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Mohanlal | |
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| File:Mohanlal 2007.jpg | |
| Born | Mohan Lal 21 May 1960[1] |
| Other names | Lalu, Lalettan |
| Occupation(s) | Film actor, producer, distributor, Entrepreneur, Businessman, Playback singer, Writer |
| Years active | 1978 - present |
| Spouse | Suchithra (1988 - present) |
| Children | Pranav and Vismaya |
| Parent(s) | Viswanathan Nair, Shanthakumari |
| Website | http://www.thecompleteactor.com |
Mohanlal (Malayalam: മോഹന്ലാല്; born 21 May 1960),[2] is an Indian film actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has won four National Awards - two Best Actor Awards, one Special Jury Award, and one Award for Best Film (as producer). He has won nine Kerala State Film Awards including six Best Actor awards, the most times won by any actor. In 2001, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for his contributions to Indian cinema. In 2009, he was granted the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel by the Territorial Army,[3] which was the first instance in the history of Indian cinema of an actor being conferred an honorary Army rank. In 2010, Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit bestowed an honorary doctorate upon him.[4]
Mohanlal was born in Elanthoor Pathanamthitta in Kerala, to Vishwanathan Nair, a lawyer and subsequently law secretary for the Government of Kerala, and Shanthakumari, a housewife. Lal and his brother were brought up in Trivandrum, in his mother's house, as his father was working in the government secretariat. He attended the Mudavanmukal LP school and later enrolled in the Model School, Thiruvananthapuram.[5] In the sixth grade, he was chosen as the best actor in his school, an award that was usually given to tenth graders.[5]
Mohanlal attended Mahatma Gandhi College in Thiruvananthapuram for his bachelor's degree. He continued his association with acting and won numerous best actor awards. At college, he met a group of students who were passionate about theatre and feature films; this group was instrumental in providing him with his first breakthrough.[6] Some of the members of the group, including Priyadarshan, M.G.Sreekumar and Maniyanpilla Raju, went on to become popular movie directors, actors, or singers.
Mohanlal's first film was Thiranottam (1978). The film was only released in one theater because of censorship difficulties.[7] His breakthrough came in 1980, when he was selected by Navodaya Appachen for the role of the antagonist in Manjil Virinja Pookkal, which became a major hit.[8] In 1983, Mohanlal was credited in more than 25 feature films. In 1984, he expanded into comic roles with Priyadarshan's directorial debut, Poochakkoru Mookkuthi.[9] In 1985, he recorded a song for the first time for the film Onnanam Kunnil.[10]
The period of 1986–1995 is widely regarded as the golden age of Malayalam cinema, with films characterised by detailed screenplays, lucid narration and fresh ideas narrowing the gap between art and commercial films.[11] In 1986, Mohanlal worked with Sathyan Anthikad, winning his first Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for his work in T. P. Balagopalan M.A. in which he portrayed an unemployed youth who shoulders the responsibility of his family.[12] He portrayed an underworld don in the blockbuster film Rajavinte Makan and with its success he was labelled a superstar.[13] Mohanlal's popularity among teenage moviegoers was increased by his roles in Priyadarshan's musical comedies, notably Chithram and Kilukkam. Thoovanathumbikal, 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.
Mohanlal's work with writer Lohitha Das and director Sibi Malayil is considered to have produced some of his most haunting roles. His role of Sethu Madhavan, who dreams of becoming a police officer but ends up as a criminal in the film Kireedam, earned him a Special Jury award.[14] His role in Bharatham, as a classical singer who is burdened by the jealousy brother, earned him the Best Actor National Award the following year.[15]
In the 1990s, Mohanlal acted in a number of notable commercial movies, such as His Highness Abdullah, Midhunam, and Minnaram. Devaasuram, written by Ranjith and directed by I. V. Sasi, was one of Mohanlal's most successful films.
Many movies made in this period built on Mohanlal's image as an invincible, larger-than-life hero. Notable examples include Aaram Thamburan, Narasimham, Ravanaprabhu and Naran. Some of these films faced criticism for their lack of realism and emphasis on Mohanlal. Priyadarshan's Kala Pani and Lohithadas's Kanmadam were among his other notable films during the late 1990s.
Mohanlal's first non-Malayalam movie was the Tamil film Iruvar, directed by Mani Ratnam. The controversial film was a critical success and won many awards including Best Film award at the Belgrade International Film Festival and two National Film Awards. He won his second National Award for Best Actor for the Indo-French movie Vaanaprastham. The film was also selected for the competitive section at the Cannes Film Festival.[1]
In 2000, Mohanlal starred in Narasimham, which became one of the highest grossing movies in the history of Malayalam cinema.[16] In 2002, Mohanlal acted in his first Bollywood movie, Company, which introduced him to the Hindi-speaking audience in India and for which he won the IIFA Star Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor.[17][18] In 2005, he appeared in Rasathanthram, directed by Sathyan Anthikkad, and won the Kerala State Award for his performance in the film Thanmathra ("Molecule"). In 2007, Mohanlal won the 2007 Kerala State Award for Best Actor for his performance in the movie Paradesi. The same year, he appeared in his second Bollywood movie, Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, and in Hallo, which became one of the biggest Malayalam hits of 2007.[19]
In 2009, Mohanlal appeared with Kamal Haasan in the Tamil movie Unnaipol Oruvan. His first film in 2010 was Evidam Swargamanu, directed by Roshan Andrews. The same year, he also appeared in Janakan, Alexander the Great, Shikkar, and Kandahar. His recent release was the multi-starrer Christian Brothers, released on 18 March 2011 in which he acted alongside Suresh Gopi, Dileep and Sarath Kumar.
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Main article: Mohanlal filmography |
Mohanlal has acted in over 300 Malayalam films and produced or co-produced over 12 films. His acting credits include 4 Tamil films and 4 Bollywood films. He has acted in 4 professional plays. He has sung over 20 songs, most of them for the films he acted in.
Like most other Indian stars, Mohanlal does not have a theatre background. However, he has acted in a few plays. He debuted on the stage as Karna (a character in the Indian epic Mahabharata) in Karnabharam, a Sanskrit play that was premiered in New Delhi as part of the National Theatre Festival. The play depicts Karna's mental agony a day before the Kurukshetra War, as he thinks about his past and his faith.[20]
Kadhayattam was a presentation enacted by Mohanlal, depicting 10 unforgettable characters and situations selected from Malayalam literature. He has said that it is his offering to his mother tongue. The presentation was a fusion of stage acting, movie expression, sound and lighting techniques and music, conceived by film director T. K. Rajeev Kumar.[6] Chayamukhi is Mohanlal's latest play, presented under the banner of Kalidasa Visual Magic, a production house promoted jointly by Mohanlal and Malayalam actor Mukesh. Mohanlal performed the role of Bheeman and Mukesh performed the role of Keechakan. The play was first staged at Thrichur on 12 March 2008.[21]
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Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Mohanlal |
Mohanlal has served as an ambassador for a number of campaigns and organizations, such as: