By
Shevlin Sebastian
On
March 15, 2010, Mohanlal went to Mumbai, along with Mollywood film
director, Major Ravi, to meet Amitabh Bachchan. As soon as the
Bollywood legend saw Mohanlal, he said, “You are a Padma Shri, a
Lieutenant Colonel and now a D.Litt as well. What else do you wish?”
Mohanlal
did have a simple wish. He wanted Bachchan to act in a Malayalam
film, 'Kandahar', which he was producing. After hearing the script,
Bachchan agreed. When Mohanlal took out a cheque to give to
Bachchan, the latter said, “Mohanlal, I am acting in this film for
you, and not for any money. I like the actor in you so much.”
This
is part of a post from the blog, 'Complete Actor', which Mohanlal
has been writing for the past four years. Several of these posts
were collected and brought out in a Malayalam book, 'Hridayathinte
Kayyoppu' (The Heart's Signature) in June, 2012. Not surprisingly,
it became a best-seller.
Now,
an English version, 'Mohanlal – An Actor's Blog Book', with an
introduction by writer Anita Nair, has been brought out by
Mathrubhumi Books. The 104-page book, which is translated by Dr. KP
Premkumar, has 38 posts, written between 2009 and 2012.
Most
of the posts are only two to three pages long. However, the subjects
are varied: God, the Indian Army, theatre, the Malayali psyche,
mobile phones, the trauma of old age, death, road safety, denuded
forests, blood donation, schooldays, friendship, terrorism, and the
loss of privacy.
The
lack of privacy is something the superstar endures all the time.
During a trip to north Kerala, Mohanlal estimates that more than a
thousand photos of his were taken, mostly on cell phone cameras.
“Each and every moment is being recorded,” writes Mohanlal.
“That too, unmindful of all courtesies. Some guys dash towards us,
put their arms around our shoulders, click their own cameras, with
the left hand, check the preview, and dash out.”
This
is a rare post that reveals Mohanlal's irritation. Most of the time,
like a true artiste, he writes with a mix of sensitivity and
toughness. Here is an example: “We emerge when our father merges
with our mother. We toddle within the halo of their love and care.
By the time we grow up, as high as the skies, they are exhausted and
dream of relaxing in our shade. But what do we do? We shove them
into lonely old-age homes. What else is crueller than this?”
The
posts make clear that Mohanlal has a rich inner life. And this is a
remarkable feat, considering that he has been lionised by Malayalis
for three decades now. He could have easily become arrogant and
pompous, and lost his equilibrium.
After
reading this book, we could try to live life the way Mohanlal does:
“I too have a mind that reaches out and relates with the world
around me. Like a piece of blotting paper, it absorbs and keeps
abreast of every pleasing scene, every marvellous move. In a language
with no sounds, I talk with rivers, flowers, fluttering winds,
rippling waters, surging seas, setting suns....it renews and
rejuvenates me; turns me creative. It keeps me never far from love.”
(Sunday
Magazine, The New Indian Express, South India and Delhi)
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