Happy Birthday Mohanlal: From 'Iruvar' to 'Kaappaan', five times when the Complete Actor enthralled Kollywood

Popular actor Mohanlal is celebrating his 60th birthday today. Even though the actor appears mainly in Malayalam films, he has a great fan following in the Tamil film industry as well, owing to his contribution to Kollywood. The Complete Actor has given some outstanding roles in his films and won hearts. He was also honored with Padma Shri in 2001 and Padma Vibushan in 2019 by the Government of India for his contributions to Indian cinema. On the occasion of his birthday, we take a look at five times, from 'Iruvar' to 'Kaappaan', when the Complete Actor wowed Kollywood.

Mohanlal has played the role of a young prisoner who was falsely arrested by the British before Independence. Even though it's a dubbed Tamil film from the Malayalam original ‘Kaalapani’, the skilled actor has dazzled the audience with his acting. Mohanlal was paired with Tabbu in the film, while popular actor Prabhu has also played a prisoner in the film. The film, which was directed by Priyadarshan, earned a good name for the actor in Tamil.

The political drama 'Iruvar', which was directed by Mani Ratnam, has marked the first direct appearance of Mohanlal as a lead actor in Tamil. Mohanlal has played the role of a struggling actor, who also fights for the political cause. The star and Prakash become friends while fighting for the same political cause, but they turn on each other when the party leader dies. The film was well appreciated, and it bagged several awards.

Mohanlal played the role of a City Police Commissioner alongside Kamal Haasan, who played the role of an anonymous caller. The film marked Chakri Toleti's debut direction, and it has music scored by popular actress Shruti Haasan. The film received positive reviews from the critics, and it was a commercial success at the box office. 'Unnaipol Oruvan' was inspired by the 2008 Hindi film 'A Wednesday' starring Naseeruddin Shah and Anupam Kher.

Ruling the Malayalam industry as a top hero, Mohanlal played the role of Vijay's father and a local gang leader in this one. Mohanlal brings up his son Vijay to become a police officer using his power as a support to him. However, later, Vijay turns on his father Mohanlal to take action against his crimes. The action drama, which was directed by RT Neason received positive reviews and became a commercial hit at the box office. The father-son combination of Mohanlal and Vijay was loved by fans.

Mohanlal played the role of a Prime Minister in the Suriya-starrer 'Kaappaan', which was directed by KV Anand. As a politician, Mohanlal gave his best to the role and won love from the audience. Also, his style of speaking Tamil became popular among many of his fans after this film. 'Kaappaan' also features Arya, Sayyeshaa and Chirag Jani, and it has music scored by Harris Jayaraj.