Mohanlal Viswanathan is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam film industry besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Mohanlal has a prolific career spanning over four decades, during which he has acted in more than 400 films. Mohanlal's contributions to the Malayalam cinema have been praised by his contemporaries in the Indian film industry. The Government of India honoured him with Padma Shri in 2001, and Padma Bhushan in 2019, India's fourth and third highest civilian honours, for his contributions to Indian cinema. In 2009, he became the first actor in India to be awarded the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel in the Territorial Army. Mohanlal was named as one of "the men who changed the face of the Indian Cinema" by CNN.
Priyadarshan is an Indian film director and screenwriter who predominantly works in Malayalam and Hindi cinema.
Thalavattam is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by Priyadarshan, starring Mohanlal, Lizy, M. G. Soman and Karthika. The film is very loosely based on the 1975 movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest which was an adaptation of the 1962 novel of the same name by Ken Kesey. The film features songs composed by Raghu Kumar and C. Rajamani, and a score by Johnson. The story follows Vinod, an eccentric new patient at a mental asylum.
Kilukkam (transl. Jingle) is a 1991 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Venu Nagavalli. The story set in Ooty revolves around tourist guide Joji (Mohanlal) and photographer Nishchal. They happen to meet a lavish tourist Nandini (Revathi), whom they bet their fortunes on. It also stars Thilakan, Innocent, K. B. Ganesh Kumar, Sukumari, and Sharat Saxena, with Murali and Jagadish making cameo appearances. The music was composed by S. P. Venkatesh. Kilukkam was released on 15 August 1991. The film was the highest-grossing Malayalam film at that time and ran for more than 365-days at the theaters. Kilukkam won five Kerala State Film Awards, including Best Actor for Mohanlal, Second Best Actor for Jagathy Sreekumar, Best Editor for N. Gopalakrishnan, and Best Cinematographer for S. Kumar. The film is regarded as one of the best comedy films of Malayalam cinema. It was remade in Telugu as Allari Pilla and in Hindi as Muskurahat by Priyadarshan himself. Later, the film had a sequel Kilukkam Kilukilukkam (2006). The movie was reported to have been inspired by the 1953 American movie Roman Holiday.
Mohanlal is an Indian actor, producer, distributor, host, and playback singer who has starred in mainstream blockbuster and art-house films. He has made over 355 appearances in feature films during the span of his career, primarily in Malayalam cinema and also in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada films.
Summer in Bethlehem is a 1998 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film directed by Sibi Malayil and written by Ranjith. It was produced by Siyad Koker under the company Kokers Films. The film stars Suresh Gopi, Jayaram, Manju Warrier, and Kalabhavan Mani while Mohanlal makes a cameo appearance. The music was composed by Vidyasagar. It tells the story of Ravishankar (Jayaram), the bumbling friend of a successful landowner, Dennis, and the vacation visit by Ravishankar's relatives in Dennis' estate known as Bethlehem Estates in a fictional town of Chandragiri in the Nilgiris.
Aaraam Thampuran is a 1997 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed by Shaji Kailas, written by Ranjith and produced by Revathy Kalamandhir. It stars Mohanlal in the title role with Narendra Prasad, Manju Warrier, Sai Kumar, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Cochin Haneefa and Srividya in supporting roles. The story follows Jagannadhan (Mohanlal), a former Mumbai-based enforcer who buys an old kovilakam named Kanimangalam and shifts the balance of power in that village, and he comes to be known as Aaram Thampuran. The film features original songs composed by Raveendran.
Vandanam (transl. Greeting) is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Priyadarshan, written by V. R. Gopalakrishnan, and produced by P. K. R. Pillai. The film stars Mohanlal and Girija Shettar, while Mukesh and Nedumudi Venu appear in supporting roles. The songs were composed by Ouseppachan, while the background score was by Johnson. The film is based on the 1987 American film Stakeout.
Pattanapravesham is a 1988 Indian Malayalam-language detective comedy film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan. It stars Mohanlal, Sreenivasan, Karamana Janardhanan, Ambika and Thilakan in the lead roles. It is a sequel to the 1987 film Nadodikkattu, Mohanlal and Sreenivasan reprises their roles as Ramdas / Dasan and Vijayan, respectively. The plot follows Dasan and Vijayan who are now C.I.Ds in Tamil Nadu Police, who are charged with investigating a homicide case. The film was produced by Siyad Koker under the banner of Kokers Films.
Aniyathipraavu is a 1997 Indian Malayalam-language romance film directed by Fazil and produced by Swargachitra Appachan. It stars Shalini and debutant Kunchacko Boban. The music was composed by Ouseppachan with the lyrics by S. Ramesan Nair.
Dennis Joseph was an Indian scriptwriter and director known for his work in Malayalam films. He was active during the 1980s and early 1990s. He frequently collaborated with directors Joshiy and Thambi Kannanthanam. He is known for scripting films including Nirakkoottu (1985), Rajavinte Makan (1986), Shyama (1986), New Delhi (1987), No.20 Madras Mail (1990), Kottayam Kunjachan (1990), Indrajaalam (1990), Appu (1990), Akashadoothu (1993), Palayam (1994), and F.I.R. (1999). He also directed five films, including Manu Uncle, which won the National Film Award for Best Children's Film in 1988 and the Kerala State Film Award for the Best Children's Film in 1989.
