8 Surprising Facts About Mohanlal
His first film was delayed for 20 years
Mohanlal first acted in Thiranottam in 1978. The film faced censorship issues and released much later, nearly 25 years after it was shot.
A state-level wrestling champion
Before becoming one of India’s biggest stars, Mohanlal was active in sports and reportedly won the Kerala state wrestling championship during his school years.
He started out as a villain, not a hero
His breakthrough role in Manjil Virinja Pookkal was actually an antagonist. The performance became so popular that he initially received several negative roles.
He married into a film family
Mohanlal married Suchithra in 1988. She is the daughter of late Tamil producer K. Balaji, giving him a strong connection to the Tamil film industry as well.
His son is also an actor
His son Pranav Mohanlal followed in his footsteps and entered films, while daughter Vismaya chose a more private and creative path.
Honorary Lieutenant Colonel rank
In 2009, Mohanlal received the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army, becoming the first actor in India to earn the recognition.
He has acted in more than 400 films
While many know him as the face of Malayalam cinema, his filmography stretches across Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada films.
A producer, singer and TV host
Apart from acting, he has worn multiple hats - film producer, playback singer, television host and distributor.
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