Mohanlal

b. 1960 · Indian actor and producer

Biography

Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair (born 21 May 1960 in Elanthoor, Kerala), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also sung occasionally. Over a career spanning more than four decades, he has become one of the most prolific performers in Indian film.

He made his acting debut in Thiranottam (1978), a project made with a group of friends, whose release was delayed by 25 years because of censorship problems. His screen debut came with Manjil Virinja Pookkal (1980), directed by Fazil, in which he played the antagonist. In the following years he took on villainous roles and gradually moved up to secondary leads, establishing himself as a leading actor by the mid-1980s.

His breakthrough came in 1986 with Rajavinte Makan, a crime drama that made him a major star in Kerala. He worked with directors such as Padmarajan, Bharathan and Priyadarshan, and formed a popular comic partnership with the actor and writer Sreenivasan. In Kireedam (1989) he played a young man whose dream of becoming a police officer leads him into crime, a performance that earned him a national special jury mention.

Although he prefers Malayalam films, he has also appeared in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada productions, including Iruvar (1997) and Company (2002). He has produced films through his company Pranavam Arts International. He has won five National Film Awards and nine Kerala State Film Awards, and in 2001 the Indian government awarded him the Padma Shri for his contributions to cinema.

In 2009 he became the first actor to receive the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel in the Territorial Army of India. His legacy rests on a versatile body of work that remains a reference point for Malayalam cinema, and he continues to act and produce.

Key films

Manjil Virinja Pookkal (1980): his first major role, as the antagonist, in Fazil's directorial debut.
Rajavinte Makan (1986): a crime drama that established him as a star in Kerala.
Kireedam (1989): a frustrated young man who turns to crime, a widely acclaimed performance.
Thazhvaram (1990): a widower who seeks revenge against his closest friend, in a Bharathan film.
Iruvar (1997): his venture into Tamil cinema with a political drama.
Company (2002): his role in the Hindi crime drama directed by Ram Gopal Varma.

Trivia

A delayed release

His acting debut, Thiranottam (1978), did not reach cinemas until 25 years later, because of censorship problems.

An honorary military rank

In 2009 he became the first actor to receive the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel in the Indian Territorial Army. Earlier he had wanted to enlist, but he was over the permitted age.