About Mohan Lal

Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair (born 21 May 1960), better known as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, producer and occasional singer best known for his work in Malayalam films. Mohanlal made his acting debut in Thiranottam (1978), but the film got released only after 25 years due to censorship issues. His first film to be released was Manjil Virinja Pookkal (1980), in which he played the antagonist.

In 1991, he produced, and acted in, Bharatham which is interpreted as a modern-day adaptation of the Ramayana from Bharath's perspective. The film was a critical and commercial success, and got Mohanlal the National Film Award for Best Actor for that year. His role in Bharatham was listed among the 25 best acting performances of Indian cinema by Forbes India on the occasion of celebrating 100 years of Indian Cinema. In 1999, he produced and acted in Vanaprastham, which won him his second National Film Award for Best Actor. It was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival (AFI Fest), and was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. Vanaprastham was screened in retrospective, during the 2014 International Film Festival of India in the Celebrating Dance in Indian cinema section.

In a career spanning over three decades, Mohanlal has acted in over 300 Malayalam films in various genres and a few films outside Malayalam cinema in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada, which include works such as Iruvar (1997), Company (2002), andManamantha (2016). Mohanlal has won four Indian National Film Awards – two Best Actor Awards, one Special Jury Award, and one Award for Best Film as producer; along with six Kerala State Film Awards for Best Actor and eight Filmfare Awards for Best Actor. In 2001, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour, for his contributions towards Indian cinema. In 2009, he became the first and the only actor to receive the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army of India and in 2010 he received an honorary doctorate from Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kerala

  

HIS PERSONAL LIFE

Mohanlal lives with his family in Thevara, Kochi. He married Suchitra, daughter of Tamil film producer K. Balaji on 28 April 1988. Mohanlal later recalled in an interview that Suchitra used to send him cards because she wanted to marry him. Their horoscopes did not match at first, but later it was found that the astrologer erred. Mohanlal has two children – Pranav and Vismaya. Pranav has acted in a few movies, debuting in Mohanlal's film Onnaman. Mohanlal did not object when his son expressed a desire to act as "Kids may have many such ambitions. If we can help them realise something, what is the problem?" He owns a house at Ooty, a villa in Arabian Ranches and a flat in Burj Khalifa at Dubai. Mohanlal is a self-described foodie. He also enjoys melodious music. Mohanlal is a strong believer in destiny and spirituality. He likes to read Osho, J. Krishnamurti, Aurobindo and Ramana Maharshi. He has often stated that the turn of events in his life, including his film career, was accidental. His elder brother Pyarelal died in the year 2000, during a military exercise.

HIS ACHIEVEMENTS

Mohanlal has received a number of awards including the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2001. He has also received the National and Kerala state awards for best actor several times.

In 2008, while shooting for the movie Kurukshetra in which he plays the role of an Army officer, Mohanlal expressed interest to join Territorial Army of India as an officer. On 9 July 2008, he was formally inducted to the Territorial Army in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel by then Army Chief Deepak Kapoor. Rules had to be amended to accommodate him as men above the age of 42 are not eligible to join the volunteer force. He is the first and only Indian actor to get the title

Mohanlal was awarded an honorary doctorate by Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady in 2010. The citation praised Mohanlal as "an excellent performer after actorSathyan in Malayalam film the world, who played a rich variety of roles with equal ease and poise."

In 2012, he was bestowed with the title of Black belt in Korean martial art Taekwondo from Kukkiwon, the world Taekwondo Headquarters, Seoul, South Korea. He is the first and only South Indian actor to get the title