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Posted in: Cinema: Tamil, Interview
Interview: Mohan (‘Haraa’, ‘G.O.A.T’)
Posted on June 5, 2024
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Baradwaj Rangan 
Balasubramanian Ramakrishnan
June 6, 2024
This was a really lovely interview. The happiness on Mohan’s face was clearly visible when BR name dropped so many of his wonderful songs and a few movies that a lot of people must have forgotten. The last segment about SPB was poignant. Mohan’s answers were very genuine and he was succinct, yet polite throughout.
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abishekspeare
June 6, 2024
22:30 onwards: 101 Course on How To Take A Compliment When You Are Not Great At Taking Compliments – Part 2
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abishekspeare
June 6, 2024
I’m post-Mohan era, so I don’t know much of his work – but I’ve heard he was a big, big star in the 80s-90s. Can someone tell me what exactly happened afterwards?
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vijay
June 6, 2024
“Naan paadum mouna raagam ketkavillayaa…”
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Rm
June 6, 2024
Super interview. I am also somewhat disappointed ‘Sutta pazham’ was not discussed in the interview :). I am baffled why Mohan would do a movie like that nearly after a decade of his prime film career in the 90s
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Hari
June 6, 2024
@abhishek – He simply fell from favour, not unlike Prashanth in the early 2000s. Interestingly both are making a comeback through GOAT.
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RK
June 6, 2024
The first film of Mohan’s that I saw was Uruvam as a 10-year old & it was scary as hell & very gory as well. It was the first horror movie that I ever saw in its entirety & was quite good as far as I can remember. To me it always more ‘Uruvam’ Mohan than Mike Mohan.
Mohan piqued my interest only after my Anni, elder brother’s wife, said that he was her second favourite actor after Kamal. To a Rajni fan that was travesty. He seems to have been very popular among the young women with his soft romanticism.
It was still later, in my early teens that I started listening to ‘his’ songs. And still later that I saw him in films like Nenjathai Killadhe & Kokila.
@abishekspeare: Do check out these films for appreciating him. Kokila is a genuinely great film that explored pure lust as opposed to love.
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hari prasad
June 6, 2024
Sutta Pazham came in 2008 , if I remember.
It was one of the first Tamil movies I remember watching on Zee Tamil along with the likes of Subramaniapuram (which Sun TV later bought the satellite rights for a record price and the movie was telecasted on the two channels at the same time) and Vijayakanth’s Arasangam which got better reviews than Vijay’s Kuruvi and Ajith’s Aegan judging from what I read on the internet.
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vijay
June 6, 2024
Mohan’s comeback attempt was actually ‘Anbulla kaadhalukku’ released sometime in the late 90s, and IIRC, with Deva as the MD..Not sure what he saw interesting there to stage a comeback attempt.
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Vazhipokkan
June 7, 2024
I simply love Kilinjalgal … what a movie!! Mohan was lovely. I watched it in a 14 inch tv on DD when I was a kid. It’s had a fantastic score by TR and lovely humor by VKR and Dileep. So many memories of romance between Poornima and Mohan. Poornima was an angel in the movie!
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lakshmi
June 7, 2024
This was truly nostalgic, especially when he said, I am so blessed thaikulam acceptance was there. So typically 80s 😀
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Rambo
June 7, 2024
I was young when the Mohan wave was in full flow and older when it started to ebb. He was truly an odd one – because he gave some great performances but he also did so much dross just given the volume of films he did. But many of those also ended up doing well because of the music and earning him his nickname. But when the music didnt quite keep up but his volume of films did – he started to fade from the scene is my memory. But even so – it was surprising that he didnt make the shift into older character actor roles the way Sivakumar did given his acting skills. I guess he wanted to keep being the hero but that wasnt selling any more. But there could be more to his disappearance for so long from the scene than meets the eye. In any case, this brought back some lovely memories of when all india radio was the go to music sources for some lovely Mohan melodies.
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Yajiv
June 7, 2024
@RK: Uruvam takes me back! I too saw it at too young an age and had severe nightmares after. Oftentimes, those 80s/90s B-grade horror films would completely decimate the protagonist & his loved ones in irreversible ways over the course of the film. I can’t imagine a Kanchana or an Aranmanai ever doing that. The stakes are never high enough in these modern horror flicks.
Anyway, nice to see that Mike Mohan is doing well after all these years.
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Raghu Narayanan
June 8, 2024
@BR: This was a delightful interview! Loved every minute of it. I actually like the way you allow the interviewee to speak without interrupting. Your approach kinda has an old-world charm to it, when, these days, I fear the attention span of many interviewers does not exceed 15 seconds! Mohan’s responses seemed very genuine and had integrity. And I am amazed by his power of recall. How he was able to pull out names and events from memory was simply mind-boggling!
