Mohanlal Viswanathan, better known by his stage name Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, director, playback singer, distributor, and philanthropist who is well known for his work in Malayalam films but has also acted in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi films. When Mohanlal’s friends founded the Bharath Cine Group, he got his first break in the industry. They made a film called Thiranottam, in which Mohanlal played a comic role. Unfortunately, this film did not succeed in reaching a larger audience. His first significant film success occurred in the 1980s with the film Manjil Virinja Pookkal, which proved to be a big hit. By 1983, he had appeared in more than 25 films, and Mohanlal’s popularity among adolescent viewers had skyrocketed, earning him a celebrity profile. Iruvar (1997), directed by Mani Ratnam, was Mohanlal’s first non-Malayalam film. Keerthichakra, which was released in 2006, was a watershed moment in the military film genre. Drishyam, featuring Mohanlal, was the first Malayalam film to gross more than 50 crores at the box office. Pulimurugan was the first Malayalam film to cross the $100 million mark. In 2016, this was one of the top three South Indian films to gross $100 million.
After beginning his film career, Mohanlal never looked back. Despite the fact that he had a few flops in his lifetime, he had never been a victim of it. Here are some of Mohanlal’s most inspiring motivational quotations.
- “No amount of praise should go to your head. You should always remain humble.”
- “I have learned to take things as they come.”
- “I don’t hope for anything. Not only in my professional life, but in my family life also. My total lifestyle is like that.”
- “It’s my right to write on what I feel about certain incidents, and it’s your choice whether to read it or not.”
- “Happiness is not merely a word. It is a state of mind.”
- “Destiny plays a very important role in my life.”
- “Morality depends on individual freedom, and it requires some sense to know where to draw the line.”
In 1986, Mohanlal received his first Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for his role in T. P. Balagopalan M.A. with Sathyan Anthikad. For the film Kireedam, he received a Special Jury Award. The next year, he won the Best Actor National Award for the film Bharatham. For the Indo-French film Vaanaprastham, he received his second National Award for Best Actor. For his role in the film Paradesi, Mohanlal received the Kerala State Award for Best Actor in 2007. In 2001, the Indian government honoured him with the prestigious Padma Shri award for his contributions to Indian cinema. Mohanlal has been awarded an Honorary Black Belt in Taekwondo by the world Taekwondo headquarters in Kukkiwon, South Korea. The Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit presented Mohanlal an honorary doctorate at a specific commencement held on the Kalady University campus. Mohanlal has been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel by the Indian Army.
Mohanlal’s versatility, natural acting, and appropriate body language in films set him apart. As a result of these reasons, Mohanlal has had the chance to collaborate with some of Malayalam cinema’s best directors and scriptwriters.