How Did Mohanlal Get His Name? The Actor Reveals Secret Behind His Name
So whose thought was it to name the Malayalam's favorite superstar 'mohanlal new movie'?
It is the same person who named his brother 'Pyarelal'. It was his great grandfather on the maternal side, the star revealed during an interview to journalist A. Chandrasekhar.
The interview is now available as a book named 'Mohanaragangal'.
These are the questions posed to him about his name in the interview.
Allow us to start with your name. Unusual in Kerala, it was inspired by the name of the daddy of the nation. What impact has it had on your personal/skilled life?
"It has had no negative effect. As you stated, Mohanlal was a rare name these days. I have asked my father and mom about it. My great grandfather gave me that name. Names like Mohanlal and Pyarelal have been taken from the days of our freedom struggle. It is a part of my destiny now. Even when it was uncommon, father and mom didn't object to it when my great grandfather selected it. That fact they didn't object it in itself is a giant deal."
"I never had a problem in school or college because of the name. Solely a handful used to call me so. Family members called me Lalu. Then it became Lalettan… which has a ring to it… like Yesudas became Dasettan. Had I been named something else, Lalettan would not have happened. So I guess that name has helped me immensely."
Hasn't it helped create an acceptance beyond limitations of area and language?
"Nobody advised a name change once I entered the movie world. Only a few call me Mohan. Lal is simple on the tongue. So most of them called me that and the name stuck. It created an identity unattached to a tag like Malayali, Tamizhan, Telugu or North Indian. My brother’s name was Pyarelal, again a uncommon one down south. It might need come from the Lakshmikanth-Pyarelal combination."
"Having stated all that, it's still a thriller to me. Because naming a child has its importance. To name someone from Ilanthur Punnakkal, close to Omallur, Pathanamthitta, Mohanlal is certainly a curious case. But it is not a concern until it creates problems in life. For me, it helped carry my repute forward."
It is the same person who named his brother 'Pyarelal'. It was his great grandfather on the maternal side, the star revealed during an interview to journalist A. Chandrasekhar.
The interview is now available as a book named 'Mohanaragangal'.
These are the questions posed to him about his name in the interview.
Allow us to start with your name. Unusual in Kerala, it was inspired by the name of the daddy of the nation. What impact has it had on your personal/skilled life?
"It has had no negative effect. As you stated, Mohanlal was a rare name these days. I have asked my father and mom about it. My great grandfather gave me that name. Names like Mohanlal and Pyarelal have been taken from the days of our freedom struggle. It is a part of my destiny now. Even when it was uncommon, father and mom didn't object to it when my great grandfather selected it. That fact they didn't object it in itself is a giant deal."
"I never had a problem in school or college because of the name. Solely a handful used to call me so. Family members called me Lalu. Then it became Lalettan… which has a ring to it… like Yesudas became Dasettan. Had I been named something else, Lalettan would not have happened. So I guess that name has helped me immensely."
Hasn't it helped create an acceptance beyond limitations of area and language?
"Nobody advised a name change once I entered the movie world. Only a few call me Mohan. Lal is simple on the tongue. So most of them called me that and the name stuck. It created an identity unattached to a tag like Malayali, Tamizhan, Telugu or North Indian. My brother’s name was Pyarelal, again a uncommon one down south. It might need come from the Lakshmikanth-Pyarelal combination."
"Having stated all that, it's still a thriller to me. Because naming a child has its importance. To name someone from Ilanthur Punnakkal, close to Omallur, Pathanamthitta, Mohanlal is certainly a curious case. But it is not a concern until it creates problems in life. For me, it helped carry my repute forward."