A Rare Feat: Hero Stars in Director’s First & 100th Films

In recent times, when a hero and a director collaborate on three or four films, it is often spoken about as something special. However, in earlier days, such collaborations were far more frequent, with actors and directors working together on a large number of films.

In Telugu cinema, the combination of Megastar Chiranjeevi and director Kodanda Ramireddy resulted in more than twenty films, which remains remarkable even today.

In Malayalam cinema, there is an even greater combination that stands out. Mohanlal, regarded as the number one hero in Malayalam cinema, has worked with legendary director Priyadarshan in as many as 40 films. Their association goes beyond cinema and extends into a deep personal bond. The friendship between their families is also well known and has remained strong over the years.

Priyadarshan is now preparing to direct his hundredth film, which is a major milestone in his career. What makes this project even more special is that Mohanlal will be playing the lead role in this landmark film.

Interestingly, Priyadarshan’s journey as a director began with Mohanlal. In 1982, Mohanlal played an important role in Sindoor Sandhyakku Mounam, which marked one of Priyadarshan’s early directorial efforts. Now, decades later, Mohanlal once again being part of Priyadarshan’s hundredth film makes the occasion truly special.

Priyadarshan has continued to direct films not only in Malayalam but also in Hindi, remaining active across industries. During a peak phase of his career in Malayalam cinema, he directed the Telugu film Nirnayam with Akkineni Nagarjuna, which performed moderately at the box office.

Priyadarshan married actress Lissy, who had also acted in several Telugu films, and they have a daughter named Kalyani Priyadarshan. However, Priyadarshan and Lissy separated in 2016.