and Boman Irani. Malayalam cinema, Malayalam actor Mohanlal appears in an Came ...
'', which was released in April and directed by
Priyadarshan Priyadarshan Soman Nair (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director and screenwriter. He has worked primarily in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam and Hindi cinema, Hindi cinema since 1982, directing over 90 films in multiple Indian languages, ...
. His next film was the B. Unnikrishnan-directorial '' Grandmaster'', a
neo-noir Neo-noir is a film genre that adapts the visual style and themes of 1940s and 1950s American film noir for contemporary audiences, often with more graphic depictions of violence and sexuality. During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, the term ...
crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...
thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
about a cop who is forced to investigate a series of murders. Mohanlal's well-tempered, calm and subdued acting was appreciated by the critics. Produced by
UTV Motion Pictures UTV Motion Pictures (also known as Disney UTV from 2012–13) was the feature film unit of UTV Software Communications founded by Ronnie Screwvala and Zarina Screwvala in 1996 as UTV Motion Pictures Plc., the film distribution division of UTV S ...
, it was the first Malayalam film to be released through
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
, and made available in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. '' Spirit'', directed by
Ranjith Ranjit or Renjith may refer to: Religion * Anton Ranjith Pillainayagam (born 1966), Sri Lankan Tamil Catholic priest, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Colombo * Malcolm Ranjith (born 1947), Sri Lankan Cardinal of the Catholic Church, Archbi ...
, talked about the increasing habit of alcoholism in
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
. The film was exempted from the entertainment tax by the state government for creating social awareness in the society. The film completed a 125-day theatrical run in Kerala and became a commercial success. '' Run Baby Run'', released during the
Onam Onam () is an annual harvest and Hindus, Hindu cultural festival celebrated mostly by the people of Kerala. A major annual event for Malayalis, Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events. H ...
festival, was a
comedy thriller Comedy thrillers are a hybrid genre that draw subject matter generally from comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, ...
directed by
Joshiy Joshiy (born 18 July 1952) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and also directed Tamil language, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu language, Telugu and Kannada-language films. Joshiy made his directorial ...
. It featured the news media as the background. The film was well appreciated by critics, remarking that it was as an example of a well-crafted thriller. It became one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of the year. The year ended with the Christmas release ''
Karmayodha ''Karmayodha'' is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language action crime film co-produced, written and directed by Major Ravi. It features Mohanlal, Murali Sharma, Mukesh, Sai Kumar, Bineesh Kodiyeri, Rajeev Pillai, Asha Sarath, Aishwarya Devan, Malavika ...
'', directed by
Major Ravi Major A. K. Raveendran SM (born 13 June 1958) is a retired officer of the Indian Army, former National Security Guard commando, film actor and film director predominantly works in Malayalam cinema and some films in Tamil and Hindi. He was aw ...
, an action thriller in which he played Mad Maddy, an encounter specialist who is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a teenage school girl in
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
. The film dealt with the
discrimination against women A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional uteruses ...
. 2013 was a remarkable year for Mohanlal, it was the year in which the all-time blockbuster of Malayalam film, ''
Drishyam ''Drishyam'' () is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film written and directed by Jeethu Joseph. It stars Mohanlal alongside Meena, Ansiba Hassan, Esther Anil, Asha Sharath, Siddique, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Roshan Basheer and ...
'' released. His first film of the year was ''
Lokpal A Lokpal ( ''lokapāla'', "defender of people" or "People's Friend") is an anti-corruption authority or body of ombudsman who represents the public interest in the Republic of India. The current Chairperson of Lokpal is Ajay Manikrao Khanwilkar. ...
'', a vigilante thriller in which he played a vigilante nicknamed "Lokpal". It was directed by
Joshiy Joshiy (born 18 July 1952) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and also directed Tamil language, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu language, Telugu and Kannada-language films. Joshiy made his directorial ...
and written by S. N. Swamy. ''
Red Wine Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties - (red grapes.) The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice fro ...
'', directed by
Salam Bappu Salam Bappu is an Indian people, Indian film director working in Malayalam cinema. He made his debut with the movie ''Red Wine (2013 film), Red Wine'' (2013) and later directed Manglish (film), ''Manglish''. His new movie ''Aayirothonnaam Raav ...
, was a non-linear investigation thriller based on a political murder. ''
Ladies and Gentleman ''Ladies and Gentleman'' is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film written and directed by Siddique and jointly produced by Antony Perumbavoor and Roy C. J. under their production companies Aashirvad Cinemas and Confident Group. It ...
'', directed by Siddique, was a romantic comedy film set in the backdrop of IT companies.'' ''
Geethaanjali ''Geethaanjali'' is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language horror film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Abhilash Nair, with dialogue by Dennis Joseph. It is a spin-off of the 1993 film ''Manichitrathazhu'' and an official remake of the 2007 ...
, a horror thriller directed by Priyadarsan, was a spin-off of the Malayalam classic film ''
Manichitrathazhu ''Manichitrathazhu'' () is a 1993 Indian Malayalam-language epic psychological horror Thriller film directed by Fazil, written by Madhu Muttam and produced by Swargachitra Appachan. The film stars Mohanlal, Shobana and Suresh Gopi. It also ...
'', in which he reprised the role of Dr. Sunny from the original. His last release was ''
Drishyam ''Drishyam'' () is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film written and directed by Jeethu Joseph. It stars Mohanlal alongside Meena, Ansiba Hassan, Esther Anil, Asha Sharath, Siddique, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Roshan Basheer and ...
