At a time when artists struggle to survive in Tinseltown even for a few years, Mohanlal and the life stories of Mammootty, who reigned in an industry for four decades, were highlighted. What’s more impressive is that none of them seem to have entered the late stage of their careers yet and continue to run at full speed. After making their screen debut in 1980, Mohanlal and mammoth He has worked in hundreds of films in various languages, winning several national and Kerala state film awards. While Mohanlal rose to stardom in 1986, exactly 40 years ago, Mammootty joined him there a year later, and since then they have been the undisputed pillars holding Malayalam cinema aloft.
Interestingly, both Mohanlal and Mammootty rose to stardom through films written by the same screenwriter. Dennis Jose. Widely regarded as one of the best commercial scriptwriters in Malayalam cinema, Dennis shared a warm bond with both actors and in fact wrote several of their hit films. However, Dennis first forged a bond with Mammootty when he headlined the writer’s first film, Eeran Sandhya. After that, Dennis became a recurring presence in Mammootty’s films and wrote several notable scripts for the actor including Nirakkoottu, Sayam Sandhya, Shyama, Nyayavidhi and Pranamam.
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Why Mammootty rejected Rajavinte Makan
However, when Dennis Joseph decided to join forces with director Thambi Kannanthanam for a film, Mammootty opted out, despite previously sharing a strong bond with the latter. During an episode of safaris On the talk show “Charithram Enniloode”, Dennis revealed that it was director Joshiy, with whom the writer had already worked on several films, who asked him to write a script for Thambi. After the failure of Aa Neram Alppa Dooram (1985), starring Mammootty, the director was in crisis and no producer was willing to work with him anymore. Thus, once Dennis agreed to write for him, Thambi decided to produce the film himself, in addition to directing it.
During discussions, Dennis proposed a gangster film centered around an antihero and Thambi was instantly impressed. The writer also suggested that Mammootty would be the best choice for it. Having shared a close bond with the actor for many years, Thambi reached out to Mammootty as usual. However, the failure of Aa Neram Alppa Dooram affected the actor and he immediately refused to work with Thambi. Dennis noted that Mammootty even made some comments that hurt the director.
Mohanlal and Ambika in Rajavinte Makan. (Credit: thecompleteactor.com)
Mohanlal agreed to do Rajavinte Makan without hearing his story.
However, Thambi was determined to continue with the project and approached Mohanlal. Despite not knowing Dennis beforehand or having worked with him, Mohanlal agreed to do the film without even hearing his story. Thus Rajavinte Makan was born. Once discussions were completed, Dennis completed the entire script in just five or six days. He mentioned that Thambi financed the film by selling his car and pawning some ancestral properties.
While Mohanlal was cast as anti-hero crime boss Vincent Gomes in Rajavinte Makan, Ratheesh He played the second anti-hero, Home Minister CK Krishnadas. However, the character of the female lead, lawyer Ancy, was equally important in the film and required a strong actor to play her. Thus, Thambi focused on Ambika, with whom he shared a warm relationship.
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Rs 1.25 lakh for Ambika, Rs 1 lakh for Mohanlal
However, this was the time when Ambika was a much bigger star than Mohanlal across the South, having played the heroine’s role for Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan also in a couple of Tamil films. She was also a sought-after actress in Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. Therefore, her mother initially demanded that Ambika be paid Rs 1.25 lakh as remuneration, according to a Manorama report. However, a few days after filming began, Ambika informed Thambi that she only needed Rs 1 lakh, much to the relief of the director and producer as he was struggling to finish the film. Mohanlal also received the same remuneration as Ambika, Rs 1 lakh. Filming was completed in 32 days.
Although the entire industry was skeptical about the film, considering Thambi being a “failed director” and the idea that people would not like to see Mohanlal in such an avatar, Rajavinte Makan received universally positive reviews after the first show, catapulting Mohanlal to instant stardom. With a budget of Rs 40 lakh, it reportedly grossed between Rs 80 and 85 lakh at the time, despite extremely low ticket prices. While Rajavinte Makan was later remade in multiple languages, Mohanlal hasn’t had to look back since and has ruled Malayalam cinema for the last 40 years.