"Director asked us to jump from six-storey building, Lal agreed to do this": Shankar on Mohanlal's unique style

Shankar had a bright start to his acting career in the 1980s and is still a popular face in Malayalam cinema. Apart from acting, he has also made a mark in cinema through direction and as a producer. A contemporary of actor Mohanlal, Shankar maintains a warm relationship with him. In an interview with a YouTube channel, Shankar rolled back the years and spoke about his friendship with Mohanlal.

"I acted with Mohanlal for the last time in 'Casanovva'. Before that, I acted with him in the film 'Ividam Swargamanu'. We started out in cinema almost at the same time. I am a person who likes to live alone. I still maintain my friendship with Mohanlal. We have together in about thirty films. I also have a similar friendship with Mammookka. I have done many films with Mammookka as well," Shankar said.

"At one point I stopped acting and decided to come back after a while. Maybe it was a wrong decision of mine. Mohanlal's style is always different. He is always funny. Sometimes you can see Mohanlal in silence. When Lal acts, we will be doubtful whether he will be able to perform. But once he comes in front of the camera, he changes completely and does everything to perfection. Be it comedy or romance, every character will be perfect. Coming to action, it will be beyond our expectations," he said.

"In 'Hello Madras Girl', Mohanlal was the villain and I was the hero. There is a fight scene involving me and Mohanlal. In a scene, our fight leads to the top of a building. While doing the scene, the director Williams asked us to stop. He told us to jump from the top of a six-storey building. I objected to this. All security arrangements have been made. When I heard that, I started to get scared. Then Lal said he would jump. Then I also agreed. Lal did a parkour-style in his jump. I jumped right across. From that, one can understand Lal's sincerity towards cinema," he added.