'', directed by
Jeethu Joseph Jeethu Joseph (born 10 November 1972) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He has also worked in a few Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hindi and Telugu Cinema, Telugu films. Jeethu made his d ...
. It grossed 75 crore worldwide and became the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever, until 2016. In 2014, he starred in the
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
action-drama ''
Jilla ''Jilla'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by R. T. Neason and produced by R. B. Choudary under Super Good Films. The film stars Mohanlal and Vijay as a crime boss and his adopted son, a police officer, whose ...
'', alongside Vijay, directed by
R. T. Neason R. T. Neason is an Indian film director, he earlier worked as assistant director in film like '' Iraniyan'', '' Prematho Raa'', '' Thavasi'', '' Ondagona Baa'' and also with Director Bhagyaraj as a screenplay writer. Neason also assisted in st ...
and produced by R. B. Choudary. The film was a commercial success, grossing over 85 crore worldwide, and completed 100 days theatrical run in
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
, Tamil Nadu. Mohanlal's first Malayalam release of 2014 was ''
Mr. Fraud ''Mr. Fraud'' is a 2014 Indian heist action thriller film written and directed by B. Unnikrishnan. The film stars an ensemble cast of Mohanlal, Dev Gill, Vijay Babu, Miya, Manjari Phadnis, Siddique, Vijayakumar, Pallavi Purohit, Rahul M ...
'', a
heist film The heist film or caper film is a subgenre of crime films and the caper story, focused on the planning, execution, and aftermath of a significant robbery. One of the early defining heist films was '' The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950), which ''Film G ...
directed by
B. Unnikrishnan Unnikrishnan Bhaskaran Pillai (born 14 August 1970), known mononymously as B Unnikrishnan, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, distributor and exhibitor who works in the Malayalam film industry. Early life Unnikrishnan. B. was born on 14 ...
. He appeared in an extended cameo role in his next film ''
Koothara ''Koothara'' () is a 2014 Malayalam-language coming of age mystery thriller film directed by Srinath Rajendran and written by Vini Vishwa Lal. It stars Bharath, Sunny Wayne and Tovino Thomas in lead roles. with Mohanlal in an extended cameo as ...
'', directed by Srinath Rajendran, a
coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...
mystery film A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...
set in an untold period. He played a mysterious character in the experimental film, who at the end of the film revealed himself as a
merman A merman (: mermen; also merlad or merboy in youth), the male counterpart of the mythical female mermaid, is a legendary creature which is human from the waist up and fish-like from the waist down, but may assume normal human shape. Sometimes mer ...
. His next was the comical
political satire Political satire is a type of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics. Political satire can also act as a tool for advancing political arguments in conditions where political speech and dissent are banned. Political satir ...
film ''
Peruchazhi ''Peruchazhi'' () is a 2014 Indian Malayalam-language political satire film written and directed by Arun Vaidyanathan. The dialogues were co-written by Ajayan Venugopalan. Vijay Babu and Sandra Thomas produced the film for Friday Film House. ...
'', written and directed by
Arun Vaidyanathan Arun Vaidyanathan is an Indian-American film director who works predominantly in Tamil-language films. He directed his first full-length feature film in Tamil, ''Achchamundu! Achchamundu!'', which released in July 2009. He produced a Tamil ro ...
. He played a young political kingmaker who is assigned to make a candidate for governor win the
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
state gubernatorial elections, where he uses standard Indian political gimmicks to win the election in the USA. In 2015, his first release was the
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
film '' Mythri''. His performance as the revenge-seeking DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) scientist Mahadev was well appreciated by the critics. His first Malayalam release was with a cameo appearance in '' Rasam''. ''
Ennum Eppozhum ''Ennum Eppozhum'' () is a 2015 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Ranjan Pramod based on a story by Raveendran. It was produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the production company Aashirva ...
'', directed by
Sathyan Anthikad Sathyan Anthikad is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and lyricist who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. In a career spanning five decades he has directed more than 50 films, been the lyricist for 12 films and been the scriptwriter ...
was his first leading role in the year, co-starring
Manju Warrier Manju Warrier (; born 10 September 1978/1979) is an Indian actress, who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema. She is the recipient of a National Film Award, a Kerala State Film Award and seven Filmfare Awards South. Warrier made her actin ...
. The film was a success at the box office. It was followed by the action thriller ''
Lailaa O Lailaa ''Lailaa O Lailaa'' is a 2015 Indian Malayalam-language action spy film directed by Joshiy. It stars Mohanlal and Amala Paul alongside a supporting cast of Sathyaraj, Joy Mathew, Sreerag Nambiar, Rahul Dev and Kainaat Arora. Bollywood screenwr ...
'', directed by Joshiy, both of which failed critically and commercially at the box office. His next was the
Ranjith Ranjit or Renjith may refer to: Religion * Anton Ranjith Pillainayagam (born 1966), Sri Lankan Tamil Catholic priest, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Colombo * Malcolm Ranjith (born 1947), Sri Lankan Cardinal of the Catholic Church, Archbi ...
directorial thriller ''
Loham ''Loham'' () is a 2015 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film written and directed by Ranjith, and produced by Antony Perumbavoor for the production company Aashirvad Cinemas. The film, starring Mohanlal, Renji Panicker, Siddique, An ...
''. Though it met with mixed critical reactions, the film was a commercial success. The revenge thriller ''
Kanal Kanal may refer to: * Kanal (unit), a unit of area equivalent to one-eighth of an acre, used in northern India and Pakistan * ''Kanał'', a 1956 Polish film directed by Andrzej Wajda * ''Kanal'' (1979 film), a 1979 Turkish film * ''Kanal'' (2015 ...
'' was his last in the year. It also received mixed reviews from critics.


