Mollywood movie ‘No.20 Madras Mail’, released in 1990 was a huge hit at the box-office. The major highlight of the movie was Mohanlal’s impeccable comic timing and Mammootty’s extended cameo appearance. And now, after 30 years of the movie’s release, director Joshiy has revealed that Mammootty was originally not a part of this movie.

In a recent interview given to Vanitha, Joshiy revealed that Mammootty’s role in this movie was originally planned with another prominent actor. However, it was Mohanlal who recommended Mammootty’s name to this role.

Joshiy was initially hesitant to approach Mammootty to play an extended cameo in a movie that features Mohanlal in the lead role. But surprisingly, Mammootty accepted the offer without any hesitation, and the rest is history.

Upon the release of this film, audiences were surprised to see Mammootty and Mohanlal sharing the screen space in full swing. Even now, the train scenes that feature Mammootty and Mohanlal enjoy huge repeat-watch value.

On the work front, Mohanlal is currently busy with the filming of his new movie Drishyam 2, a sequel to the 2013 blockbuster Drishyam. The shooting of this movie is currently progressing steadily in Thodupuzha. After completing the shooting, Mohanlal will join the filming of his next film that will be directed by B Unnikrishnan.

Mammootty is currently awaiting the release of his new movie One, directed by Santhosh Viswanath. The film penned by Bobby-Sanjay is a political thriller, and it will feature Mammootty in the role of Kerala Chief Minister Kadakkal Chandran. An official announcement regarding the release date of the movie will be made soon.

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After the success of movies like Grandmaster and Madambi, Mohanlal and B Unnikrishnan are again joining hands for a new movie which is expected to be a high-voltage mass masala entertainer. Yesterday, Unnikrishnan and writer Udayakrishna met Mohanlal at the shooting sets of Drishyam, and the trio finalized the project.

Unnikrishnan revealed that this movie will be shot on a grand scale with a lavish budget.

“This movie will have equal importance to comedy, action, and emotions. After Hello, this movie will give Mohanlal the chance to perform pure comedy and I believe, this will turn out to be a real treat to the audiences. The shooting of this movie will commence in November. More details about this film will be unveiled in the coming days,” said Unnikrishnan.

This is for the second time that Unnikrishnan is directing a movie penned by others. Most of the films directed by Unnikrishnan was penned by himself, and the only exception is ‘I Love Me’ which was written by Sethu.

Mohanlal will join the shooting sets of the film soon after completing Drishyam 2, which is being directed by Jeethu Joseph.

On the other hand, Udayakrishna is also busy penning the script for the movie Pulimurugan 2. Even though the scripting is in its earlier stages, recent developments indicate that Mohanlal will once again hunt predator tigers on screen.

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“Saluting my fellow terriers and all men in uniform for their selfless commitment and bravery on the 71st raising day of Territorial Army today. Extremely proud to be one among the 122 INF BN (TA) Madras, Kannur,” wrote Mohanlal on his Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/ActorMohanlal/photos/a.367995736589462/3375647659157573/?type=3&theater

Mohanlal’s special wish to territorial army members has gone viral on online space, and his post on Facebook has already racked up more than 63,000 likes.

It was around a decade back that Mohanlal was conferred with the honorary title of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army, and thus he became the only Indian actor in the country to get such a prestigious title from the Indian Army.

Mohanlal is currently busy with the filming of his upcoming movie ‘Drishyam 2’ which is being directed by Jeethu Joseph. The film is a sequel to the 2013 blockbuster Drishyam, and the actor will once again enact the role of Georgekutty, a common man who got involved in a murder coverup.

Apart from Mohanlal, this movie also stars Meena, Ansiba Hassan, Esther Anil, Saikumar, Siddique, and Murali Gopy in other prominent roles. Drishyam 2 is being bankrolled by Antony Perumbavoor in the banner of Aashirvad Cinemas.

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Meena, the dazzling starlet in the South Indian film industry is celebrating her 45th birthday. On this auspicious day, the actress received a special birthday wish from Mohanlal, one of her most popular onscreen pair. After conveying the wish, Mohanlal also welcomed the actress to the upcoming movie Drishyam 2, a sequel to Drishyam, where the duo shared screen space as husband and wife.

In Drishyam 2, Meena will be reprising the role of Rani, wife of Georgekutty (Mohanlal). The 2013 blockbuster ended when Georgekutty successfully covered up a murder jointly committed by Rani and their daughter.

Drishyam 2 will be directed by Jeethu Joseph, who also directed the prequel. Will Jeethu Joseph make police officers retrieve the corpse Georgekutty buried in the foundation of the new police station? We will have to wait and watch.