I have a suggestion…I think you should do a write-up (maybe even a long comment, if you will) about what you felt at the end of an interview. I think it would give us a very good perspective!
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karthik299
June 9, 2024
This was such a pleasant interview. And once Mohan started getting comfortable, it became even better!
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Honest Raj
June 9, 2024
KB wanted to remake Maro Charitra in Tamil? And, I thought he was cast in NK based on BM’s recommendation. Looking back, that was quite a launch!
BTW, it’s nice to hear him speak fluent Tamil after all these years.
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Madan
June 9, 2024
Wonderful interview. The Balachander story was great. But man, he was hardcore, wasn’t he?
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Prem Rogue
June 11, 2024
What are some of Mohan’s films that you’d recommend watching? I’ve seen Mouna Ragam, Nenjathai Killathe, and Payanangal Mudivathillai. Is PM worth revisiting? It’s been ages since I saw it.
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K
June 11, 2024
What are some of Mohan’s films that you’d recommend watching?
My pick would be Nooraavathu Naal. Most unusual Mohan film considering he was a big star during it’s release.
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Madan
June 11, 2024
Seconding K. Nooravathu Naal. Kinda dated now but still a pretty taut watch (which is more than you can say of typical Mike Mohan tear jerkers) with Raja’s score egging it on to resemble the movie it wants to be rather than what it is. I haven’t seen Uruvam and December Pookal but other than those, Mouna Raagam, NK, Nooravathu and maybe MTK would be the only Mohan starrers I would want to rewatch. PM and Idhaya Kovil are almost impossible to finish! Well, at least IK doesn’t have full fledged ubbu-fest like Vaikaraiyil but OTOH its plot is even more convoluted. IK, PM, Kanni Raasi, Anand all brothers from another mother.
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MANK
June 11, 2024
Brangan: so you said you had an eye for talent
Mohan: i never said that
ha haa ha. that was LOL funny.
This was a the reverse of Bhansali interview. this one started rather badly then went on to become a fabulous interview. Once the conversation shifted to those great filmmakers and films of yore, Mohan spoke his heart out There is nothing like listening to the stories of ’80s and ’90s movies.
KB was a strict disciplinarian and there are several stories of him beating up Kamal and Rajini during their formative years. And I think that was the reason Mohan (who seems to be a gentle soul) never worked with him even though he gives the (very hard to believe) excuse of never having dates. Anyway, Sivakumar was better suited for Sindhu bhairavi (in its present form) than Mohan.
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MANK
June 11, 2024
Mohan, Ramarajan and to an extend Prabhu became stars thanks to Ilayaraja. Of course everyone from Kamal and Rajini benefitted from IR’s golden phase in music , but these three are special beneficiaries and owes much of their success to IR’s music.
I like him best in Rettai Vaal Kuruvi. I had already seen Micki & Maude and Dudley Moore is in a league of his own as far as comedy goes, and I was sure no actor can match up to him. But Mohan played the role very differently from Moore. It was rather subtle and yet very funny and effective. Also love that ‘Raja raja chozhan’ song sung by Dasettan.
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Prem Rogue
June 11, 2024
I’m remembering that I’ve seen Nooravathu Naal as well. The only thing I remember about it was a skeleton found behind a wall. I have a vague memory watching it when I was a kid and my family visited someone’s home. No idea why we watched that, of all movies!
It’s interesting that Mohan and Vijaykanth would do a film together when they were both stars at this time.
Wikipedia’s says it’s a remake of a Lucio Fulci movie. Were horror and giallo films shown in India? Did they circulate on bootleg tapes? Did these filmmakers send people to London to bring back suitcases filled with VHS tapes? How did Indian filmmakers see such films back then?
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Madan
June 11, 2024
MANK: Thanks, had forgotten Rettai Vaal Kuruvi. Actually, come to think, RVK might be his most rewatchable film. The combination of his predicament with VKR comedy as his boss is irresistible.
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Madan
June 11, 2024
MANK: Kartik also got a lot of benefit from Raja’s music, esp in the early 90s with Kizhakku Vaasal, Pandi Naatu and Periya Veetu Pannaikaaran.
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hari
June 11, 2024
Madan – varusham 16 as well
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Madan
June 11, 2024
Yup, another banger of an album.
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MANK
June 11, 2024
Kartik also got a lot of benefit from Raja’s music
yup true that,
Kizhakku Vaasal, Pandi Naatu and Periya Veetu Pannaikaaran……
also ninaivellam nithya at the beginning of his career
Panivizhum Malar Vanam and Neethane Enthan Pon Vasantham are regarded as IR’s greatest compositions.
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mailmanju
June 13, 2024
It is unbelievable how Mohan has managed himself to stay and look so young. He is 70 but looks like 40.
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