Career progression and commercial fluctuations (2016–2024)

In 2016, Mohanlal had four releases, which had a combined gross collection of 378 crore worldwide, making him fourth (behind
Aamir Khan Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan (; born 14 March 1965) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and television personality who works in Bollywood, Hindi films. Referred to as "Mr. Perfectionist" in the media, he is known for his work in a variety of film g ...
,
Akshay Kumar Akshay Hari Om Bhatia (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia; 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career span ...
, and
Salman Khan Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; born 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who predominantly works in Hindi films. In a career spanning over three decades, his awards include two National Film Awa ...
) among the top Indian actors with highest box office receipts in the year, and in top position among
South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
n actors. His first release in the year was the Telugu film ''
Manamantha ''Manamantha'' () is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language anthology film written and directed by Chandra Sekhar Yeleti and produced by Sai Korrapati. It stars Mohanlal, Gautami, Viswant Duddumpudi, and Raina Rao and also marks the former's Telugu ...
'', a family drama directed by
Chandra Sekhar Yeleti Chandra Sekhar Yeleti (born 4 March 1973) is an Indian film director known for his works in Telugu cinema. He made his directorial debut with the Neo-noir crime film, ''Aithe'', which received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Te ...
. For this film, he dubbed in Telugu. His following release was another Telugu film ''
Janatha Garage ''Janatha Garage'' () is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language vigilante action drama film written and directed by Koratala Siva and produced by Mythri Movie Makers. The film stars an ensemble cast including Mohanlal, N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Unni Mukund ...
'', an action drama directed by
Koratala Siva Koratala Siva (born 15 June 1975) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. Siva has directed films such as Mirchi (film), ''Mirchi'' (2013), ''Srimanthudu'' (2015), ''Janatha Garage'' (2016), ''Bharat Ane Nenu'' ( ...
. It became the highest-grossing Telugu film of 2016 and one of the highest-grossing Telugu films, with a gross collection of over 135 crore worldwide. His first Malayalam release that year was the crime-thriller ''
Oppam ''Oppam'' () is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Priyadarshan from a story by Govind Vijayan. The film, produced by Antony Perumbavoor for Aashirvad Cinemas, stars Mohanlal and Samuthirakani. The songs were co ...
'', directed by
Priyadarshan Priyadarshan Soman Nair (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director and screenwriter. He has worked primarily in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam and Hindi cinema, Hindi cinema since 1982, directing over 90 films in multiple Indian languages, ...
in which he played a blind man. The film became one of the highest-grossing Malayalam film of 2016. It crossed the 50 crore mark at the box office within one-and-a-half months, and grossed over 65 crore worldwide. He acted as a hunter in his following release, the action film ''
Pulimurugan ''Pulimurugan'' is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language epic action thriller film directed by Vysakh and produced by Tomichan Mulakuppadam through Mulakuppadam Films. The screenplay was written by Udayakrishna —half of the duo Udayakrishna and ...
'', his last release of the year. It became the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever and is the first Malayalam film to gross over 100 crore at the box office. The film has so far collected 152 crore worldwide. The film received positive response for his performance and Paresh C. Palicha stated, "It is Mohanlal's calibre as an actor that makes this thriller a really thrilling experience." The next year in 2017, he acted in ''
Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol ''Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol'' () is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language domestic drama film directed by Jibu Jacob and written by M. Sindhuraj. It is loosely based on the Malayalam short story "Pranayopanishath" by V. J. James. Produced and ...
'' (2016) which grossed 50 crore at the box office''.'' He then appeared in '' 1971: Beyond Borders'' directed by
