Behind Mohanlal’s success was a mother who believed in his love for cinema

In Mohanlal’s long cinematic journey, it was his mother Santhakumari who stood beside him as constant strength and shelter. While his father, Vishwanathan Nair, had hoped his son would pursue a secure career in banking or government service, it was his mother who quietly supported his growing passion for cinema and stood firmly by his choices.

Even as she took immense pride in her son’s success, Santhakumari found it difficult to watch him face danger or death on screen, no matter how fictional it was. The emotional weight was too heavy for a mother’s heart. She had once said she would never watch films like Kireedam, Chenkol, and Thalavattam, knowing the suffering her son’s characters endured in them.

Director Blessy has shared a telling anecdote that captures this bond. When he visited Mohanlal’s home to show Santhakumari the costumes designed for Pranayam, Mohanlal tried them on and asked his mother with a smile, “Don’t I look like a politician now, Amma?” Her response, however, was unexpectedly sombre. She told him that it made her sad that he was acting in a Blessy film. The reason, she explained, was the deep pain she had felt while watching Thanmathra, particularly the scene in which a son suffering from memory loss dies. She also remarked that most of Blessy’s films seemed to end in tears.

That grief was not unfamiliar to her. Mohanlal’s father, Vishwanathan Nair, had passed away after battling memory loss. After his death, Santhakumari lived in Thiruvananthapuram for some time before eventually moving in with her son, remaining close to him in both life and spirit.

Mohanlal once wrote movingly about his mother, capturing the quiet intimacy they shared. As part of his profession, he said, he travelled endlessly, yet it always felt as though an old house in Thiruvananthapuram was waiting for him, filled with familiar smells and tastes he cherished. In his later years with his mother, words gave way to silence. They spoke through glances, through touch, through a gentle caress or a nod of the head. In those moments, he wrote, he understood a language beyond words. Sitting beside his mother, he felt a circle of life gently and completely close.