Mohanlal has acted in a recent advertisement for a jewellery brand that reunited him with his Thudarum co-star Prakash Varma. The commercial sees its director Prakash telling Mohanlal how to act in it; meanwhile, the latter walks away with a necklace into his caravan. Later, we see Mohanlal with the ornament around his neck, delivering feminine expressions. The advertisement has drawn plenty of appreciation and some criticism for the actor. Those in favour of it commend Mohanlal's versatility to pull off his feminine side effortlessly, despite boasting a filmography full of masculine roles. GOAT hashtags are trending on Twitter with snapshots of Mohanlal from the advertisement and pictures from his filmography. Meanwhile, Prakash himself is all praise for his co-star’s ability as an actor. Prakash took to his Instagram to share the advertisement and wrote, “I got to witness something rare and special, up close. Mohanlal sir’s grace is unmatched. No one else can pull this off. Ever so grateful for his trust.”
On the other hand, Mohanlal’s detractors claim that while he is undoubtedly a versatile actor, his portrayal in this particular advertisement, specifically the feminine expressions, is not appropriate. They find it a forced attempt at breaking stereotypes rather than a natural expression of versatility. Mohanlal had drawn flak for his work in advertisements on previous occasions as well. Notably, he faced significant criticism for the "Vaikittenda Parupadi" (What's Up This Evening?) campaign for a whisky brand. The brand, unable to directly advertise its alcohol line due to a ban, promoted a related, non-alcoholic, product to keep its name in public consciousness. The brand asked the popular slang question through Mohanlal, but the clear underlying message was about its whisky. This campaign drew the ire of "moral police" and civil society for its highly suggestive promotion of alcohol.
Mohanlal and Prakash had worked on advertisements long before their collaboration on the recent Tharun Moorthy directorial.
