Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Actor Pranav Mohanlal has often drawn attention for his down-to-earth nature and his habit of embracing an austere lifestyle. Despite being the son of Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, he chooses to stay out of the limelight and doesn’t even appear in front of the cameras between movies. In fact, Mohanlal himself once shared that even as a child, Pranav never demanded luxuries and lived with limited amenities.
“(As a student) He lived in a hostel room with minimal facilities. His life was pretty simple. His world was always one of very limited amenities; he never demanded more, even though I could afford some luxuries. Even when he worked as an assistant director in one of my movies, he chose minimal facilities,” Mohanlal said in a 2017 event.
The superstar also revealed that he never imposed his dreams or expectations upon his son. When asked if he ever wanted Pranav Mohanlal to choose a specific route, Mohanlal said, “In fact, I was only clear about what he shouldn’t be. Our kids live in a dangerous world. He could have easily gone down the wrong path and been discreet about it. But he didn’t, and I’m really happy about it. In my opinion, parents should focus on what their kids should not become. My father only wanted me to have a degree. But I didn’t even have to say that to Appu (Pranav).”
Although he made his debut as a lead actor in director Jeethu Joseph’s Aadhi (2018), Pranav Mohanlal entered the world of cinema at the tender age of 12 with Onnaman (2002), playing the younger version of the character portrayed by Mohanlal himself. In a 2002 interview with Rediff, before the release of the movie, Mohanlal commented on his son’s debut, saying, “He just did what he does in real life. Like me, he also doesn’t know what acting is all about! The problem the filmmakers faced was that his actions were extremely fast. Even the way he walked and sat were very fast. Some of the scenes were shot in high speed.”
He added, “I am not a father who wants his son to act in films and earn a name for himself. I do not have any such ambitions. Pranav acted because he wanted to. Simple. Somebody asked him, ‘How do you feel being the son of Mohanlal?’ He said, ‘He is my father. Why should I feel great because I am Mohanlal’s son?’ I liked his cool attitude. I only hope that he will remain the same throughout his life.”
Soon after Onnaman, he appeared in one more movie, Punarjani (2003), for which he won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Child Artist. Although he wanted to continue acting, his mother, Suchitra, opposed the idea and insisted that he complete his education first. “After the first experience, Pranav wanted to have more such experiences, which I did not favour at all. I told him, ‘You may or may not become as big a star as your father. You need both talent and luck to be a big success.’ If a profession in films were not to turn out the way he wants, he should have something to fall back upon. So I told him to study and equip himself with a good degree. If he felt like acting even after that, let him do it. But not now. I do not want him to concentrate on films when he should be studying.”
Given their deep bond, Pranav Mohanlal listened to his mother and eventually graduated with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of New South Wales in Australia, according to IBTimes. Underscoring the unwavering affection he harbours for his mother, Pranav once mentioned that he still refrains from doing the only two things Suchitra asked him not to. “My likes were always my mother’s as well. She only made me promise on two things — not to ride a bike and not to smoke cigarettes. I don’t do either of those,” he wrote in Mathrubhumi Yathra magazine in 2009.
Before making his acting debut, Pranav worked as an assistant director to Jeethu in the Kamal Haasan-starrer Papanasam, a remake of Mohanlal’s Drishyam, and Life of Josutty. Following Aadhi, he appeared in movies such as Irupathiyonnaam Noottaandu, Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham, Hridayam, Varshangalkku Shesham, Barroz and L2: Empuraan.
Pranav Mohanlal is currently gearing up for the release of his next film, Diés Iraé, helmed by Bhoothakaalam and Bramayugam director Rahul Sadasivan.
Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
