Mammootty vs. Mohanlal

One lives by the textbook; the other exists in spite of it. One swears by the grammar of method; the other lives and dies by instinct.

Mohanlal or Mammootty? It is a debate for the ages; one that has fascinated both the layman and the cinephile ever since the early Eighties, when the two actors made their way, film by film, into the Malayali psyche. This one is between heavyweights, and befitting a bout of such stature, the jury is still divided after all these years.

It is easy to see why Kerala fell big time for the two. The industry had seen stars in Prem Nazir and Jayan, and actors of astounding brilliance in Sathyan and Bharat Gopy, but Mammootty and Mohanlal were different. Here were two actors, who had the acting skills to knock you out and the charisma that only the stars possess. Many love affairs make no sense, but you can see this one does.