Actress Esther Anil, known for her role in the Drishyam films, shared a lighthearted memory involving Mohanlal and his son Pranav during the promotions for Drishyam 3. The story goes back to the sets of Papanasam, the Tamil remake of Drishyam, where Pranav worked as an assistant director.
Esther recalled that early in her career there was talk of changing her screen name, since “Esther” wasn’t very common in Kerala at the time. While producer Maniyanpilla Raju suggested a change, it was Mohanlal who stepped in to back her original name. “Lal Uncle said, ‘Esther is a beautiful name. Appu’s (Pranav’s) girlfriend’s name was also Esther. Let her keep it; don’t change it,'” she said.
Pranav’s simplicity on set
Esther also spoke about how down-to-earth Pranav was. She recalled that the Tamil crew of Papanasam struggled to recognise him — expecting a superstar’s son to have a grand presence, they instead found him sitting on the floor with long hair, wearing one of Mohanlal’s old, loose shirts that even had a small tear. Although Mohanlal had sent a Jaguar for his use, Pranav preferred travelling in the crew bus, and director Jeethu Joseph ended up using the car instead.
Years later, when she worked with Pranav, Esther couldn’t resist asking him about the name coincidence. He reportedly laughed and asked, “How did you find out about that?” Esther reprises her role as Anu George in Drishyam 3, which releases on May 21, 2026.
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