I tried to fail him: Sibi Malayil jokes about giving Mohanlal 2 marks in his first audition

Mohanlal fondly looked back on his early days with director Sibi Malayil during the 40th anniversary celebrations of 'Mutharamkunnu P.O.', Sibi’s directorial debut. At the event, Mohanlal shared a lighthearted memory from his very first audition.
“When I attended my first audition, the person who gave me the lowest marks was Sibi Malayil,” Mohanlal said with a smile. “Two out of a hundred. But later, that number ‘two’ became incredibly significant in my life. It was through his films that I went on to win two National Awards.”

He went on to add, “I’ve known Sibi for over 45 years. When I first went to Navodaya for an audition, Sibi was one of the people present. I later found out he was the one who gave me the lowest score — just two marks. In hindsight, that was probably the best score I ever received. That number became a turning point. Through his films, I won two National Awards. Over my 47-year career, I’ve worked with Sibi on around 13 films. Some of the best roles I’ve ever played — the ones I’m most proud of — came from Sibi Malayil. Every character in his films has a certain depth and charm.”

Mohanlal also spoke about their collaboration on 'His Highness Abdullah'. “At a time when songs were slowly disappearing from Malayalam cinema, we did 'His Highness Abdullah'. Films like 'Abdullah', 'Bharatham', and 'Kamaladalam' helped bring Malayalam film music back into prominence. In 'Kamaladalam', I played a dance teacher. I kept asking Sibi how I was supposed to pull off such a role. I told him I could only do what I was taught — how could I act as a dance master? But Sibi believed I could.

“I even tried to get out of it by telling him I was already working on 'Rajashilpi' at the time, and that character had a long beard. I told Sibi it would be difficult to constantly change my look. He replied, ‘Then just grow a beard. A dance teacher with a beard is fine.’ Apparently, that’s how it is in his hometown. That’s how he embraced the challenge — with full confidence.”

Sibi Malayil, in turn, shared his side of the story with a laugh. “Before Lal even started acting in films, I was the one who tried to push him out. I gave him two marks thinking, ‘He doesn’t belong here.’ I was trying to let him go politely. But in Mukesh’s words — ‘It didn’t work.’”

On a more emotional note, Sibi concluded, “It gives me immense joy that I could offer meaningful characters to such an extraordinary talent — someone who has stood tall for over 45 years, not just in Malayalam cinema, but across Indian and world cinema.”