Actor-Lt Colonel Mohanlal inspects landslide-hit Wayanad, pledges to donate Rs 3 crore for relief

Mohanlal Pic/X

Malayalam actor Mohanlal, who is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Territorial Army, visited the landslide-hit Mundakkai village in Kerala's Wayanad. He was photographed dressed in Army uniform as he visited the affected sites on Saturday morning.

"One can understand the scale of destruction only after visiting the site. I'm extremely grateful to the Army and other volunteers for their relief work. We'll also donate Rs 3 crore from Viswasanthi Foundation for rehabilitation work in the area," Mohanlal was quoted saying as per Manorama.

The actor was conferred the honourary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Territorial Army in 2009. In a post on X, Mohanlal earlier lauded the rescue personnel involved in the search operations in Wayanad and also thanked the efforts of the 122 Infantry Battalion, TA Madras, who have been at the forefront of the relief mission. The actor also contributed Rs 25 lakh to the CM's Distress Relief Fund.

The death toll in the massive landslides that occurred on July 30 in Chooralmala and Mundakkai of Wayanad stands at 308 as of Friday, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said. As per the latest update, 215 bodies and 143 body parts were recovered including 98 males, 87 females, and 30 children.

Mohanlal was not born with a silver spoon, instead, went up the ladder of success through sheer hard work, dedication, and commitment to his profession.

In a career that began in 1978 (his first film ‘Thiranottem' was released a quarter century later) he had to wait another two years before he began his full-fledged film career, after which there was no looking back.

It was in 1980 that the biggest grosser then -‘Manjil Virinja Pookal' was released; but surprisingly, he was cast as a villain in it but that did not affect his career as in a short period, he rose to the status of a superstar.

Now, at 64, he is presently doing his 360th Malayalam film which is yet to be titled and the highlight of this film is that he is pairing with Shobana for the 56th time.

(With inputs from Agencies)