Gandeevam is a 1994 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film, produced by Satyam Babu, Sampath Kumar under the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Combines banner and directed by Priyadarshan. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Nandamuri Balakrishna and Roja, with music composed by M. M. Keeravani.
Spirit is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language satirical black comedy film written and directed by Ranjith. The film primarily focuses on the increasing habits of alcoholism in Kerala. It was produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the company Aashirvad Cinemas. The film stars Mohanlal in the lead role, while Kaniha, Shankar Ramakrishnan, Nandhu, Kalpana, Madhu, Lena and Thilakan plays supporting roles. The film features music composed by Shahabaz Aman.
Geethaanjali is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language horror film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Abhilash Nair, with dialogue by Dennis Joseph. Though promoted as spin-off of the 1993 film Manichitrathazhu, it was an adaptation of the 2007 Thai film Alone which was loosely based on the novel Elephants Can Remember. Mohanlal reprises his role from Manichitrathazhu and Suresh Gopi appears in a cameo role. It also features Keerthy Suresh, Nishan, Siddique, Madhu, Swapna Menon, Innocent, and K. B. Ganesh Kumar. In the film, psychologist Dr. Sunny Joseph arrives at a mansion to treat Anjali, who is haunted by her deceased twin sister Geetha, and investigates the paranormal activities. It marked the Malayalam and film debut of Keerthy Suresh.
Priyadarshan is an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter. Priyadarshan is mostly known for directing comedy films but has directed a few non-comical films such as a historical epic film based around freedom fighters in India titled Kaalapani and his epic period drama Kancheevaram. In a career spanning almost three decades, Priyadarshan has directed 96 films in several Indian languages, predominantly Malayalam and Hindi, besides eight in Tamil, and two in Telugu. Though he began his career in Malayalam cinema in 1984, Priyadarshan was mainly active in Hindi cinema for 2001–2010. In 2013, he announced Rangrezz would be his last Hindi film for a short period; and focused on making more Malayalam films.
Loham (transl. Metal) is a 2015 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film written and directed by Ranjith, and produced by Antony Perumbavoor for the production company Aashirvad Cinemas. The film, starring Mohanlal, Renji Panicker, Siddique, Andrea Jeremiah and Ajmal Ameer is about an elusive smuggling operation and the mysterious disappearance of 100 kilograms (220 lb) of gold. Sreevalsan J. Menon and C. Rajamani composed the soundtrack and film score, respectively.
Dasan and Vijayan are the protagonists of the Nadodikkattu trilogy. The comical characters were created by directors Siddique–Lal and are portrayed by Mohanlal (Dasan) and Sreenivasan (Vijayan). They first appeared as unemployed workers, later becoming detectives by profession working in the Crime Investigation Department (CID) in Tamil Nadu Police, India. The characters first appeared in the 1987 black comedy film Nadodikkattu and later in its sequels Pattanapravesham (1988), and Akkare Akkare Akkare (1990).
Villain is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language neo-noir psychological action thriller film written and directed by B. Unnikrishnan and produced by Rockline Venkatesh. It stars an ensemble cast including Mohanlal, Vishal, Meka Srikanth, Raashi Khanna, Hansika Motwani, Manju Warrier, Siddique, Chemban Vinod Jose, Renji Panicker, Saikumar and Aju Varghese. Manoj Paramahamsa and N. K. Ekambaram were the cinematographers. The songs were written by 4 Musics and the film score was composed by Sushin Shyam.
Velipadinte Pusthakam is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed by Lal Jose and written by Benny P. Nayarambalam. The film was produced by Antony Perumbavoor through Aashirvad Cinemas; it stars Mohanlal with Anoop Menon, Anna Rajan, Priyanka Nair, Siddique, Salim Kumar, Sanjeev M Pillai and Chemban Vinod Jose in supporting roles. Shaan Rahman composed the film's soundtrack and score.
Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language epic historical action film directed by Priyadarshan. Set in the 16th century Calicut, the film is based on the fourth Kunjali Marakkar named Muhammad Ali, the admiral of the fleet of the Zamorin. Priyadarshan scripted the film with Ani Sasi. The film is produced by Antony Perumbavoor's Aashirvad Cinemas. Marakkar features Mohanlal in the titlular role, with ensemble cast including Arjun Sarja, Suniel Shetty, Ashok Selvan, Prabhu, Nedumudi Venu, Mukesh, Siddique, Manju Warrier, Keerthy Suresh, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Suhasini Maniratnam, Innocent, Mamukkoya, Hareesh Peradi, Santhosh Keezhattoor and K. B. Ganesh Kumar. In the film, upon being terrorised by an oppressive Portuguese regime, legendary naval chieftain Kunjali Marakkar IV wages an epic war against the Europeans and their allies. This film was Keerthy Suresh's comeback to Malayalam cinema after a gap of seven years and the Malayalam debut of Ashok Selvan.
