Somebody had to say it, but nobody has till now. They may all pretend it was out of love. But it was more likely out of pig-headed devotion, one that reduced Mohanlal, a once-in-a-lifetime talent, into a mannequin outside a small-town textile showroom.So let me just say it now: Having beguiled the masses for some 30 years (Yeah, my rant has been in the making precisely for that long now), “Lalettan” is now a decayed cliche – ossified, creaky, and badly puttied.Aaron Sorkin may or may not have heard of him. Yet, if he were to make a documentary on the Malayali thespian, Sorkin could easily rehash The Newsroom’s opening scene: the ‘America is the greatest country’ trope, the news anchor’s initial discomfort followed by the brutal, clinical takedown of the dumb devotees, and even those poignant piano notes that follow “sure, used to be.” But most importantly, “Sure, used to be.”Age surely has caught up with Lalettan (for non-Malayalis, ettan is an endearing term for an elder brother) and that is about the only excuse he has. At 66, he simply lacks the spark for younger characters, though clearly nobody’s told him that either. But if only it were about age alone.His body stopped expressing years ago. Stock mannerisms finetuned in the 1980s and ’90s now crave a decent burial. His fans can’t deny anymore that the lovingly overlooked original chink in his armour – poor voice modulation – now stands out like Salman Khan’s dancing skills.And oh, the face. That tired, plastic face. The eerie hall of Braavos beckons.You aren’t convinced? Do watch Drishyam 3 – and curse me later.