Mohanlal

For the film, see Mohanlal (film).

In this Indian name, the name Viswanathan is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Mohanlal.
Mohanlal
Mohanlal in 2015
Born
Mohanlal Viswanathan[1][2]

(1960-05-21) 21 May 1960 (age 64)
Elanthoor, Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India
Other namesLal, Lalu, Lalettan
Alma materMahatma Gandhi College (BCom)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • producer
  • playback singer
  • distributor
Years active1978–present
WorksFull list
Spouse
Suchitra
​
(m. 1988)​
Children2, including Pranav Mohanlal
RelativesK. Balaji (father-in-law)
Suresh Balaje (brother-in-law)
AwardsFull list
Honours
Military service
Allegiance India
Branch/service Indian Army
Years of service2009–present
Rank Lieutenant Colonel (Hon)
Unit Territorial Army
Websitethecompleteactor.com

Mohanlal Viswanathan (IPA: [moːhɐnlaːl ʋiʃʋʷɐn̪aːt̪ʰɐn]; born 21 May 1960)), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam film industry besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films.[3][4][5] Mohanlal has a prolific career spanning over four decades, during which he has acted in more than 400 films.[4][6] The Government of India honoured him with Padma Shri in 2001,[7] and Padma Bhushan in 2019, India's fourth and third highest civilian honours,[8] for his contributions to Indian cinema. In 2009, he became the first actor in India to be awarded the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel in the Territorial Army.[9][10] Mohanlal was named as one of "the men who changed the face of the Indian Cinema" by CNN.[11]

Mohanlal made his acting debut at age 18 in the Malayalam film Thiranottam 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, in which he played the antagonist.[12][13] 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 released that year heightened his stardom.[12] Mohanlal prefers to work in Malayalam films, but he has also appeared in some of Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films. Some of his best known non-Malayalam films include the Tamil political drama Iruvar (1997), the Hindi crime drama Company (2002) and the Telugu film Janatha Garage (2016).[14][15]

Mohanlal has won five National Film Awards—two Best Actor, a Special Jury Mention and a Special Jury Award for acting, and an award for Best Feature Film (as producer), also nine Kerala State Film Awards and Filmfare Awards South and numerous other accolades. He received honorary doctorates from Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit in 2010[16] and the University of Calicut in 2018.[17]

Mohanlal is also known for his philanthropic endeavours. He founded the ViswaSanthi Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization that was started to create and deliver high-impact and focused programs to the underprivileged sections of society in the areas of Healthcare and Education.[18][19][20]

  1. ^ President of India (22 March 2019). "President Kovind presents Padma Bhushan to Mohanlal". YouTube. President of India. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  2. ^ "തനിക്ക് ജാതിവാൽ ഇല്ലാത്തതിന് കാരണം പറഞ്ഞ് മോഹൻലാൽ". Madhyamam (in Malayalam). 25 August 2020. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  3. ^ Kumar, P. k Ajith (21 May 2020). "On Mohanlal's 60th birthday, remembering 10 of his finest performances". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b Kumar, P. k Ajith (20 May 2020). "Mohanlal at 60: An actor par excellence". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 19 June 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Happy Birthday, Mohanlal: 11 Lesser-Known And Interesting Facts About The Top Malayalam Star". India News, Breaking News, Entertainment News | India.com. 21 May 2020. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  6. ^ "'The complete actor' is not just a sobriquet, but Mohanlal's legacy". The Indian Express. 21 May 2022. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  8. ^ "Mohanlal conferred with Padma Bhushan". The New Indian Express. 25 January 2019. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Malayalam superstar Mohanlal joins Territorial Army". Hindustan Times. 9 July 2009. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Mohanlal enters Territorial Army training unit". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  11. ^ "100 Years of Cinema: The men who changed the face of Indian films". News18. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  12. ^ a b Warrier, Shobha. "25 years, 25 landmarks". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  13. ^ "I have nothing to prove in Bollywood: Mohanlal". Deccan Herald. Press Trust of India. 17 April 2012. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  14. ^ Khan, Ujala Ali (14 September 2013). "Reigning southern stars". The National. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  15. ^ Rajpal, Roktim (21 May 2015). "Mohanlal turns 55: 8 performances that prove he is the most bankable, successful star of Indian cinema". News18. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  16. ^ "Mohanlal, Pookutty get D.Litt". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 17 March 2010. Archived from the original on 11 June 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  17. ^ "Calicut University confers D.Litt on Mohanlal, P.T.Usha". Business Standard India. 29 January 2018. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  18. ^ Express News Service (26 April 2020). "Mohanlal donates robot for fighting Covid-19". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  19. ^ "ViswaSanthi Foundation". www.viswasanthifoundation.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  20. ^ "Mohanlal launches project to raise aid for children's heart surgeries". Mathrubhumi. 6 August 2019. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.