His father, T. Kannabiran Mudhaliyar, was the Madras High court Magistrate and the General Manager of five theatres (Prabhat Talkies, Broadway Talkies, Murugan, Mahalakshmi and Saraswati).

While still a student, Mohan created banners for the film Kulaebagavali.

In 1950, he established Mohan Arts, a firm that specialized in the creation of promotional materials for films such as banners and cut-outs.

The actor Sivakumar started his art career under his guidance and in his company.

Mohan was also an art director, and won various statewide and national awards for excellence, including the "Vikas Ratna" Award presented by the Government of India.