Mohanlal says ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay personally contacted him to play role of his father in Jilla: ‘It’s fortunate that he…’

Cinema Anatomy | 34 films, first State Award, exceptional performances and superstardom: How Mohanlal, at 26, altered the course of his journey in just one year

Revolving around the conflict between a crime boss and his adopted son, played by Mohanlal and Vijay, respectively, Jilla ran for over 100 days in theatres and reportedly grossed over Rs 85 crore. Despite the story and treatment not being particularly fresh or significant, the on-screen chemistry between the two stars was widely acclaimed.

Recently, Mohanlal opened up about the movie and shared that Vijay had personally contacted him to play the role in Jilla. On his 64th birthday on Tuesday, during a special episode of the sixth season of the Bigg Boss Malayalam reality show, which Mohanlal hosts, a contestant mentioned that Jilla was one of her favourite films of his.

Responding to the contestant’s words, Mohanlal said, “Part of the credit should go to Vijay. He called me personally to ask if I could take the role and I immediately agreed. It’s fortunate that he and others thought I would be perfect for it.”

Bankrolled by RB Choudary under the banner of Super Good Films, Jilla featured Kajal Aggarwal, Soori, Sampath Raj and Pradeep Rawat in key roles. The film marked Mohanlal’s return to Kollywood after five years following Unnaipol Oruvan (2009).

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