Major Ravi Major A. K. Raveendran SM (born 13 June 1958) is a retired officer of the Indian Army, former National Security Guard commando, film actor and film director predominantly works in Malayalam cinema and some films in Tamil and Hindi. He was aw ...
and was based on the 1971 India-Pakistan war. He played dual roles of Colonel Mahadevan and
Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
Sahadevan. The next film he acted in was ''Velipadinte Pusthakam'' directed by
Lal Jose Lal Jose is an Indian director, actor, producer, and distributor who works in the Malayalam film industry. He started his career as an Assistant director in the Malayalam cinema. His directorial debut was with the 1998 film '' Oru Maravat ...
in their first colloboration. It was followed by the action thriller ''
Villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...
'' directed by
B. Unnikrishnan Unnikrishnan Bhaskaran Pillai (born 14 August 1970), known mononymously as B Unnikrishnan, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, distributor and exhibitor who works in the Malayalam film industry. Early life Unnikrishnan. B. was born on 14 ...
. It was his last release of the year and became one of his highest grossing film. In 2018, Mohanlal did cameo appearances in ''
Aadhi ''Aadhi'' is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Jeethu Joseph and produced by Antony Perumbavoor through Aashirvad Cinemas. The film stars Pranav Mohanlal in the title role (in his debut role) and with an ense ...
'' and ''Kayamkulam Kochunni (2018 film), Kayamkulam Kochunni'', where he played Ithikkara Pakki, a robber contemporary to Kochunni. His next two releases, ''Neerali'' and ''Drama (2018 film), Drama'' failed st the box office. Mohanlal then acted in the fantasy drama film ''Odiyan'', directed by V. A. Shrikumar Menon, based on the legend of the Odiyan clan, Odiyan clan. The film emerged as one of the highest grossing Malayalam film and was his only box office success in 2018. Mohanlal played a crime syndicate leader in his first film of 2019, Lucifer (2019 Indian film), ''Lucifer'', directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran. Lakshana. N. Palat of ''India Today'' stated, "''Lucifer'' is like Mohanlal fanfiction brought to life on-screen. If you swear by Mohanlal, go for it." One of the highest grossing Malayalam film of all time, it earned over ₹200 crore, which includes box office collections and the earnings from the sale of its satellite rights, digital streaming rights and TV rights in other languages. He then appeared in ''Ittymaani: Made in China'', which was a moderate success. He then played the Prime Minister in the Tamil film ''Kaappaan'', a commercial success. His only film in 2020 was ''Big Brother (2020 film), Big Brother'', where he played an ex-criminal who return to his family post his release from prison. Mohanlal reprised a his role in the sequel ''Drishyam 2'', directed by
Jeethu Joseph Jeethu Joseph (born 10 November 1972) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He has also worked in a few Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hindi and Telugu Cinema, Telugu films. Jeethu made his d ...
, which released on Amazon Prime in 2021. Haricharan Pudippedi noted, "Mohanlal brings a restrained performance to Georgekutty’s character. He seems to be a much calmer man this time around but nobody has a clue about what’s brewing in his mind." He then played a muslim warrior Kunjali Marakkar, Kunjali Marakkar IV in ''Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea'', which underperformed at the box office. It also won a National Film Award. His first film in 2022 was ''Bro Daddy'', where he played a joyous father to Prithviraj Sukumaran. Janani K. stated, "Mohanlal is a hoot in this film. His minute expressions and his comic timing are impeccable." His next two releases ''Aaraattu (2022 film), Aaraattu'' and ''Monster (2022 film), Monster'' were box office failures. He then appeared in''12th Man (film), 12th Man'', which released digitally on Disney+ Hotstar. In 2023, Mohanlal's first film ''Alone (2023 film), Alone'', was a box office flop. He then did a cameo in the Tamil film ''Jailer (2023 Tamil film), Jailer''. Mohanlal then played an advocate in ''Neru (film), Neru'', which emerged as the second highest grossing Malayalam film of the year. S. R. Praveen stated that Mohanlal is back to form with "an understated performance". Both his films in 2024: ''Malaikottai Vaaliban'' and ''Barroz 3D'' flopped at the box office, leading to a series of commercial failures for Mohanlal.


