'Mohanlal deducts losses from his remuneration'; REVEALS 'Neerali' producer; Praises 'Drishyam' actor's work ethics

Mollywood superstar Mohanlal had many ups and downs in his career with his most recent film 'Vrusshabha' turning out to be a big disappointment. In a recent interview, producer Santhosh T. Kuruvilla has stated that the actor personally absorbs financial losses if any of his films fail to recover their investment.Speaking to Movie World Media, Kuruvilla shared that Mohanlal himself had told him about this practice during the shoot of Neerali.Kuruvilla explained that Mohanlal’s approach is rare in an industry where top actors typically hold firm on remuneration regardless of box office performance. According to him, this habit reflects the actor’s commitment to the craft rather than commercial returns. The producer said the actor kept only two staff members during the Neerali shoot, which allowed plenty of direct interaction. Their rooms in a Mumbai hotel were close, leading to long personal conversations.He said, “During the shoot of Neerali, Mohanlal had only two staff members with him. I was also there. There was no one else. We were in Bombay, and we used to talk every day. Our hotel rooms were right next to each other. While talking like that all the time, this came from Mohanlal’s own mouth.” He added that despite appearing in many hits, Mohanlal would sometimes find that the final accounts were not positive. Kuruvilla quoted him saying that any loss would be adjusted from the salary owed.The producer said, “Even though many big hit films had released before that, when the final accounts were checked, nothing much remained. There would be losses. Whatever loss there was, it would be deducted from the salary to be given to him.”Kuruvilla emphasised Mohanlal’s philosophy that an artist should prioritise creativity over business, “Mohanlal is an artist. An artist should never become a businessman for any reason. If he becomes a businessman, his art will leave him.”He added that Mohanlal’s financial discipline improved significantly after Antony Perumbavoor became a regular collaborator. According to Kuruvilla, better structure and better project choices entered the actor’s career from that point onward.Kuruvilla added, “After Antony Perumbavoor came in, Mohanlal got good films and financial discipline. I came to know Mohanlal only after that. I do not know much about the period before. But Mohanlal himself once told me this.”He stressed that Mohanlal has remained grounded and committed throughout.Although the superstar had made his grand comeback with 'Thudarum', Mohanlal’s recent release, 'Vrusshabha', received poor reviews and underperformed at the box office. Fans now look forward to the much-awaited 'Drishyam 3' which is set for April 2 release.