The shooting of Drishyam 2 began a couple of days back. According to reports, the shooting is being carried out under strict coronavirus lockdown restrictions. Before joining the shooting, all the crew members were tested for coronavirus, and none of the members in the group are allowed to go out until the completion of the filming.

Mohanlal is currently awaiting the release of his mega-budget movie Marakkar: Arabikkadalinte Simham, directed by Priyadarshan. The film was originally scheduled to hit the theaters, but due to the coronavirus outbreak, Priyadarshan and Antony Perumbavoor decided to postpone its release. As the film is made on a large canvas, the makers may not opt for an OTT release, and they are expected to wait until theaters in the country get fully operational.

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Malayalam film industry is considered one of the most impeccable film fraternities in India, as Mollywood has produced some of the most realistic films that stay very close to human lives. Even in the flow of realistic films, the industry also has its fair share of thrillers.

The Gulf Indians presents you with the list of five top-rated Mollywood thrillers every film buff should watch.

Kariyilakkattu Pole

Padmarajan’s Kariyilakkattu Pole is one of the masterpiece thrillers ever made in Malayalam. The film stars Mohanlal, Mammootty, Rahman, Sripriya and Karthika in the lead roles.

The film revolves around the murder mystery of a popular filmmaker. The police officer who is in charge of the investigation suspects the involvement of three women who were allegedly involved in the murder.

Drishyam

Jeethu Joseph’s Drishyam that featured Mohanlal in the lead role narrates the story of a murder coverup. The film has ample moments of thrills, and director Jeethu deserves a special round of applause for his uncompromising cinematic language.

The film, upon its release in 2013, emerged as a huge hit, and became the first Mollywood movie to enter the 50 crore club. The shooting of Drishyam 2, a sequel to this film is expected to start rolling soon.

The CBI franchise

It was in 1988 that Sethuramaiyyar, an intelligent CBI officer initially graced the big screens with the movie ‘Oru CBI Diary Kurippu’. As the film became a huge hit at the box-office, a sequel of the movie named Jagratha in 1989.

In 2004, a third part of the movie titled Sethuramaiyyar CBI hit the screens, which also turned out to be a blockbuster. Nerariyaan CBI, the fourth part of this movie was released in 2005. However, this film emerged as an average grosser at the box-office.

Mammootty did the lead role in all the four CBI movies. K Madhu directed all these flicks, and he is apparently busy with the pre-production works of the next movie in the franchise.

Memories

Memories is a perfect emotional thriller that depicted the life of an alcoholic police officer who faced a tragedy during his career. Things take an unexpected turn in his life when he is given the charge to investigate a serial murder case.

Prithviraj Sukumaran played the lead role in this movie. Upon release, the film garnered positive reviews, and audiences praised Prithviraj for portraying the role of the drunkard investigation officer with perfection.

Mumbai Police

Mumbai Police is perhaps the best thriller film ever made in Mollywood. This film too has Prithviraj in the lead role, and he portrayed the role of Antony Moses, a police officer who loses his memory following an accident.

Even after memory loss, Moses continues his investigation on a particular case and finally succeeds in finding the culprit. The major highlight of Mumbai Police is its spectacular climax which will leave the audiences shell-shocked.

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Mohanlal has also done a handful of thriller movies in his career. The Gulf Indians presents you with the list of five thriller movies with Mohanlal in the lead role, which audiences should not miss.

Mugham

Mugham, directed by Mohan was released in 1990. In this movie, Mohanlal played the role of a police officer who is designated to track down a serial killer who always target female victims. Even though Mohanlal has played only a few police roles in his career, Mugham always stands top with the actor’s subtle style of acting.

Kariyilakkattu Pole

Kariyilakkattu Pole, released in 1986 was directed by master craftsman Padmarajan. The film also stars Mammootty in another prominent role. The movie revolves around the life of a police officer who investigates the murder of a film director. Interestingly, three women were present at the scene of the crime, and the film tries to unveil their past life which connects them to the murder.

Drishyam

Drishyam, the all-time blockbuster in Mollywood was released in 2013. The film directed by Jeethu Joseph revolves around the story of a common man who gets involved in a murder coverup to protect his family. As the film became a huge hit at the box-office, makers of this movie recently announced its sequel which will start rolling soon.

Olympian Anthony Adam

Olympian Anthony Adam is a stylish thriller made with International standards. The film narrates the story of a police officer who disguises himself as a school teacher as a part of an investigation. Even though the film emerged as an average grosser at the box-office upon its release, this movie is now considered a cult classic.

Grandmaster

Grandmaster, directed by B Unnikrishnan is another Mohanlal movie that will thrill audiences to the core. The film narrates the story of a cop who gets challenging notes from a murderer continuously. Upon release, the film received positive reviews from audiences and critics, and it emerged as a Superhit at the box-office.

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