Mohanlal is a veteran Indian actor, producer and singer best known for his work in Malayalam cinema. Mohanlal made his acting debut in Thiranottam, however, Manjil Virinja Pookkal released earlier at the box office. In 1991, Mohanlal produced and starred 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.
Birth Name
Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair
Nickname
Mohan Lal, Lalettan, Lalu, Lal, Bharat Mohanlal, Padma Shri Bharat Mohanlal, Padmashree Bharath Mohanlal, V. Mohanlal, O.M.R, The Complete Actor
Profession
Actor, Producer, Singer, Businessman
Genre
Indian Folk
Instruments
Vocals
Labels
Unsigned
Nationality
Indian
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
Mohanlal was born on the 21st of May 1960, in Elanthoor, Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India.
Age
He’s currently 59 years old.
Residence
Thevara, Kochi, Kerala, India
Sun Sign
Gemini
Ethnicity
Indian (Malayali)
Religion
Hinduism
Education
Mohanlal studied at Government Model Boys Higher Secondary School and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Mahatma Gandhi College, Thiruvananthapuram.
Family Details
- Father – Viswanathan Nair (Former Law Secretary)
- Mother – Santhakumary Amma
- Siblings – Pyarelal (Older Brother) (Died in 2000)
- Relatives – K. Balaji (Father-in-law) (Film Producer) (Died on May 2, 2009), Suresh Balaje (Brother-in-law) (Film Producer), Sujatha Balaji (Sister-in-law)
Marital Status
Married
Girlfriend / Spouse
Mohanlal dated –
- Suchitra Balaji (1988-Present) – Suchitra is the daughter of famous Tamil movie producer Balaji. According to Mohanlal, Suchitra, who is a massive fan of him, used to send him greeting cards and flowers before marriage. Initially, both the families had decided to drop the wedding idea, as horoscopes of the couple didn’t match, but later the astrologer was proved to be wrong. The couple finally got married on April 28, 1988. They have 2 children son, Pranav who is an assistant director and daughter Vismaya.
Physical Statistics
Height
- In feet – 5 feet 8 inches
- In centimeters – 173 cm
- In meters – 1.73 m
Weight
- In Kilograms – 80 kg
- In Pounds – 176 lbs
Body Build
Average
Eye Color
Light Brown
Hair Color
Salt and pepper (Natural)
Shoe Size
His shoe size is 9 (US).
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Famous For
Being a versatile actor in Malayalam cinema and acting in over 300 films in his career which spans over 3 decades. 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.
Singing Debut
In 1985, Mohanlal debuted as a singer in the movie Onnanam Kunnil Oradi Kunnil with the song Sindooramegham Shringaarakaavyam composed by Raghu Kumar.
Film Debut
Mohanlal first starred in the 1980 Malayalam romantic film Manjil Virinja Pookkal as Narendran. He made his Tamil debut with the 1997 film Iruvar as one of the lead roles alongside Prakash Raj. He landed a first leading role in Hindi in 2002 with the film Company. In 2016, he debuted in Telugu with the film Manamantha.
Theatre Debut
In 2001, Mohanlal played the titular role in the Sanskrit one-act play Karnabharam, held at Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi.
Television Debut
In 2017, he co-hosted a talk show called Lal Salam along with Meera Nandan.
Brand Endorsements
Mohanlal has endorsed numerous brand and products including Tata Sky, BPL, KLF Coconad Coconut Oil, Manappuram Finance Ltd, Tata Global Beverages, Tata Global Beverages, Kerala State Athletics, Subhayatra 2015, Mrithasanjeevani, Kerala handloom industries, LG Electronics, MCR, Kochi International Half Marathon, Hotstar and many others.
Mohanlal Favorites
- Favorite Actors – Kamal Haasan
- Favorite Actresses – Sridevi
- Favorite Movies – Unnaipol Oruvan (Tamil, 2009)
- Favorite Beverage – Bubble Tea
- Favorite Hobbies – Collecting Antiques & Artifacts
- Favorite Color – Brown
Mohanlal Net worth
Mohanlal has an estimated net worth of $42 million dollars as of 2019. He charges Rs 4 to 5 crore per film and endorsement fee of Rs 50 lakhs, making him the highest paid actor in the Malayalam film industry.
Social Media Profiles
Some Lesser Known Facts About Mohanlal
- Mohanlal has been described in the Indian media as one of the most versatile actors and has been lauded for his natural acting style.
- He is an amateur wrestler and martial artist who has won the state wrestling championship of Kerala in 1978 before venturing into cinema.
- Mohanlal first role was as a sixth grader for a stage play called Computer Boy, in which he played a ninety year old man.
- He got a secret training from magician Gopinath Muthukad to be an escape artist for 18 months.
- In 1980, he got the lead antagonist role of Narendran in the Malayalam film Manjil Virinja Pookkal, which was his first released film.
- Mohanlal co-founded a band along with musician Ratheesh Vegha called Lalisom, The Lal Effect in the past.
- In 1987, he worked in radio drama Jeevanulla Prathimakal, which was broadcasted on Akashvani.
- In 1999, he produced and acted in Vanaprastham, which won him his second National Film Award for Best Actor.
- He was awarded the mother Teressa Charity Award in 2000 making him the first South Indian actor to be honored with it.
- In 2001, he was honored with the Padma Shri Award for his contributions towards Indian cinema.
- In 2003, he won the IMA Award by Indian Medical Association.
- Mohanlal is the highest paid actor in the Malayalam film industry.
- Mohanlal was graded with the position of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army of India and became the only Indian actor to receive this honor.
- He is the goodwill ambassador of AIDS awareness campaign by Kerala State AIDS Control Society, Kerala Athletics and Kerala Handloom textiles.
- He has his own film distribution company called Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments and also owns a Vismayas Max, a film pre and post-production studio headquartered in Trivandrum and a college for dubbing artists at KINFRA Film and Video Park, Trivandrum.
- He has his own production company called Pranavam Arts International.
- In 2001, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honor in the country for his contribution to the arts.
- In 2006, he launched a seafood restaurant named The Harbour Market in Bangalore and a hotel named Travancore Court in Ernakulam.
- In 2009, he was honored with the title- People of the Year in the Limca Book of World Records.
- 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.
- In 2012, he was bestowed with an honorary title of a Black belt in Taekwondo from Kukkiwon, South Korea. He is the first South Indian actor to be honored with the title.
- He was the captain of the Kerala Strikers team in the CCL (Celebrity Cricket League), which was held in 2012 , 2013 and 2014.
- In 2018, the University of Calicut awarded him a honorary doctorate.
- In 2019, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian honour, for his contributions towards Indian cinema.
- Visit his official website @ thecompleteactor.com.
