They would whisper ‘Kaalan is coming’: Mohanlal on how his debut villain role shook his mother

Veteran actor Mohanlal’s mother, Santhakumari, passed away on Tuesday. The actor has often spoken about her as a key source of motivation and a guiding light throughout his life.

In an article written by Bhanuprakash and published in Mathrubhumi Weekly on August 30, 2020, Mohanlal shared his memories of his mother watching him on the big screen for the first time in Manjil Virinja Pookkal, released in 1980.

An excerpt from an article:

After completing my degree, the question of “what next” never really crossed my mind. Had my heart already decided, long before that, that cinema was my goal? I don’t know. After Thiranottam, we were planning to make a Tamil film. That was why we went back to Madras. The idea was to make the film with the well-known Malayalam actor Vijayan, who was popular in Tamil cinema then. Muthubharathi was engaged to write the screenplay. He even titled the film Kare Thodaathe Alakal (Waves That Do Not Touch the Shore). But in the end, that film went nowhere.

It was during those days that Suresh and Ashok noticed a newspaper advertisement. Sitting on the terrace of art director Radhakrishnan’s house, Suresh read it out aloud: “Navodaya invites new faces for its upcoming film.” A flicker of hope appeared on everyone’s faces. They decided that we should send Lal’s application. That was when we realised there wasn’t a single good photograph to send. Radhakrishnan arranged for a Namboothiri to take a few pictures. That evening, we left for Thiruvananthapuram with the photo negatives. The next day, we got them printed at a studio. Even when I saw the photographs, I doubted myself. Where exactly was the “actor look” in them?

I was quite aware of my own appearance. I didn’t have any of the conventional trappings of what was then considered a “film hero.” When we reached the post office the next day to send the application prepared by my friends, the clerk asked for exact change. Instead of running around to get coins, I slipped the application into my pocket and walked back home. The envelope containing the application, which had been left behind at Suresh’s house, hadn’t even been sealed properly. In the end, it was Suresh’s mother who neatly sealed the envelope and entrusted Suresh with posting it. That day happened to be the last date for submitting applications.

The very next day, a telegram reached me, asking me to come to Navodaya’s office in Alappuzha. In fact, that was when I learnt that Suresh had posted the application. The interview was held at Navodaya Appachan Sir’s house. Many people like me, hoping for a stroke of luck, had gathered there. Fazil, Jijo, Sibi Malayil, and Josmon—all of them were on the interview panel. Fazil told me the portion I had to enact. The dialogue was:

“Hello Prem, Prem Krishnan. I am Narendran, and this is Mrs. Prabha Narendran.”

I was asked to perform this. When I delivered the dialogue in my own way, they asked me to say it a little more charmingly. I did that too. Later, I had to perform again in front of Appachan Sir. There was satisfaction on everyone’s faces. Even today, I believe that Fazil and Jijo did not make a mistake in choosing the villain of Manjil Virinja Pookkal.

While many of the other judges gave me two or three marks, Fazil and Jijo awarded me ninety and ninety-five marks. I continue to respect, then, now, and always, the confidence with which they identified an actor in me. My interview happened on the last day, almost at the very last moment. I had come without any real expectation. If I had been rejected that day, I probably wouldn’t have felt much. But the faith Fazil and Jijo placed in me—I remain grateful to God for that.

When my parents saw the release advertisement of Manjil Virinja Pookkal in Mathrubhumi newspaper, their joy knew no bounds. They went to see the film on the very first day. As my scenes appeared on screen, women sitting nearby would say, “Oh no, Kaalan is coming.” Hearing that, my mother’s heart would truly shudder. My father too, she later said, was deeply distressed.

I don’t know how far Narendran carried me. Even after forty years, I have a special fondness for Narendran. Without harbouring any great ambitions, I stood patiently at the foot of cinema’s steps; it was Narendran who lifted me to these heights. Even today, Narendran stands before me as a wonder. Manjil Virinja Pookkal was like a divine blessing assuring me that I would endure in cinema.