DRESSING UP
Uniform Trouble
Shahina KK
Shahina KK
15 Oct, 2011
The Malayalam superstar Mohanlal is facing a peculiar problem, all of his own making.
The Malayalam superstar Mohanlal is facing a peculiar problem, all of his own making. He had been conferred an honorary military rank of lieutenant colonel in 2009. Army rules stipulate that the uniform can only be worn on special occasions. When he was seen in an advertisement in military uniform, a retired Army officer filed a complaint. The advertisement was aired in December 2010 and January 2011 during the Grand Kerala shopping festival promoted by the state’s tourism department, and Mohanlal was reportedly paid Rs 50 lakh for the same. Denying any wrongdoing, Mohan Lal says the costume used in the campaign was the one he had worn for his role in the Malayalam film Kandahar, in which he acted as a military officer. In recent years, the Army has also conferred the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel to Kapil Dev, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Abhinav Bindra.
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