Army livid with actor Mohanlal playing army man in ads
Two years after feting him with honorary Lieutenant Colonel’s rank, the Territorial Army has taken serious note of reports that Malayalam movie star Mohanlal had allegedly misused his uniform for commercial purposes in Kerala government advertisements to promote tourism. The actor has denied the allegation.
He may be Kerala’s greatest living actor, but when Mohanlal tried to mix fact with fiction and portray in real life that he was a 1971 war hero, he seemed to have gone too far.
For a 45-day period stretching from December 1, 2010 to January 15, 2011, during the Grand Kerala Shopping Festival, Mohanlal appeared in a series of print and TV advertisements in army uniform, wearing an impressive array of medals and badges that mark him as a 1971 war hero, an NSG commando, a gallantry medal awardee, and the recipient of a commendation card from the army chief. The ads also featured Amitabh Bachchan.
Incidentally, Mohanlal and Bachchan were co-stars in Kandahar, a film that released in the same month. The film was made by Mohanlal’s own production house, Ashirwad Films. Guess what role Mohanlal played in Kandahar? A brave army officer and a commando.
Officers at the Army Headquarters here said they have received reports that Mohanlal, considered to be one of Kerala’s topmost film actor, had passed off as a war hero in a television advertisement aired in December 2010 and January 2011 during the Grand Kerala Shopping Festival promoted by the state’s tourism department.
This, the officers said, was against the rules under which he was conferred the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2009. The honorary rank conferment rules stipulate that the uniform be worn only on ceremonial occasions, while on training with his Territorial Army unit, and at official functions.
The advertisement was noticed by a retired army officer, Brigadier CP Joshi, while on a trip to Ooty. “I was appalled to see a man who has been honoured by the Indian Army pull off something this cheap, putting on medals he clearly does not deserve. How can he claim that he took part in the 1971 war, or is qualified to make parachute jumps, or is a NSG commando,” asks a furious Joshi.
“We live and die for it. How can somebody so cynically use it for commercial gain?”
Apparently, not only has Mohanlal broken the law that prohibits him from putting on medals he has not been awarded, he has also indulged in an unethical practice, deeply embarrassing army headquarters. “We gave him the uniform to give bring greater focus on the Indian Army. But he has used it for selfish commercial purposes, to portray himself as a decorated officer when he has never been awarded a medal. We are now planning to propose that his rank and uniform be taken away,” a senior army officer told DNA on condition of anonymity. According to him, “he can only use his army uniform in an advertisement to motivate youngsters to join the army. But even that requires special permission from the office of the army chief after following procedures.”
The honorary rank is conferred by the army on achievers to have them as role models and inspire the country’s youth to join the armed forces.
The army has in the recent years also conferred the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel on India’s leading sportspersons, including 1983 World Cup winning Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev, 2011 World Cup winning cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra.
The reports had suggested that Mohanlal had in a series of advertisements presented himself in army uniform, claiming to be a 1971 war hero, a National Security Guard (NSG) commando, a gallantry medal winner and a recipient of the army chief’s commendation card.
He was reportedly paid Rs.50 lakh for the advertisement shot by his own production house, Ashirwad Films.
The advertisements were noticed by a retired army Brigadier, who is reported to have lodged a complaint with the army in this regard.
Mohanlal, speaking to the media, said the costume used in the advertisement for the Kerala tourism department was the one he had worn for his role in the Malayalam film “Kandahar”.
“It’s just like any film hoarding and it has got nothing to do with the Lt. Col. uniform in the Territorial Army. You should also see that the advertisement mentions my character in the film. In fact, I did this for the Kerala government and I have not collected any professional fees for it,” said Mohanlal.
In retrospect, it appears that Mohanlal saw an opportunity to not only make some money, but also promote his latest film, which, sadly for him, bombed at the box office. But the advertisement did not have any disclosure stating that his picture in it was from a film, and most people assumed that he was sporting medals awarded to him by the ministry of defense.
Under section 419 of the Indian Penal Code, such impersonation is illegal and he can be prosecuted for identity theft or fraud.
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