When Mohanlal first impressed with his graceful dance and no, it was not in Prakash Varma’s jewellery ad
Fans of 90s Malayalam cinema would vouch that Mohanlal’s portrayal of a Bharatanatyam guru in the film Kamaladalam, particularly his dance in the 'Aananda Nadanam’ song, is just pure gold standard.
Last Updated: 07.25 PM, Jul 20, 2025
Malayalam superstar Mohanlal both surprised and impressed audiences with his graceful performance in a jewellery advertisement that has taken the internet by storm. That the iconic star could effortlessly embrace the effeminate grace further increased the admiration among fans and even industry colleagues, including actress-politician Kushbu. But this is not the first time that Mohanlal has danced with elegance. Fans of 90s Malayalam cinema would vouch that Mohanlal’s portrayal of a Bharatanatyam teacher in the film Kamaladalam is just pure gold standard.
Mohanlal’s dance performance in Kamaladalam
Kamaladalam is a 1992 Malayalam film, which starred Mohanlal as Nandagopan, a disgraced Bharatanatyam guru who returns to the renowned Kerala Kala Mandiram after being acquitted of his wife’s unnatural death. The students are protesting the return of the teacher, who they deem to be unfit to teach them.
In one of the most iconic scenes from Mohanlal’s repertoire, Nandagopan dances to the song ‘Aananda Nadanam’ in front of the protesting students and completely wins them over. His graceful moves and expressions would leave you in no doubt that Mohanlal fully did justice to the role of an exponent of Bharatanatyam.
Where to watch Kamaladalam on OTT
Kamaladalam is streaming now on JioHotstar and OTTplay Premium. Another highlight of the film is that it stars the late actress Monisha as Malavika, and her performance is also worth watching out for.
Mohanlal's ad wows fans, actors
Mohanlal’s new ad, directed by his Thudarum co-star Prakash Varma, has just reiterated why he is the Complete Actor from Malayalam. Fans are raving about his elegant performance, with some commenting that this could be the first time a male is headlining a jewellery ad. Another interesting comment on YouTube read, ‘breaking all conventional concepts of jewelry advertising’, in a hat-tip to Mohanlal’s dialogue from Manichitrathazhu.
Actress-politician Khusbhu too lavished praise on the Malayalam actor, saying, “What an incredible commercial this is!! You need guts to do this. And our powerhouse #Lalettan does this with aplomb. Accepting that natural femininity in every male is brought out so well.”
Malayalam actor Anoop Menon, who is set to direct Mohanlal in an upcoming movie, also wrote on Facebook, “Just watched the commercial,though of course,late..Once again bewitched and bewildered by this actor who can straddle both the genders seamlessly with equal finesse and bravado.”