Further success and resurgence (2025–present)

Mohanlal's career resurged in 2025. He first reprised his role in the sequel ''L2: Empuraan''. Ganesh Aaglave of ''Firstpost'' noted, "Mohanlal is expected to be brilliant, and he is, without any doubt. He oozes swag and beautifully expresses each emotion with a subtle yet impactful mood." A commercial success, it emerged as the highest grossing Malayalam film of the year. He then played a taxi driver in ''Thudarum''. Latha Srinivasan of ''Hindustan Times'' noted, "Mohanlal is in top-form and every scene he is in showcases the great actor that he is." The film became a box office success. Both ''L2: Empuraan'' and ''Thudarum'' became the List of highest-grossing Malayalam films, highest and third-highest grossing Malayalam film of all-time respectively.


Other projects


Stage performances

Mohanlal had acted in several Amateur theatre, amateur plays before entering into films. In 2001, he debuted in Professional performances, professional drama playing Karna (a character from the Indian epic Mahabharata) in ''Karnabharam'', a Sanskrit-language play directed by Kavalam Narayana Panicker. It premiered at the Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi on 29 March 2001 as part of the Bharat Rang Mahotsav, National Theatre Festival of the National School of Drama. The play depicts Karna's mental agony a day before the Kurukshetra War, as he thinks about his past and his faith. Mohanlal said: "You cannot compare Kavalam's play with the amateur plays I did. Though there are other characters in the play, the theme revolves around Karna. It is almost like a solo performance. Some of the scenes are really touching and challenging". He acted without payment, saying: "I performed for the joy of it ... for my love of our history". ''Kadhayattam'' was a presentation enacted by Mohanlal, performing ten classic characters and situations from Malayalam literature, selected from ten Malayalam novels written by Oyyarathu Chandu Menon, O. Chandu Menon, C. V. Raman Pillai, S. K. Pottekkatt, Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, P. Kesavadev, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, Uroob, O. V. Vijayan, M. Mukundan, and
M. T. Vasudevan Nair Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Narayanan Nair (15 July 1933 – 25 December 2024) was an Indian author, lecturer, Screenwriter, screenplay writer and film director. He was a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and was o ...
over a 100-year period. The play, directed by T. K. Rajeev Kumar premiered at the Senate Hall of University of Kerala on 1 November 2003, and later was staged in Kozhikode, Bangalore,
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
and Delhi. In 2008, Mohanlal along with
Mukesh Mukesh is an epithet for the Hindu god Shiva, and literally means "conqueror of the Muka demon". It is commonly used as a male given name in India. People with the name Mukesh include: * Mukesh (singer) (1923–1976), Indian playback singer from ...
performed in ''Chayamukhi'', written and directed by Prasanth Narayanan. Mohanlal and Mukesh portrayed Bhima, Bheeman and Kichaka, Keechakan respectively, the characters from ''Mahabharata''. It had a Story within a story#Play within a play, play within a play narrative style. It premiered at the Lulu Convention Centre, Lulu International Convention Centre in Thrissur on 12 March 2008, and later was staged in Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore, Kollam,
Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...
, and Kozhikode. A critic from ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
'' wrote: "''Chayamukhi'' is, arguably, the finest work on Malayalam stage in recent times". In the same year, Mohanlal voiced Hanuman in the English ballet ''Maya Ravan'', directed by
Shobana Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai (born 21 March 1970); known mononymously as Shobana, is an Indian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer, who works predominantly in Malayalam films, in addition to Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, English and Kannada films. She is ...
. In 2014, Mohanlal and musician Ratheesh Vegha formed the music band Lalisom - The Lal Effect. Its maiden show was at the 2015 National Games of India. The band drew flak from social media initially for charging an amount of 1.63 crore and later for Lip sync, lip-syncing. Following the criticism, Mohanlal returned the amount to the government, which they refused stating that the government's morality would not allow them to take back the money and Mohanlal had not personally benefited from the amount which he received, since it was meant to meet the stage expenses and remuneration for the artistes. Despite that, Mohanlal did not take back the money he dispatched. In 2015, he collaborated once again with Mukesh for ''Naga'', but this time as the narrator. The play, based on Girish Karnad's
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
play ''Nagamandala'', was directed by Suveeran. ''Naga'' was a combination of myth, superstition, fact, and fantasy. It was premiered at the Parish Hall of St. George Church, Kalady on 9 August 2015.


