'Superstar-turned-interviewer': Mohanlal 'grills' CM Vijayan

In a political season dominated by optics and messaging, it is not often that Kerala's biggest screen icon starts asking the questions instead of facing them.

That is precisely what happened when Dadasaheb Phalke award winner and Malayalam cinema’s enduring superstar Mohanlal sat down to interview Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Cliff House, the official residence of the Chief Minister.

The teaser of the interview is set to be released on Tuesday evening across social media and television platforms, with the full version to follow on leading channels.

For decades, it has been Mohanlal who has been at the receiving end of probing questions about cinema, craft, fame and public life.

This time, the roles were reversed.

The actor reportedly spent two days in Thiruvananthapuram for the project.

The first day was devoted to discussions on the themes to be covered, and the interview took place the next day.

The conversation is said to span the Chief Minister’s personal journey, political evolution, and the government’s record in office.

The optics are compelling.

A Dadasaheb Phalke laureate interviewing a sitting Chief Minister on the eve of an election inevitably invites political readings.

The Opposition has already accused the government of ramping up public relations efforts as the state heads to the polls.

The presence of one of Kerala’s most popular cultural figures is bound to amplify that debate.

This is not entirely unprecedented.

Mohanlal had earlier conducted a similar interview with former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

Photographs of Mohanlal and Pinarayi Vijayan together at Cliff House have already gone viral, fuelling anticipation.

Whether the interview reshapes political narratives or remains a high-profile media moment, one thing is certain: when the superstar asks the questions, Kerala watches.

Incidentally the same time last year, Mohanlal was interviewed by state Culture and Films Minister Saji Cherian, when the superstar was the chief guest at a cultural event organised at Cherian’s constituency in Chengannur.