Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair, also known as Mohanlal, turned 62 today. He is a fabulously gifted actor from Kerala, known for his remarkable acting and incredible film choices. 

With a career spanning over 40 years, he continues to astound us with nearly every performance he portrays on the big screen. Lalettan, as he is affectionately known, has played many roles in his extensive career, arguably with such utter perfection that all of the qualities he possesses have never felt overstated.

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On the special occasion of his birthday, here’s a list of some of his best movies – 

1. Thoovanathumbikal, 1987

‘Thoovanathumbikal,’ directed by the all-time great P. Padmarajan, is considered a Malayalam cinema classic. This is one of those films that you can watch a hundred times and still not fully comprehend the depths to which it delves. It can be a melodically told romance story for some, a philosophical film that delves into the dual levels of the human psyche for another.

Jayakrishnan (Mohanlal) is a guy in the film who exhibits contradictory behaviours among different people, and who appears to be unaware of how to react to certain circumstances and not knowing his true self, and the film on one level shows his search for this.

2. Nadodikkattu, 1987

The gem of a movie directed by Sathyan Anthikad, ‘Nadodikkattu,’ features the majestic combination of Mohanlal (Dasan) and Sreenivasan (Vijayan), whose success paved the way for two more films in this series. 

This film is a comic satire as most Sreenivasan written films are in the state of Kerala at the time, where unemployment and a lack of opportunity were serious issues, and people began to migrate to other countries for work in the hope of saving themselves and their families.

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3. Kireedam, 1989

‘Kireedam’ a compelling Mohanlal-Sibi Malayil collaboration, is a heartbreaking depiction of the hardships of a common man whose fate works almost opposite to what we expect and how his tragic tale unfolds. It investigates how society stereotypes people and forces them to play those roles whether they want to or not. 

The plot of the film is one of those rare gems that will entangle you emotionally with the main character in nearly every scene. 

The father-son duo of Thilakan and Mohanlal is unmatched, and their performances will leave you overwhelmed at the end of the day.

4. Bharatham, 1991

The musical drama “Bharatham,” written by A.K. Lohithadas and directed by Sibi Malayil, is construed as a re-enactment of the epic Ramayana from Bharatha’s point of view. 

The film is highly regarded for its flawlessness despite dealing with a tempting subject matter and is incredibly appealing to the audience. 

Set in a Nambhoodiri family of musicians, where the elder son (Nedumudi Venu) carries on the deceased father’s tradition, the film depicts how he becomes addicted to alcohol and develops jealousy towards his brother (Mohanlal).

For this film, Mohanlal received his first national award for Best Actor.

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5. Manichitrathazhu, 1993

It was directed by Fazil and featured equally talented second unit directors such as Priyadarshan, Sibi Malayil, and many other talented people who all made significant contributions to the film. 

Ganga (Shobhana) develops a multiple personality disorder in the film, and Mohanlal plays a psychiatrist who slyly examines Ganga. 

Almost every Indian is familiar with this film because of its numerous remakes in various languages, the most well-known of which is Akshay Kumar‘s ‘Bhool Bhulaiya‘ in Bollywood. 

‘Manichitrathazhu’ was ranked second in India’s Greatest Film of All Time in an online poll conducted by IBN Live in 2013.