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A review from a wellknown journal:
He was a villain the audience loved; then he became the adorable face of the average unemployed youth in Kerala. He convin-cingly donned the persona of a Kathakali artiste, and even that of the actor-chief minister MGR. He is also a superstar.
Silver jubilee run: Mohanlal in the play Karnabharam
Which is probably the least-liked avatar of Mohanlal, 43, twice National Award-winning actor who is celebrating his 25th year in filmdom. Exploiting superstar status, he was typecast in duds like Sraddha, Thandavam, Chathurangam and Praja until even the most devoted of his fans gagged.
But the 250-film-old actor is now trying to break the mould. "Weak scripts have contributed to the failure of my recent films," he says, confessing that he rarely reads the complete script before signing a film. "I believe what the director tells me about the role. What can you do if you realise the script is half-baked midway through shooting?"
The believer in fate and karma, however, feels this bad patch may be good for him. "I won't repeat these mistakes," he says. "I will now insist on at least a convincing storyline before shooting."
You can spot other changes, too. The actor is experimenting with new film-makers and script-writers; it will no longer be just his coterie of friends like director Priyadarshan (of Hungama fame) or superstar-creators like I.V. Sasi or Shaji Kailas. "Mohanlal needs fresh talents and ideas to bring out his yet-untapped potential," says film critic M.F. Thomas.
His Onam festival release, Balettan and his latest project, Hariharan Pillai Happiyanu (directed by newcomer Vishwanath) present him in down-to-earth roles. No more larger-than-life macho heroes for the actor, who is battling his burgeoning girth. The lard was a reason why the surefire combo of Priya-darshan, Mohanlal and actor-scriptwriter Sreenivasan did not click in the much-hyped Kilichundan Mambazham.
Since then Mohanlal, who was nonchalant about his bulk, has been on a slimming regimen and has shed some of those offending kilos. "Unfortunately," he says with that trademark winsome smile, "I tend to put on weight even with a glass of plain water."
His philosophy of detachment suffuses every aspect of his life. He does not rate any of his roles on a greatness barometer, not even his National Award-winning perfor-mances in Bharatham and Vaanaprastham. "I cannot choose any specific role as my greatest," he says. "The adulation, my friends and fansÑthese constitute what I consider success."
He has definitely come a long way from the teenager who first Ôfell' into Malayalam cinema from a bicycle in Thiranottam, made by a group of 20-somethings in a can-we-make-a-movie vein. The film ran into trouble at the censors (huge dollops of sex), was snipped beyond repair and ended up as a commercial no-show. Says Sureshkumar, producer and friend of Mohanlal: " You could see even then that he was a born actor."
He rode his way into mainstream cinema as the villain in his second film, Fazil's superhit Manjil Virinja Pookkal. His career graph shows a steady growth, from characters with shades of black to grey to whiter than white. It was also an opportune time for talent. Mohanlal, along with Malayalam cinema's other superstar Mammootty, filled the void left by the accidental death of macho star Jayan and the fading appeal of reigning stars Prem Nazir, Sukumaran and M.G. Soman.
Mohanlal's repertoire was enormous, and directors cashed in on his ability to portray comedy and tragedy with equal ease. His most successful partnership was with director Sathyan Anthikkad and Sreenivasan in Gandhinagar Second Street, T.P. Balagopalan MA and Nadodikkaattu.
His remarkable sense of timing and flexible body language make him a director's dream. "No other actor possesses such body rhythm. This is what makes him tick, even though he does not have classic good looks," says Priyadarshan. It is also what makes him a natural in musically-inclined roles, as in Bharatham or His Highness Abdullah. His role as a Kathakali artiste in Shaji N. Karun's Vaanaprastham was applauded at Cannes and commended by Kathakali greats like Kalamandalam Gopi for his ability to grasp the nuances of the complex art form.
"Perhaps that is the only film for which I learned something new," says Mohanlal. But experimenting with new things has been a way of life for the actor, who paradoxically abhors modern gadgetry like computers. He entered the food business in 2001 with the opening of the first of his global chain of restaurants, Tastebuds, in Dubai. He also starred in a Sanskrit production, Karna-bharam, at the National School of Drama's annual festival in Delhi the same year.
Director Rajivnath, who directed him in Kaveri and Aham, feels he would make a first-rate theatre actor. "Stereotyping of the worst kind was happening to this genius of an actor," says Rajivnath. "Film-makers were wasting his immense talent saying the audience wanted to see him only in his superstar role."
But there's hope yet. The projects in his kitty sound refreshingly different, be it the Renji Panicker creation Naran, a thriller based on the recent Marad carnage in Kerala; or a role in Kadal, an Indo-French venture by Shaji N. Karun. A chunky role in a Ram Gopal Varma film is being discussed, says Mohanlal, who played Mumbai police commissioner in Varma's Company.
The actor with a fascination for antiques also has other dreams. Like setting up an institution to promote Kerala's art forms and heritage and creating retirement homes for the aged.
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