Lal plays 15th century naval warrior

“You cannot compare ‘Marakkar’ with ‘Drishyam’, each film has its own soul and identity“

Kochi: Mohanlal, one of the biggest superstars of the country, says there are days when he is overwhelmed by the burden of fans’ expectations but the actor says what keeps him from not succumbing to the pressure are his diverse film choices.

The actor, who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, has featured in nearly 350 films in his career of more than four decades. Though he enjoys a loyal fan base, Mohanlal said his attempt has always been to pick up different films which don’t restrict him to a certain genre according to the perception of his admirers. His latest war epic ‘Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea’ is a complete departure from his last film ‘Drishyam 2’, a thriller which was released earlier this year. “There are days when the burden definitely feels too much. Fans want their actor, their hero within their limits. They want their hero to be just their own. We cannot cater 100 per cent to that. Fortunately, I am doing different kinds of films. “Otherwise I would be doing films only in one league. My films are varied. You cannot compare ‘Marakkar’ with ‘Drishyam’, each film has its own soul and identity. People who want to watch ‘a Mohanlal film’ should give me that kind of freedom too,” Mohanlal said. “Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea” is written and directed by filmmaker Priyadarshan. The film released theatrically earlier this month. The movie is set in the late 15th century and early 16th century. Kunjali Marakkar IV is considered to be one of the greatest naval chiefs of India. The 61-year-old actor said he had read about Marakkar and how he led the war against the Portuguese invaders. —(PTI)