Goodwill and brand ambassador

Mohanlal has been a goodwill ambassador for the government and other Nonprofit organization, nonprofit organisations, mainly for Public service announcement, public service ads and humanitarian causes. In March 2007, he was made the goodwill ambassador of the HIV/AIDS, AIDS awareness campaign by Kerala AIDS Control Society, for which he acted in short awareness videos. In October 2009, Mohanlal was appointed as the goodwill ambassador of Kerala State Athletics by the Kerala State Athletics Association. In March 2010, Mohanlal accepted the plea of the Department of Industries (Kerala), Department of Industries and Commerce of the Government of Kerala to be designated as the goodwill ambassador of Kerala's handloom industries. In July 2015, the Government of Kerala made him the Goodwill ambassador of "Subhayatra 2015", a project developed to create awareness about traffic rules. He was appointed as the Goodwill ambassador of "Mrithasanjeevani" in September 2016, another project by the Government of Kerala aimed at promoting organ donation in the state. In January 2021, he was appointed as the goodwill ambassador of the tuberculosis eradication campaign by the Kerala government's health department. He has also appeared in several television commercials and advertisements for Malabar Gold and Diamonds, Oceanus etc. Mohanlal was the first movie star in India to endorse the ubiquitous Mundu, dhoti after he was made the brand ambassador of MCR in 2001. MCR manufactured 30,000 coloured dhotis which had been featured in the film ''Narasimham'' (2000), which was a market success. He continues to be the chief brand ambassador of MCR. Mohanlal signed as the brand ambassador of Kanan Devan in 2002, a tea brand owned by the Tata Global Beverages. His contract was renewed after its rebranding in 2014. In July 2010, LG Electronics India enlisted Mohanlal for the endorsement of the brand's
Onam Onam () is an annual harvest and Hindus, Hindu cultural festival celebrated mostly by the people of Kerala. A major annual event for Malayalis, Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events. H ...
festival offers for Kerala customers lasting till September 2010. In the same year, he was signed as the brand ambassador in the state for Manappuram General Finance and Leasing, Manappuram Finance Ltd., a Non-bank financial institution, non-banking financial company. Mohanlal endorsed the coconut oil brand KLF Coconad in 2013. In September 2013, the direct-broadcast satellite television provider Tata Sky announced Mohanlal as its brand endorser for its Kerala market. Mohanlal, along with Milkha Singh and P. T. Usha were the brand ambassadors of the event Kochi International Half Marathon in 2013, a half marathon organised by Kochi Municipal Corporation and Push Integrated Communication Pvt Ltd., He continued in its second edition in 2014, along with cricketer Harbhajan Singh. In May 2016, as part of expanding its market to the
South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
n audience, the entertainment company Hotstar, which is a platform for streaming media and video on demand, announced Mohanlal as its brand ambassador for its Malayalam contents. He endorsed its six-week multimedia Advertising campaign, campaign on television, Insert (print advertising), print, Out-of-home advertising, outdoor and Digital marketing, digital medias.


Business and other ventures

Mohanlal has started and associated with several business ventures related to film production and distribution, restaurants and packaged spices among others. He co-owned a production company during the 1980s, Casino, along with
Mammootty Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam-language films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, ...
, I. V. Sasi, I.V. Sasi, Seema (actress), Seema and Century Kochumon. The production house produced commercially successful films such as ''Adiyozhukkukal'' (1984), ''Karimpinpoovinakkare'' (1985), ''Gandhinagar 2nd Street'' (1986) and ''
Nadodikkattu ''Nadodikkattu'' () is a 1987 Indian Malayalam-language satirical comedy film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan based on a story by the Siddique–Lal duo. It stars Mohanlal and Sreenivasan in the lead roles, along with an ...
'' (1987). He owns Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments, a film distribution company. He started Vismayas Max, a film pre-production, pre and post-production studio headquartered in Trivandrum and a college for dubbing artists at Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation, KINFRA Film and Video Park, Trivandrum. The company's management was later taken over by Sohan Roy of Aries Group, which has now been renamed as Aries Vismayas Max. Mohanlal continues to be its brand ambassador. He has produced films under the production house Pranavam Arts International. He owns restaurants in India and overseas, including a Chain store, chain in Dubai called Mohanlal's Tastebuds, established in 2002, and a spices, pickles, condiments, and curry powder brand with the same name launched in February 2004 in the
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
. From 2007, the Eastern Group owns the majority stake in the brand. In 2006, he opened a seafood restaurant named The Harbour Market in Bangalore, and a hotel named Travancore Court in
Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...
. His other business ventures include Uniroyal Marine Exports Limited a Kozhikode-based seafood export company, where he is a non-executive director since 1992. He is the co-founder, partner and chairman of Jose Thomas Performing Arts Centre (JTPac) in Thrippunithura,
Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...
, an arts centre for performing arts and music established in 2009. He is an independent director of Clenergen India Private Limited, a company for production and supply of biomass feedstock for biomass gasification. In 2009, Mohanlal, along with
Priyadarshan Priyadarshan Soman Nair (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director and screenwriter. He has worked primarily in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam and Hindi cinema, Hindi cinema since 1982, directing over 90 films in multiple Indian languages, ...
, tried to bid for an Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team based in
Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...
; they withdrew the bid on failing to source enough funds after a change in rules was introduced. Mohanlal was the captain of the Kerala Strikers team in the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) held in 2012 and 2013.


