MOHANLAL - THE PRIDE OF GOD'S OWN COUNTRY

 

 

MOHANLAL  -  THE PRIDE OF GOD'S OWN COUNTRY

Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2025 winner Mohanlal is an outstanding actor in Indian Films. He was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in the 71st National Awards held in Delhi by the President of India on 23rd September 2025 for his invaluable contribution to cinema. He was also conferred the national honour "Padmashri" (2001) and "Padma Bhushan" (2019).

 

Mohanlal is the second Mallu (Keralite) to receive this prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award after Adoor Gopalakrishnan, a Malayalam film director, scriptwriter and filmmaker who won the award in 2004.

Mohanlal is an actor, singer and filmmaker who acts predominantly in Malayalam movies. He had occasionally acted in Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and Telugu films.

 

What a time to coincide this national honour when his recent movies "Thudarum" and "Hridayapoorvam" are box office super hits.

 

Lal debuted in movies as a villain in the 1980 release Malayalam language film "Manjil Virinja Pookkal". Thereafter, he was a lead actor, hero in more than 400 films. His film career, spanning over four decades, dished out more hits than flops and made him a matinee idol, admired and worshiped by his fans. His roles transformed into a highly successful journey marked by iconic performances, critical acclaim, and numerous awards. His fans fondly call him "Lalettan".

 

He has achieved this position through his hard work and dedication to the movie industry.

Mohanlal is praised for his classical acting talent and versatility.

 

He is a brand with no expiry date.

 

He is known as "Universal Star" and "The Complete Actor".

 

His famous line "Endha Mone Dineshaa" is now a common phrase used humorously in the Malayalam language.

 

He won the National Film Awards 5 times: Best Actor for his performances in Bharatham (1991) and Vanaprastham (1999). Produced Vanaprastham (1999), which won the National Award for Best Film. Was awarded the Jury's Special Award for Kireedam (1989), Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol (2017), Pulimurugan (2016) and Janatha Garage (2016).

 

Has won the Kerala State Award for Best Actor six times, for his performances in T.P. Balagopalan M.A. (1986), Ulladakkam (1991), Kilukkam (1991), Abhimanyu (1991), Kaalapani (1996), Spadikam (1995), Vanaprastham (1999), Thanmathra (2005), and Paradesi (2007).

 

He enacts comedy, serious and action roles with equal finesse and enviable talent.

Mohanlal Vishwanathan Nair was born on 21st May 1960 (65 years) in Elanthoor, Pathanamthitta District of Kerala to Shri Vishwanathan Nair and Santhakumari Nair. His father was a bureaucrat in Kerala, and his late mother was a homemaker.

 

He was married (1988) to Suchitra, daughter of actor, filmmaker K. Balaji and has a son (Pranav) and a daughter (Vismaya) out of wedlock.

 

He had a sibling, Pyare Lal, who died in a military exercise.

 

Mohanlal is a commerce graduate and was a college mate of film director Priyadarshan. The duo collaborated on many Malayalam movies that were super hits.

He owns a house in Burj Khalifa, Dubai, the world's tallest building.

 

He owns many restaurants, including a chain in Dubai called 'Lal's Tastebuds', 'Travancore Court' in Kochi and 'The Harbour Market' in Bangalore.

 

He is also a partner and director of Uni Royal Marian Exports, a major seafood export company based in Kozhikode.

 

He is a producer and distributor of films through his company "Pranavam Arts". Mohanlal owns Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments, a Malayalam film distribution company and Vismaya Max, a film post-production studio, a college for dubbing artists at Kinfra Film and Video Park, Thiruvananthapuram.

 

Mohanlal was granted the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Territorial Army in 2009, the first instance of an Indian actor being conferred an honorary army rank. Rules had to be amended to accommodate him, as men above the age of 42 are not eligible to join the volunteer force.

 

Mohanlal received his first Best Actor Award when in sixth grade at Model School for a stage play called "Computer Boy" by Veloor Krishnankutty. He acted as a ninety-year-old in the play.

 

Mohanlal was conferred an honorary Black Belt of Taekwondo by the 'World Taekwondo Headquarters' in Kukiwon by the South Korean Government. He was the third Indian citizen to achieve this feat.

Mohanlal is the Goodwill Ambassador of Kerala State Athletics, as selected by the Kerala State Athletics Association.

Mohanlal is the captain of the Kerala Strikers team in the Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) held in 2012, 2013 & 2014.

 

He was chosen as the "Most Popular Keralite" by a survey conducted by Deccan Chronicle in 2011.

 

Mohanlal was ranked No. 1 in the popular choice section as the "Best Actor of the Decade" (2002-2008), a survey conducted by HindiFilmNews.com.

 

He was selected as the 'Most Popular Keralite' in a 2006 online poll conducted by CNN-IBN and IBNLive.com on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Kerala's formation.

 

Reader's Digest India described him in 2004 as "cinema's jack of all trades and master of many".

Mohanlal was awarded an honorary doctorate by Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, in 2010. The citation praised Mohanlal as "an excellent performer after actor Sathyan in the Malayalam film world, who essayed a rich variety of roles with equal ease and poise". He received a second honorary doctorate from the University of Calicut in 2018.

Mohanlal was awarded the "IMA Award" by the Indian Medical Association in 2003.

 

Mohanlal is the anchor of the television show "BIG BOSS" in Malayalam.

Mohanlal is indeed celebrated as the Pride of God's Own Country (Kerala). With a career spanning over four decades, he's not only one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema but also a cultural icon who embodies the spirit, resilience, and artistry of Kerala.