Mohanlal went from being Malayalam cinema’s greatest actor to billionaire with Rs 450 cr empire, opened a masala company, set up production biz with chauffeur

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Mohanlal’s masala brand

While the superstar has a massive fanbase in his home ground of Kerala, he is a significant box-office force in the Gulf countries as well, due to the large number of Malayali and Indian expatriates living there. “The main markets for my films are the Middle East, US and Europe. Our films might not do well at the box office in Kerala, but could do well in these markets,” he reportedly said once. In fact, his connection with the Gulf is so strong that when he launched “Mohanlal’s Taste Buds,” a brand for curry masala, spices, condiments, and pickles, in 2004, he heavily tapped into that market, and the strategy proved successful. According to Financial Express, the brand reportedly achieved sales worth Rs 3 crore from the Gulf market alone in the first six months following its launch, thus holding a 1 per cent share of the Rs 2,000 crore spice market there.

Mohanlal’s real estate in Middle East

He, however, sold it to the Eastern Group three years later and revealed in a conversation, “Taste Buds closed because of difficulties in managing it properly.” At the time of the transaction, Eastern Group chairman Navas Meeran told the Times of India that Taste Buds was the second-largest curry masala brand in the Middle East market. Besides all this, Mohanlal is also reported to own an apartment in Burj Khalifa, a villa in Arabian Ranches, and a luxury home in Downtown Dubai’s RP Heights.

Mohanlal with producer Antony Perumbavoor and director Ranjith on the sets of Ravanaprabhu. (Credit: Facebook/@AntonyPerumbavoorOnline)

Mohanlal started production company with his former chauffeur

Mohanlal truly soared as an entrepreneur when he helped his chauffeur-turned-confidante, Antony Perumbavoor, establish Aashirvad Cinemas, a production and distribution company. Mohanlal joined forces with Antony at a time when his superstardom was at an all-time high. Aashirvad Cinemas’ first movie, Narasimham (2000), which was released in 32 centres in Kerala, became an industry hit, running for 200 days and grossing Rs 22 crore. The Mohanlal-Antony duo continued the success run with Ravanaprabhu (2001). Since then, most of Aashirvad Cinemas’ movies have been blockbusters — with Naran, Rasathanthram, Innathe Chintha Vishayam, Sagar Alias Jacky Reloaded, Evidam Swargamanu, Spirit, Drishyam, Oppam, Lucifer, Drishyam 2, Neru, Empuraan, and Hridayapoorvam being the best examples. The firm currently ranks among the most successful production houses in Malayalam cinema.

In 2009, the superstar made another significant move and established the distribution company Maxlab Cinemas and Entertainments, along with Antony and industrialist KC Babu. Thus, Mohanlal, with the help of his partners, transcended being merely an actor-superstar and became one of the biggest shot-callers in the industry, wielding significant influence over film production, distribution, pricing, and marketing. Aashirvad also operates 27 screens across Kerala.

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The most notable success story of Aashirvad Cinemas and Maxlab Cinemas can be traced through the journey of actor Prithviraj Sukumaran’s directorial debut Lucifer (2019). Mounted by Aashirvad at a whopping budget of Rs 30 crore and distributed by Maxlab, the film went on to gross Rs 127.50 crore worldwide, as per Sacnilk, and registered an India nett collection of Rs 65.21 crore upon completing its theatrical run, thus becoming one of the duo’s most successful ventures.

Mohanlal’s other holdings

Besides, Mohanlal also owns Vismayas Max, a visual media studio founded in 2004 that has made its mark in animation, VFX, and visual media education. This means he has a massive film pre- and post-production studio in his portfolio. At the same time, he is also the co-founder of the Jose Thomas Performing Arts Centre (JT Pac), a prominent performing arts venue in Tripunithura, Kochi.

In a 2019 report revealing that the US-based private equity and investment firm KKR & Co had decided to invest Rs 200-300 crore in Baby Memorial Hospital, Kozhikode, the Economic Times mentioned that Mohanlal held a significant minority stake in the institute. KKR acquired the hospital for about Rs 2,500 crore in July 2024, indicating the superstar also made a considerable profit through his minority stakes there. Although Mohanlal’s exact net worth is unknown, a 2024 Moneymint report estimated it at Rs 450 crore ($50 million), which would have only increased significantly this year with multiple success stories.