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For decades, Mohanlal has been at the top of the food chain in Mollywood. He has consistently proven his ability to bring characters to life, and his latest theatrical release, Thudarum, did not disappoint in terms of both financial success and critical reception. Besides Mohanlal, who portrayed the role of Benz, one other actor was heavily praised for his performance, veteran advertisement maker Prakash Varma, who played the role of George Sir. The two have shared screen space once again, but this time it is not for a feature film. Instead, it is for a jewellery advertisement.
A Look at What the Advertisement Showcases
This time around, Prakash Varma appears both in front of the camera as an actor and behind it as the director. The advertisement is shot in the style of a behind-the-scenes video. It begins with Mohanlal getting out of his vehicle and walking onto the set. He is introduced to a model and given a brief about what they are about to do. Then, the jewellery goes missing, and everyone begins searching for it. The set is locked down as they look for it. Meanwhile, Mohanlal is in his vanity van, admiring himself in the mirror while wearing the jewellery, revealing a playful and feminine side. The scene ends when Prakash Varma walks in to inform Mohanlal about the missing jewellery and is surprised to see him wearing it. Both of them burst into laughter.
Reception of the Advertisement Among Reddit Users
So far, the video has managed to gain 14 lakh views on YouTube. On Reddit, in the r/kollywood community, one user wrote, “Not only that, no superstar in the world would dare to attempt something like this.”Another user raised doubts about the authenticity of the hand gestures and movements showcased in the dance sequence in the advertisement: “Bruh, forget the femininity of it all, but can someone confirm the accuracy of his gestures. movements? I know he acted in a movie sometime in the 80s or 90s where he’s some retired Bharatanatyam dancer or something and ofc there was Vaanaprastham, but to jump back into that skin so effortlessly just for an ad…” Some even recommended watching Mohanlal’s old movie Vaanaprastham (1999).
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Not everyone was praising him. One user remarked, “Kamal in Vishwarupam is top notch.. This is nothing.. Ragahav Lawrence and many other actors have done in different shades of feminine body language . But, yes, ad is very bold.” Others came to Mohanlal’s defence, with one saying, “A10 has done Kamaladalam and Vaanaprastham where he plays a Bharatanatyam dancer and a Kathakali dancer respectively. Do check that out. Without being a trained dancer like Kamal A10 pulled of these movies. It takes years to perfect Kathakali but A10 was effortless in Vaanaprastham.” A10 refers to Mohanlal.
Sentiments were similar in Mohanlal’s home ground as well, on r/MalayalamMovies. One user shared their awe at the way Mohanlal transforms his mannerisms: “How effortlessly this man switches from the most masculine characters to the most feminine ones. A true legend ♥️”.
There was some criticism here as well, essentially accusing the ad of propagating wokeism and attempting to challenge traditional gender norms: “Welcome downvotes. Having A10 and Prakash varma, and yet this was the best they could do. Jewellery and clothes are gender specific no matter what anyone says. Guys to wear crop tops and women’s necklace isn’t progressive, its a mixed identity.”
One user expressed relief that, of all places, Reddit had positive opinions about the advertisement: “It’s nice to see all the positive comments here. I was losing my mind seeing the homophobic ridicule in IG and Facebook, some of them even from his own fans.”
No matter what your opinion is, the advertisement seems to have done its job well, everyone is talking about it. Koimoi also has a comment section, so feel free to share your opinions there as well.
For more such updates, check out Down South
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