Escape art

In 2008, Mohanlal underwent 18 months of covert Escapology, escape artist training under magician Gopinath Muthukad to perform a stunt called the "Burning Illusion" in
Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...
. However, due to pressure from fans and contemporaries, the act was canceled. The event was jointly organized by the Kerala Police, Department of Tourism (Kerala), Department of Tourism, and the Kerala State Youth Welfare Board as part of ''Vismayam 2008'', an international convention of magicians. The stunt involved Mohanlal being handcuffed and wrapped in chains, placed inside a box, and thrown into a ball of fire from which he had to escape. Magician Samraj advised Mohanlal against the stunt and requesting that he withdraw. Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, AMMA president Innocent (actor), Innocent also urged Mohanlal to refrain from the risky show. The purpose of the stunt was to inspire youth to overcome challenges in life. Mohanlal acknowledged the 50-50 risk involved but expressed hope for success. Muthukad emphasized that, although fire escape is one of the most dangerous acts, Mohanlal has been practicing to perfect it. In 2014, Mohanlal performed a risk-free magic at the inaugural function of Magic Planet, a magic-themed complex in Thiruvananthapuram, founded by Muthukad. The chief minister of Kerala, Oommen Chandy, inaugurated the event, and Mohanlal's act involved Levitation (illusion), levitating a girl.


Media image and artistry

Mohanlal has been described in the Indian media as one of the most versatile actors and has been lauded for his natural acting style.Ram Gopal Varma ki.. Aag!
. Indiatimes.com. August 2007. Retrieved on 6 May 2012.
Mohanlal is also known by his pet name "Lalettan".
Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...
India described him in 2004 as "cinema's jack of all trades and master of many". He was also listed 80th in India's Most Trusted Persons, in a survey conducted by Reader's Digest in 2010. Director Ram Gopal Varma has described Mohanlal as "one of the finest actors in the country who can slip into any role easily". The actor has often been praised by his contemporaries in the Cinema of India, Indian film industry, for his contributions to Malayalam cinema. In 2003, on the 25th anniversary of Mohanlal's film career, a week-long celebration and a stage show were held in
Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...
, by his fans and friends. The proceeds from the stage show were donated to charity. Malayalam television channels Asianet (TV channel), Asianet and Surya TV also held separate stage shows to celebrate the anniversary. During the 1980s, Mohanlal and
Mammootty Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam-language films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, ...
emerged as "superstars" in Malayalam cinema, marking an unprecedented phenomenon in the industry. This led to a shift in the Malayalam film landscape, with Star vehicle, star-driven films becoming the norm, reminiscent of
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
and
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
film cultures. As ''India Today'' noted in 1988, filmmakers tailored characters to suit these superstars. Director
I. V. Sasi Irruppam Veedu Sasidaran (28 March 1948 – 24 October 2017) was an Indian film director who made over 110 films predominantly in Malayalam, in addition to Tamil and Hindi languages. In 2015, he was awarded the J. C. Daniel Award, the highest a ...
remarked that even Prem Nazir never had the popularity of Mohanlal and Mammootty, who possess "a rare and right mixture of charisma and acting ability". In 1988, filmmaker Fazil stated that, "Mohanlal is the most flexible and subtle actor in the country today. He can do what Dustin Hoffman did in ''Tootsie'' or Silvester Stallone did in ''Rambo (franchise), Rambo'' with ease". In 2005, the films of Mohanlal, Mammootty, and Dileep accounted for 95 percent of the box office gross in Malayalam cinema. ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
'' wrote that "Malayalam cinema revolves around them and scripts are written keeping their age and image in mind", they played larger-than-life characters with distinctive style of attire, dialogues, dance, and fight sequences. Mohanlal's many fan clubs which are present throughout Kerala help in creating a buzz around new releases and ensure a good opening in movie screens, a crucial factor to the success of films in Kerala. In 2007, some social activists protested against Mohanlal for appearing in a whisky commercial, to which he responded that it is unfair to single him out when so many other Indian actors do the same. In 2012, the forest department filed a case against Mohanlal under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 for possessing elephant tusks discovered during an income tax raid at his home. Subsequently, the tusks were returned to Mohanlal. Various petitions were dismissed in lower courts and the High Court of Kerala, alleging favoritism by the state government and department officials towards Mohanlal, and demanding a thorough investigation into the matter. In 2013, dismissing a petition, the High Court concluded that "there was nothing to show that the State government or its officers had acted in favour of the actor. Besides, the petitioner had not been able to point out any illegality or irregularities in the investigation". Similarly, in 2014, the High Court dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and criticized the petitioner, stating that "there is no public interest in the petition, but it is aimed only at publicity".


