This story is from August 7, 2016

'Not just a director, but a friend, mentor and brother'

'Not just a director, but a friend, mentor and brother'
In the cut-throat world of films, maintaining a friendship could be a challenging task, especially for the top stars. But some of Mollywood's A-list actors and their director buddies have forged enduring friendships that have often resulted in films that catapulted the actors to stardom.
On Friendship Day today, some of Mollywood's top actors tell us how much of an influence their filmmaker friends have been to their stellar careers:
Mohanlal & Priyadarshan
Their friendship spanning more than five decades have translated into magic both on and off screen, with the duo revolutionising Malayalam comedies in the 80s and the family drama genre in the 90s with films like Boeing Boeing, Kilukkam, Chithram, Midhunam and many more.
Mohanlal's stardom has only been amped by every collaboration with the veteran director.
Priyan and I accept each other for who we are: Mohanlal
I was part of Priyan's first film and 35 years later, I am still doing a movie of his. I think that's a testament to our friendship. I have known him since my childhood. We weren't connected by cinema back then and fell in love with movies much later. Some of my best movies have been with him. And that's because we know what we want from each other. While making movies, we discuss ideas, argue and accept each other's opinions. Most often we don't even need to have conversations; that is the kind of chemistry we share. I think a friendship is about accepting a person with all their qualities ' good and bad. We have that kind of respect for each other.

Prithviraj & Ranjith
Sixteen years ago, director Fazil recommended a 19-year-old Prithviraj to director Ranjith for the movie Nandanam. And the actor has never looked back since. Ranjith has often been instrumental in giving a boost to the actor's career, casting him in National Award-winning movies Thirakkatha and Indian Rupee at the right time. What started out as a mentor-student relationship has now become a lasting friendship for the duo.
Ranjiettan is a fantastic actor-trainer: Prithviraj
He found me when I was at my rawest. Everything that the viewers see in the actor in me today is just an evolved version of the basic lessons I learnt from him during the shoot of Nandanam. He's a fantastic 'actor trainer', like most writer-directors are. Obviously the privilege of having worked with several illustrious filmmakers and the sheer volume of work I have had the opportunity to do has refined the actor in me. But I still subconsciously go back to what I learnt from him, including all the abuses he hurled at me! Today, I share a very close friendship with him. He's one guy whose apartment I can barge into at 3 am and say I need to talk.
Dileep & Lal Jose
The duo started their film careers by assisting director Kamal in the 90s. Dileep soon branched off to be an actor while Lal Jose continued his filmmaking pursuits. While Lal's story for Meenathil Thaalikettu fortified Dileep's space in comedy in the industry, his second directorial Meesa Madhavan catapulted the actor to superstardom. They have now collaborated for six films.
Lalu is more like a brother to me: Dileep
My relationship with Lalu started out as friendship, when we worked as assistant directors. But now, he is more like a brother than a friend to me. After my dad passed away, I see him in that position too. He's that valuable to me. I have had a lot of pivotal films in my career ' Manathe Kottaram, Sallapam, Ee Puzhayum Kadannu and Punjabi House - but Lalu's Meesa Madhavan stands out. Because, as my guru Kamal sir once told me, it stamped my screen presence in Malayalam cinema for the first time. There are some people who heralded me as a star with that film. I am fortunate to be part of several movies with Lal Jose but my characters in Meesa Madhavan and Chanthupottu are special to me.
Nivin Pauly & Alphonse Puthren
Nivin and Alphonse proved that they are here to stay with Premam last year, which also heralded the arrival of 'The Aluva gang'. Their friendship, which began during their college days, has been elemental in charting the success stories of both talents. While it was Alphonse's Neram which introduced Nivin to the Tamil audience, Premam kicked the doors open for the actor!
Alphonse knows what is best for me: Nivin
We have been friends for a long time. The dream back then for me was to make my acting debut through his directorial. But as things happened, I got into movies first. I have always known how passionate he is about directing and what a talent he is. He has always been like an elder brother to me ' always guiding and advising me. Alphonse is that one guy in our friends' circle who always wants good things to happen to people. Also, he wouldn't hesitate a moment to point out a mistake. He has that freedom with me and there's this give-and-take policy between us. Premam was a pivotal point in my career. From its scripting stage, we have been working together. He's extremely hardworking and so much involved in what he does; that sort of rubs on me as well. Since he also knows me personally, he is well aware of each of my strengths and weaknesses as an actor, and accentuates the former.
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