Mohanlal at WAVES: “In Malayalam cinema, art and entertainment are one”

Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, a towering figure in Indian cinema with nearly five decades of work behind him, shared a refreshing perspective on the relationship between art and mainstream films during the first edition of WAVES (World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit) held in Mumbai’s BKC on Thursday.

The veteran actor was part of a star-studded panel that included Bollywood action icon Akshay Kumar, legendary Hindi film star Hema Malini, and Telugu cinema’s megastar Chiranjeevi.

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But it was take of Mohanlal on Malayalam cinema’s deep-rooted storytelling tradition that struck a chord with the audience at WAVES.

When Akshay Kumar posed the classic question — can meaningful storytelling and massy entertainment go hand-in-hand — Mohanlal didn’t hesitate.

According to him, Malayalam cinema has always fused both effortlessly.

“In Malayalam films, there’s never been a clear line separating art from entertainment,” he said. “We’ve always had a blend — movies with substance that are also engaging and commercially viable. What used to be called art films still had entertainment value. And even our most commercial films had artistic depth. That balance is what makes Malayalam cinema unique.”

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Reflecting on his journey in the industry, the actor said he’s been fortunate to work with visionary directors who naturally brought that blend to life. “We are blessed with great actors and directors who have kept our cinema content-rich and grounded,” he noted.

Mohanlal, who has acted in over 300 films across Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi, emphasized that for him, every film is a work of art — regardless of genre or box-office tag.

“I don’t like dividing films into categories like art or commercial,” he explained. “Every film is a piece of creativity. Especially in Malayalam cinema, the line is so thin it’s almost invisible. I find beauty in all of it. Some may call it an art film, some call it commercial, but for me, it’s cinema. Simple.”

He acknowledged that this discussion — the clash or coexistence of “meaning” and “mass” — is still ongoing. “It’s a debate that never really ends,” he said with a smile. “And maybe it shouldn’t. Because cinema keeps evolving, and so do our definitions of what’s meaningful.”