The Chief of Army Staff on Tuesday felicitated Lieutenant Colonel (Honorary) Mohanlal, one of India's most celebrated actors and an Honorary Officer of the Indian Army, for his outstanding contribution to society and his continued association with the armed forces.
The Indian Army in a statement said, "In recognition of his spirit of service, philanthropy and unwavering respect for the uniform, the Chief of Army Staff presented Lt Col (Hony) Mohanlal with the Chief of Army Staff Commendation Card."
"Conferred with the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army in May 2009, Mohanlal has remained deeply connected with the Indian Army, embodying the values of service, discipline and national pride. His dedication was notably visible during his voluntary contribution to relief efforts during the Wayanad natural disaster in August 2024," it said.
Beyond cinema, Lt Col (Hony) Mohanlal has been a tireless advocate of social causes through the ViswaSanthi Foundation, which supports education, healthcare, skill development, environmental conservation and welfare initiatives across India, the Army added.
Mohanlal later tweeted, "Today, I had the honour of being called by the Chief of the Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, PVSM, AVSM, to the Army Headquarters, where I was awarded the COAS Commendation Card in the presence of seven Army Commanders."
He added, "Receiving this recognition as an Honorary Lieutenant Colonel is a moment of immense pride and gratitude. I remain deeply thankful to General Upendra Dwivedi, the entire Indian Army, and my parent unit of the Territorial Army for this honour and their unwavering support. Jai Hind."
A recipient of the Padma Shri (2001), Padma Bhushan (2019) and Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2025), Mohanlal's illustrious artistic journey of over four decades, spanning more than 400 films in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi, has inspired millions across India.
Members of the Territorial Army (TA) serve for a limited period every year. As per its website, the TA is a part of the regular Army and its present role is to relieve the regular Army from static duties, assist the civil administration in dealing with natural calamities and maintenance of essential services in situations where life of the communities is affected or the security of the country is threatened and provide units for the regular Army as and when required.
TA units were actively involved in the 1962, 1965 and 1971 operations. The "Terriers" have also taken part in operations in Sri Lanka, Punjab, J&K and the North East in a most active manner.
The TA has come to the aid of civil authorities during natural calamities like the earthquake in Latur (Maharashtra), Uttarkashi in Garhwal Himalaya and the Super Cyclone in Odisha. Their ecological units have countered man-made environmental degradation by planting around six crore and 65 lakh trees over 66,000 hectares of land in Mussoorie Hills & Pithoragarh (UK), Shimla (HP), Jaisalmer (Rajasthan), Bhatti Mines (Delhi), Charduar, Kokrajhar (Assam) and Samba (J&K).
Officers and men of the TA have been decorated for their gallantry and distinguished services. Many industrialists, politicians and eminent personalities have been members of the TA.
