KOCHI: Speaking at the first Artist Namboodiri Samman ceremony in Kochi on Saturday, actor Mohanlal’s voice dripped with admiration and nostalgia. Recounting a deeply personal memory, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner shared how he once waited five long years for a painting by the legendary artist — a work inspired by a sloka from the ‘Soundarya Lahari’.
It was on the sets of ‘Vanaprastham’ that Mohanlal became close to Namboodiri. Struck by Namboodiri’s creative depth, the actor later requested him to paint a scene based on the sloka — brimming with divine imagery and many characters. The actor patiently explained the essence of the verse, and the artist agreed to make it a reality. But what seemed like an exciting collaboration soon turned into a test of ‘artistic patience’.
“Namboodiri agreed to try, but there was no painting for several years,” Mohanlal recalled. “Eventually, he began to avoid me whenever we met. He admitted that he could not complete the work and was wondering why I hadn’t enquired about it. I told him, ‘I understood it was difficult to recreate’,” said Mohanlal.
Years passed. One day, while in Kozhikode, Namboodiri sent word to Mohanlal asking for brushes and paint. Soon after, the long-awaited piece arrived. “When I saw the work, I held his fingers and placed them on my head for his blessings. That’s all I remember,” the actor said, visibly moved.
‘Namboodiri’s paintings give me strength’
Even after that, Mohanlal asked Namboodiri to create another piece -- a Gandharvan. “Years later, when he visited my home and saw the painting (Soundarya Lahari), he humbly asked, ‘Did I draw that’. It was a moment of quiet surrender that revealed the humility of the master,” said the actor.
Mohanlal, who treasures nearly 150 of Namboodiri’s works, said the artist’s lines and strokes continue to give him “strength and courage.”