There are actors. And there is Mohanlal. If folklore in his home state of Kerala is to be believed, then it said that even the veins of Mohanlal play a role when he acts.
And somehow using acting alongwith Mohanlal when you have just written about Kamal Haasan in your previous post is as wrong as it gets. Watching him is like watching a river flow or clouds change shape. Mohanlal is the institution of natural acting if there is a word like that. As Mani Ratnam famously said when he directed Mohanlal in Iruvar, he forgot to stay cut many times.
One of my earliest memories of Mohanlal is from the movie Kireedam ( Crown) that was later remade in Hindi as Gardish. Released in 1989 , this was considered a creative peak period in Malayalam cinema with many highly talented directors and script writers making very realistic movies with good entertainment value.
Backed by a very poignant screenplay by Lohithadas , Kireedam is about a father-son relationship. The constable father wants to make his son a police inspector. However his son in order to prevent his father from being attacked, attacks the local goon and wounds him. He becomes infamous and the society typecasts him as a local dada, his friends and brother in law takes advantage of his power at times for their benefit and even his beloved leaves him for another man.
This theme of a good guy turning bad due to circumstances is oft repeated in Indian cinema but that soon turns into vendetta( Arjun) or glorification ( Vaastav) or a relative comparison with kin ( brother in Deewar and father in Aakhree Raasta). In terms of treatment Kireedam keeps the focus on the environment and the characters with a slow pace that helps us relate to the dilemmas at hand without taking sides.
Although there are many good performances by Mohanlal to choose from, I chose this movie and scene in particular because its a good contrast to other movies that have dealt with a similar theme but not really showed the pathos well. Mohanlal in a masterful performance is able to show helplessness , anguish and frustration without ever resorting to 'heroism'. He won the war against the petty criminals but knows he has lost the battle. His father still maintains his righteousness, although he even tries to hit him up in the lock up in frustration.
Scene description:
The scene is the final climax scene . Mohanlal's kin are in hospital after being attacked. He leaves the hospital fully knowing he has to live the life of an outlaw. He waits for the local goon and after killing him weeps and curses his destiny as his father watches. He manages to leave the scene only to be reported by his father as a notorious criminal in the police verification report. His photo hangs in the most wanted criminals board.
And somehow using acting alongwith Mohanlal when you have just written about Kamal Haasan in your previous post is as wrong as it gets. Watching him is like watching a river flow or clouds change shape. Mohanlal is the institution of natural acting if there is a word like that. As Mani Ratnam famously said when he directed Mohanlal in Iruvar, he forgot to stay cut many times.
One of my earliest memories of Mohanlal is from the movie Kireedam ( Crown) that was later remade in Hindi as Gardish. Released in 1989 , this was considered a creative peak period in Malayalam cinema with many highly talented directors and script writers making very realistic movies with good entertainment value.
Backed by a very poignant screenplay by Lohithadas , Kireedam is about a father-son relationship. The constable father wants to make his son a police inspector. However his son in order to prevent his father from being attacked, attacks the local goon and wounds him. He becomes infamous and the society typecasts him as a local dada, his friends and brother in law takes advantage of his power at times for their benefit and even his beloved leaves him for another man.
This theme of a good guy turning bad due to circumstances is oft repeated in Indian cinema but that soon turns into vendetta( Arjun) or glorification ( Vaastav) or a relative comparison with kin ( brother in Deewar and father in Aakhree Raasta). In terms of treatment Kireedam keeps the focus on the environment and the characters with a slow pace that helps us relate to the dilemmas at hand without taking sides.
Although there are many good performances by Mohanlal to choose from, I chose this movie and scene in particular because its a good contrast to other movies that have dealt with a similar theme but not really showed the pathos well. Mohanlal in a masterful performance is able to show helplessness , anguish and frustration without ever resorting to 'heroism'. He won the war against the petty criminals but knows he has lost the battle. His father still maintains his righteousness, although he even tries to hit him up in the lock up in frustration.
Scene description:
The scene is the final climax scene . Mohanlal's kin are in hospital after being attacked. He leaves the hospital fully knowing he has to live the life of an outlaw. He waits for the local goon and after killing him weeps and curses his destiny as his father watches. He manages to leave the scene only to be reported by his father as a notorious criminal in the police verification report. His photo hangs in the most wanted criminals board.
Comments
But after your description of Mohan Lals performance in the original version I am compelled to watch it !