The character was created by Major Ravi and is portrayed by Mohanlal.

Mahadevan is a commanding officer in the Indian Army, who held the title Major and was promoted to a Colonel.

He first appears in the 2006 film Kirthi Chakra, and later in the sequels Kurukshetra (2008), Kandahar (2010), and 1971: Beyond Borders (2017).

[1] Major Mahadevan is one of the most influential characters to have appeared in Malayalam cinema.

Mohanlal was given an honorary position as a lieutenant colonel in the Territorial Army of India by the Indian Ministry of Defence, taking into account his honest portrayal of an army man and the reach the character got through the films Kirthi Chakra (2006) and Kurukshetra (2008).