Why Mohanlal’s ‘Spirit’ is Malayalam superstar’s best before ‘Thudarum’

Mohanlal is definitely having a good 2025 – just coming off his 65^th birthday, the actor put in a rousing performance in ‘Thudaram’, and enough to push it into blockbuster territory. There was also the middling successful ‘L2: Empuran’, but to true Mohanlal followers, the performance was stilted with more walk than talk.

But with ‘Thudaram’, where he is reunited with Sobhana, Mohanlal has wiped out from collective memory the embarrassments that were ‘Monster’ and ‘Aaraattu’. Plus, of course the monstrosity that is ‘Barroz 3D’.

Now, is ‘Thudarum’ Mohanlal’s best performance after ‘Spirit’, which released way back in 2012?  To me, it sure is, and I am willing to overlook even his star turns in ‘Drishyam 1 & 2’ and ‘Oppam’. Because ‘Spirit was about pure acting, and one that was the trademark of Mohanlal in his vintage years, when he didn’t have to be the masochistic superman. Instead, those movies reveled in him being the everyman-person, someone whom you knew as you moved through life.

‘Spirit’s’ Raghunandan had a high-profile job as a TV personality, but at the start of the 145-minute movie, he is an out-and-out alcoholic. He is the one many in Kerala can relate to – and worry about whether he can ever overcome his illness that’s ravaging him from the inside.

But this is where vintage Mohanlal steps in, the point where he realizes he has to kick the habit once and for all. The moment where he empties all the bottles he’s got at home, turns cold turkey and then rummages through every possible nook and cranny at his house for a drop. It’s peak Mohanlal for the simple fact that this never looked like acting. It would give the chills – even to an unapologetic alcoholic.

Could anyone have bettered Mohanlal’s performance in ‘Spirit’? I have spent last 13 years thinking about it, and have watched the movie multiple times. But I honestly can’t bring myself to say someone or the other could have bettered Mohanlal’s depiction. Or even matched what he put out.

It’s sheer mastery, innate acting skills that show up in every tilt of his shoulders, each word he says, and the words that are left unsaid on his face.

What elevates ‘Spirit’ is the direction, one of Ranjith’s finest turns. And which came in a period where he was at his creative best with the likes of ‘Indian Rupee’ and ‘Pranchiyettan and the Saint’. (Dear readers, remember that Ranjith…)

Let’s remember Nandhu, the role that made him a character actor of repute after years of struggle. There was Kalpana as the beaten upon wife and Prajwal Prasad as Adithya, the mute son of Raghunandan. (Prajwal didn’t go in for cuteness, instead portraying the character as an everyday kid who’s got an issue.)

But to me, just as vital as Mohanlal was to the soul of ‘Spirit’. It would be Siddarth’s enactment of Sameer that haunts me. To this day, when ‘Maranamethunna…’ plays, I have to listen to each word, each syllable of the song that defines life and death. Or in other words, saying goodbye to life, because at a certain point, that’s all that matters.

‘Spirit’ is and remains a masterpiece…