India, Sept. 22 -- The 1980s were an interesting time in Kerala - and in Malayalam cinema. The ideological certitudes that dominated politics in the previous decades were making way for transactional coalitions that emphasised negotiation and compromise. Malayali youth migrated to West Asia rather than to the Indian metros. Cinema had gone colour and was in search of new stars - it no longer pivoted around the trio of Sathyan, Prem Nazir, and Madhu, who dominated the industry until the 1970s. The idea of the hero itself was changing. A new cast of directors and writers preferred a light-hearted take on the daily life of Malayalis and sought actors who could portray the average Joe, with a penchant for mischief and comedy, on the screen. In exceptional circumstances, this new hero would also achieve exceptional feats such as pulping a dozen villains twice his size. But pastiche and satire had become par for the box office as much as films that centred on larger-than-life characters and chocolate heroes. Mohanlal, who debuted in Malayalam cinema in 1980 as a villain, was a product of this time, and his popularity was built on his ability to represent the young men of that time. In close to 50 years in the film industry, he has played the anti-hero, action man, romantic hero, comic actor par excellence, loving son, father, brother, husband, friend, and family man on screen. He has been convincing as a classical musician and gangster, auto driver and business tycoon, Gulf migrant and returnee, conman and cop, as top directors - Aravindan, IV Sasi, Bharatan, Padmarajan, Sathyan Anthikad, Sibi Malayil, Mani Ratnam, Ram Gopal Varma, among others - cast him in their films. Like clay in the hands of the potter or wood/stone for a sculptor, he was malleable, willing, and committed to becoming the character. That explains the many accolades, including two national awards, and legions of admirers, across age and gender. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest honour for a film personality in India, acknowledges a great acting talent and the huge corpus of an immensely liked artist, Lalettan, as he is known to Malayalis....