But, like other Malayalam films during this period, Mohanlal's movies, though strong in story, screenplay and direction, were low budget movies that were not intended to be viewed outside Kerala. The content was highly local and the movies had relatively weak production values when compared to the other popular Indian movies with the result that Mohanlal and many of his films were not known to the ordinary people outside Kerala or the Malayalam speaking world. Mohanlal emerged as the Most Popular Keralite in a SMS and online poll conducted by the national news channel CNN IBN in 2006.
For Amithabh Bachan, he is the finest actor in the country.For RGV, he is the Robert De Niro of Indian Screen.For TIME magazine, he is
Mohanlal comes across as a remarkably laidback and philosophical person in his interviews. He chooses his movies and plays largely based on instinct and likes to let things happen.
| “ | Nothing was planned in my life. It just happened. | ” |
| “ | Somebody is helping me from somewhere. Somebody has planned things for me. Some power is looking after me. | ” |
| “ | No, I had no strong ambition to act in films. Only those who had this burning desire to act in films, and who had to struggle hard to get a break in films would have experiences to recollect. My life wasn't like that at all. | ” |
He prefers and enjoys working in the Malayalam industry with a close group of people whom he has known from his early career. Many of his best school-college mates are with him in the film industry. These include director Priyadarshan, singer M.G.Sreekumar actor Raju and producer Suresh Kumar.
| “ | We are all still a part of the industry; still the same. All of us grew together. Even now, when we are shooting a film, we feel we are still the same college students! We still enjoy when we shoot a film. It is like a picnic for all of us, even now. | ” |
He is uncomfortable working in other languages and attributes it to his lack of command over the intricacies of those languages.
Mohanlal was born in Elanthur in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala State, to father Vishwanathan Nair, an advocate and mother Santhakumari and later shifted to Mudavanmugal in Thiruvananthapuram. He attended the local school in Mudavanmugal and later enrolled into the Model school, Thiruvananthapuram.An average student at school, he started his association with the world of acting very early, when he used to participate in school-plays. In the sixth grade, young Mohanlal was chosen the best actor in school, an award that was usually bagged by tenth graders.
After schooling, he went to Mahathma Gandhi COllege,Thiruvananthapuram for his Commerce, but failed to complete it. During this time he continued to act in college productions and won best actor awards. He made friends with a group of fellow-students, who were passionate about theatre and feature films. They were instrumental in getting him his first breakthrough and some of them, notably Priyadarshan and Raju, went on to become popular movie directors and actors.
Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair (born May 21, 1960), is a four time National award winning Indian actor, producer, who works in Malayalam films, a part of Indian Cinema. He is one of the most popular actors in the Indian state of Kerala. He is noted for his versatility, effortless acting, unique body language and for his association with some of the best Malayalam directors and screenwriters. He was awarded the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian honours in
Mohanlal became immensely popular in Kerala during the mid 80's in light hearted roles with his easy and natural acting style. The late 80's and the early 90's, known as the Golden Age of Malayalam cinema, produced some of the most creative and diverse Malayalam movies and enabled Mohanlal establish himself as one of the most talented actors in the country. He is critically acclaimed for his ability to get into the character's skin and portray their inner feelings and turmoils within a limited time-frame. He is the General Secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) for the period 2006-2009.
