Ananthabhadram became an average grosser due to Mammootty, says Maniyanpillai Raju

Santhosh Shivan’s ‘Ananthabhadram’ that starred Prithviraj Sukumaran, Manoj K Jayan, and Kavya Madhavan in the lead roles is widely considered as a cult classic fantasy movie by film critics. However, upon its release in 2005, the film failed to live up to the expectations at the box-office. Despite receiving widespread positive responses from audiences and critics, the film failed to emerge as a hit.

And now, Maniyanpillai Raju, producer of ‘Ananthabhadram’ has revealed that it was a Mammootty film that played a crucial role behind the failure of the film at the box-office. According to Raju, it was the mindblowing success of Rajamanikyam which negatively affected the theatrical run of Ananthabhadram.

“Ananthabhadram was a good movie. But it was released in the wrong time, and it locked horns with Mammootty’s Rajamanikyam in theaters. Rajamanikyam was an in and out commercial entertainer, and it had all the elements needed to satisfy every viewer who reaches theaters. Even I played a crucial role in Rajamanikyam,” said Raju.

However, Raju made it clear that ‘Ananthabhadram’ will remain as one of his favorite movies as a producer, as it helped him to rack up several awards and recognitions.

‘Rajamanikyam’ marked the directorial debut of Anwar Rasheed, and in this movie, Mammootty played the role of Bellari Raja, a cattle seller. The film had ample doses of comedy and emotions, and it helped the movie to emerge as one of the biggest successes in Mammootty’s career.