Mohanlal is one of the most acclaimed actors in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in several Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films. He made his debut in the movie Manjil Virinja Pookal. This 1980 romantic film is a cult classic. He received critical acclaim for his portrayal of a sadistic youngster in the movie. He then started acting in Priyadarshan movies and gained immense popularity among teenage moviegoers.
His First Film
The first film that Mohanlal made was Thiranottam in 1978. It was a family entertainer directed by Sathyan Anthikkad. Unfortunately, due to censorship issues, the movie was shelved.
He then appeared in a number of movies by various directors including Priyadarshan, G. Aravindan and Hariharan. Many of these films were realistic social satires.
He was also a part of several movies that depicted the angst of educated youths in rural Kerala. He was a part of many such films and received critical acclaim for his acting. His performances in these movies showcased the versatility of his acting. In the 1990s, he acted in some major commercial and art movies like His Highness Abdullah, Midhunam, Minnaram and Devaasuram. He also acted in the Indo-French movie Vaanaprastham that was selected for the competitive section at the Cannes Film Festival.
His Second Film
Mohanlal starred in the Ranjith directed thriller Loham. His performance as a revenge-seeking DRDO scientist received critical acclaim. Mohanlal also acted in the drama film Virundhanantham and the comedy film Nadodikkattu, both of which fetched positive results.
His next work was Janakan, a dark revenge thriller written and directed by Maniyan Pilla Raju. The movie was a hit and won him his second National Film Award, the fourth Kerala State Film Award and sixth Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Malayalam).
In 1988, Mohanlal founded his production company Pranavam Arts and its first film His Highness Abdullah became a critical and commercial success. His other works of the year included the thrillers Lokpal and Red Wine, the romantic film Ladies and Gentlemen and the Sathyan Anthikad comedy Geethaanjali.
His Third Film
Mohanlal’s performance in the ibomma telugu movies earned him critical acclaim and the role catapulted him to stardom. The following year, he appeared in the film T. P. Balagopalan M.A, directed by Sathyan Anthikad. In this movie, he portrayed a lower-scale employee who shouldered the responsibility of his family. This performance earned him a Kerala State Film Award and Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Malayalam).
He also played a revenge-seeking DRDO scientist in the 1986 movie Rasam. The movie became a box-office hit and established him as the new Malayalam superstar.
He returned to humour with movies such as Kilichundan Mampazham and Balettan. He also starred in the 1988 comedy-drama Chithram. This performance earned him a Special Jury Mention at the 37th National Film Awards.
His Fourth Film
Mohanlal’s career took off in a big way with the release of Rajavinte Makan, where he played an underworld don. The movie became a cult classic and established him as one of the top Malayalam actors.
He then starred in many movies which drew in a large audience, including Priyadarshan’s Chithram and Kilukkam. He also starred in the political drama His Highness Abdullah and won a Special Jury Mention at the National Film Awards for the movie Kireedam.
In the second half of the 1990s he acted in movies like Christian Brothers with Dileep, Suresh Gopi and Sarath Kumar. He also starred in films like Janakan, Alexander the Great and Shikkar. He also did a series of melodramatic plays in theatre.
His Fifth Film
Mohanlal kept on experimenting with different roles. He did a black comedy Udayananu Tharam in 2005 which was well received by audiences. The film was a huge hit at the box office. In the movie, he played a person torn between two love interests. The film broke many stereotypes in Indian cinema at that time.
In 2007, he did the movie Paradesi and in 2008, he was seen in the Bollywood film Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag. In the same year, he did the Tamil movie Unnaipol Oruvan which saw him sharing screen space with Kamal Haasan.
In the next few years, he appeared in films like Janakan, Alexander the Great, Shikkar and Kandahar. The 2012 release Casanovva directed by Rosshan Andrews marked his comeback as a romantic thriller actor.
His Sixth Film
Mohanlal is a cultural icon in the Indian state of Kerala, where he is regarded as one of the most popular actors. His films have garnered critical acclaim and earned him several awards. He has also received the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award.
In 2014, Mohanlal starred in the political satire film Peruchazhi, directed by Arun Vaidyanathan. The film was well-received by audiences and became number 1 at the Ramzan box office.
The same year, he appeared in the multi-starrer Chinese Town, which was co-directed by Rafi Mecartin and released for Vishu. The movie was a major success and earned Mohanlal good money. He also acted in the B. Unnikrishnan directorial Grandmaster, a neo-noir crime thriller that tells the story of a cop investigating a series of murders.
His Seventh Film
Mohanlal’s portrayal of a Kathakali artist in the 1999 Indo-French period drama Vanaprastham earned him national and international recognition. He won the second National Film Award for Best Actor and also received a nomination at the Cannes Film Festival.
In the years that followed, Mohanlal starred in several realistic social satires written by noted writers such as Fazil, Lal and Vasudevan Nair. These films showcased the angst of educated youth struggling to adapt to hostile environments.
In 2016 he starred in the Telugu film Janatha Garage and the Tamil film Vismayam. Other releases that year included the trilingual war drama 1971: Beyond Borders and Velipadinte Pusthakam. The following year he acted in Villain, the first Mohanlal-Lal Jose collaboration, and fantasy drama Odiyan. All of these films were commercially successful.