Mohanlal considered quitting cinema to lead a relaxed life like son Pranav who’s travelling, farming: ‘He’s accomplishing my dreams’

After dominating the industry as an actor for decades, Mohanlal recently made his directorial debut with the children’s fantasy film Barroz, adding yet another feather to his cap. In a career spanning over 400 films, Mohanlal has contributed to the industry in multiple capacities, including as a producer, distributor and playback singer. However, the Malayalam superstar recently revealed that, at one point, he considered quitting cinema to lead a more nonchalant life.

Speaking about his son Pranav Mohanlal, who is known for working at his own pace — balancing acting with his passion for travel — Mohanlal shared that he too harboured similar ambitions as a young man. “Pranav won a best actor award in school when he was in sixth grade, just like I did. He has his own principles. He doesn’t want to do many films. He wants to travel and do movies occasionally; that’s his choice. And we don’t have any problem with that — let him enjoy his life. (Upon sharing my dream of pursing cinema) My father told me, ‘First, finish your degree (undergraduate education) and then do whatever you want.’ I am the same. Why should we control our kids? At Pranav’s age, I also wanted to quit films and travel the world. I am happy that he’s able to accomplish my dreams too,” Mohanlal shared during a chat with Suhasini Maniratnam for Galatta Tamil.

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The eldest of the Malayalam superstar’s two children, Pranav made his debut playing a younger version of Mohanlal in Thampi Kannanthanam’s Onnaman (2002). He later won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Child Artist for his performance in Punarjani (2003), after which he took a long hiatus. Pranav returned to cinema as an assistant director to Jeethu Joseph during the Tamil remake of the iconic 2013 crime thriller Drishyam, titled Papanasam, starring Kamal Haasan.

In November this year, Mohanlal’s wife Suchitra revealed that their son is in Spain where he is working at a farm. She said Pranav is part of a ‘Work Away’ program on a farm in Spain, where he works in exchange for food and accommodation. She said that their son values these experiences more than financial rewards.

He made his debut as a lead actor in Jeethu’s action thriller Aadhi (2018). Since then, Pranav has starred in Irupathiyonnaam Noottaandu (2019), Hridayam (2022) and Varshangalkku Shesham (2024) in lead roles and has appeared in cameo roles in Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham (2021) and Barroz.