Personal life

Mohanlal married Suchitra, daughter of the Tamil film producer K. Balaji, on 28 April 1988. The couple has two children – Pranav Mohanlal and Vismaya Mohanlal. Pranav has acted in a few films, debuting in Mohanlal's ''
Onnaman ''Onnaman'' () is a 2002 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film written and directed by Thampi Kannanthanam, starring Mohanlal, N. F. Varghese, Biju Menon, and Ramya Krishnan. The film features an original soundtrack composed by S. P. Ven ...
'' (2001).Movies: Introducing Mohanlal's son-Pranav
. Rediff.com (13 April 2002). Retrieved on 6 May 2012.
Mohanlal did not object when his son expressed a desire to act, as "kids may have many such ambitions. If we can help them realise something, what is the problem?." He resides in Kochi, where he owns houses at Thevara, Elamakkara and Kundannoor. He also owns houses in Chennai, his hometown Thiruvananthapuram, Ooty, Mahabalipuram, a villa in Arabian Ranches and a flat in the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Mohanlal is a self-described foodie. He also enjoys melodious music. Mohanlal is a strong believer in destiny and spirituality. He describes himself as a religious and spiritual person, and likes to read Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh), Osho, J. Krishnamurti, Aurobindo and Ramana Maharshi. He has often stated that the turn of events in his life, including his film career, was accidental. In August 2021, Mohanlal received UAE Golden Visa.


Filmography and discography

Mohanlal's career spans four decades, during which he has acted in over 325 films and produced and co-produced films under three production housesCasino Films, Cheers Films, and Pranavam Arts International. He works predominantly in Malayalam cinema, his acting credits also include some
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
,
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
,
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...
and
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
films. Mohanlal has occasionally acted in some Professional performances, professional plays and has also appeared in a few short films. He has recorded over 31 songs, most of them for the films in which he has acted. In television, Mohanlal is the host of the reality show ''Bigg Boss (Malayalam TV series), Bigg Boss'' on ''Asianet (TV channel), Asianet'', since the start of the Bigg Boss (Malayalam season 1), first season.


Accolades

In a career spanning near forty years, Mohanlal has received numerous accolades and honours both competitive and honorary, among them are five
National Film Awards The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...
, nine Kerala State Film Awards and
Filmfare Awards South The Filmfare Awards South are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema and Kannada cinema. They are presented by ''Filmfare'' magazine of The Times Group. When it was intr ...
. The
Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
honoured him with
Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...
, India's fourth-highest civilian honour in 2001 and
Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...
, the third-highest civilian honour in 2019, for his contributions to the arts. He was conferred with Honorary degree, honorary Doctor of Letters by
Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit The Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) is a Sanskrit university in India established in 1993 When Indian Union Muslim league leader Sri. ET Muhammed Basheer was the. Education minister of Kerala in Kalady, Kochi, Kerala. The founda ...
in 2010, and the
University of Calicut The University of Calicut, also known as Calicut University, is a State ownership, state-run public university headquartered at Tenhipalam in Malappuram district of the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1968, it is the first university to ...
in 2018. In 2008, while filming for ''
Kurukshetra Kurukshetra () is a city and administrative headquarters of Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is also known as Dharmakshetra ("Realm of duty") and as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita". Legends According to the Puranas ...
'', in which he plays an
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
officer, Mohanlal expressed his interest to join the Territorial Army (India), Territorial Army of India. But he could not, as men above the age of 42 are not eligible to join the volunteer force. On 9 July 2008, he was formally inducted to the Territorial Army in the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel by then Army Chief Deepak Kapoor. He is the first actor to receive the honour. In 2012, he was bestowed with an honorary title of Black belt (martial arts), Black belt in Taekwondo from Kukkiwon, South Korea. He is the first
South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
n actor to be honoured with the title.


References


External links


Official Website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mohanlal Mohanlal, 1960 births Living people Film people from Kerala Indian male film actors Indian male stage actors Male actors from Kerala Male actors from Thiruvananthapuram Male actors from Pathanamthitta Male actors in Malayalam cinema Male actors in Tamil cinema Male actors in Hindi cinema Male actors in Telugu cinema Male actors in Kannada cinema Film producers from Thiruvananthapuram Malayalam film producers Kerala State Film Award winners Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Best Actor National Film Award winners International Indian Film Academy Awards winners Filmfare Awards South winners South Indian International Movie Awards winners Special Jury Award (feature film) National Film Award winners Special Mention (feature film) National Film Award winners Screen Awards winners Kerala Film Critics Awards winners 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors 20th-century Indian businesspeople 21st-century Indian businesspeople