So whose idea was it to name the Malayalam's favourite superstar 'Mohanlal'? It’s 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 and his replies:
Let's start with your name. Uncommon in Kerala, it was inspired by the name of the father of the nation. What effect has it had on your personal/professional life?
It's had no negative effect. As you said, Mohanlal was a rare name those days. I have asked Father and Mother about it. My great grandfather gave me that name. Names like Mohanlal and Pyarelal were taken from the days of our freedom struggle. It's part of my destiny now. Even when it was rare, Father and Mother did not object to it when Great Grandfather chose it. That fact they did not object it in itself is a big deal.
I never had a problem in school or college because of the name. Only a handful used to call me so. Loved ones 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 barriers of region and language?
No one suggested a name change when I entered the movie world. Only a few call me Mohan. Lal is easy 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 rare one down south. It might have come from the Lakshmikanth-Pyarelal combination.
Having said all that, it is still a mystery to me. Because naming a child has its importance. To name someone from Ilanthur Punnakkal, near Omallur Pathanamthitta, Mohanlal is indeed a curious case. Yet it is not a concern until it creates problems in life. For me, it helped carry my reputation forward.
