Manjummel Boys
Beyond ‘Kanmani Anbodu’: A look into the success of Malayalam film in Tamil Nadu
n one of the most pivotal moments in the sensational Malayalam survival thriller
Manjummel Boys, a flashback cuts to a closeup of actor Soubin Shahir. The crowd in a packed screen in Chennai erupts cheerfully. Over the last decade, Soubin has established himself as a star performer in Malayalam. However, a sporadic Malayalam cinema viewer from Tamil Nadu might only know him as the guy who acted in Kumbalangi Nights, and last year’s blockbuster
Romancham. What makes a fan from Tamil Nadu welcome the actor like they welcome a Tamil superstar? The truth seems to be that Tamil audiences have found a star in
Manjummel Boys, but it is not Soubin or Sreenath Bhasi; it is the film itself.
Almost a month since it was released in theatres, director Chidambaram’s Manjummel Boys continues to have a dream run in Tamil Nadu. According to theatre sources, though films of Malayalam superstars Mammootty and Mohanlal have historically pulled reasonable crowds to select few theatres, the craze post 2015’s blockbuster
Premam has ushered a new wave of Malayalam cinema viewers in Tamil Nadu.
“Malayalam films still only play in multiplexes. And even if they are showcased on single screens, it’s the Tamildubbed version,” says
IVishnu Kamal, owner of Kamala Cinemas, Chennai. Thanks to good wordofmouth promotions, Manjummel Boys started screening even in singlescreen theatres from the second week of its release. “Manjummel Boys is ‘the’ film that has saved theatres this March,” adds Vishnu.
Filmmaker Halitha Shameem says “the kind of response the film received even in interior Tamil Nadu is surprising. I only thought it’d do well in cities, towns and the film festival circuit”.
Halitha is right about the reality in southern Tamil
Nadu. Srither S, joint secretary of the Tamil Nadu Theatre Association, says he was shocked to see the response to from interior Tamil Nadu.
“A decade or so ago, when a Malayalam film released, only a handful of centres like Tiruchi, Chennai and Coimbatore used to play them. Never have I seen a nondubbed Malayalam film being played in places like Thiruvarur, Aranthangi and Jeyamkondan.”
According to Srither, Manjummel Boys has earned a share of ₹12 crore from Tamil Nadu. Produced by Soubin’s Parava Films, the film is currently the highestgrossing Malayalam film of all time at ₹200 crores. What has made Manjummel Boys such a phenomenon in Tamil Nadu?
Looking back
Based on a reallife incident that transpired in 2005, Manjummel Boys tells the story of how a vacation to Kodaikanal becomes a nightmare for a bunch of friends from Kochi when one of them unexpectedly falls into a crevice in the
Guna Caves, which got the name after Kamal Haasan’s 1991 film Gunaa. If you follow social media closely, the most pivotal aspect that catapulted the film to fame would seem hen Amala Paul came on board
Aadujeevitham, she says, she was expecting a starter but what she got in return was a huge spread, dessert included. “Being part of a project with AR Rahman, Resul Pookutty, A Sreekar Prasad, Blessy…” Amala cannot keep the excitement out of her voice as she talks about Aadujeevitham. The film, based on the eponymous Malayalam novel by Benyamin, has Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead. It releases on March 28.
The film has been a long time coming; the filming started in 2018 but the pandemic delayed the project. But she sees the delay as working in its favour, growing into what it has become — one of Malayalam cinema’s most anticipated films.
“Aadujeevitham started as a ‘normal’ film, but it has now become this huge film. Over the years [since filming to release] cinema too has evolved and changed. This film’s scope and space have grown so much. Blessy has used the time to perfect the film and update it!” She is ‘super grateful’ about having been able to be a part of this project.
Her journey to becoming Sainu coincided with her spiritual journey; the film came to her when she was looking inward, travelling to the Himalayas, exploring yoga and meditation. She first read the novel, sent to her by the film’s
Wteam, on a flight from Delhi to Kochi.
Spiritual journey
Not only did the book overwhelm her but was also a validation of her spiritual journey. Najeeb’s struggles in, and with, the desert resonated with her. “By the time Blessyettan called asking me to do Sainu’s character, narrated the story and told me what he wanted…I wanted to be in it.”
Sainu’s character has more space, unlike in the novel which tells the story of a Malayali migrant to West Asia, Najeeb Muhammad, who is trapped in a desert in the middle of nowhere as a goatherd.
Preparing to be Sainu was not difficult although it was, in 2018, one of her most ‘feminine’ roles. “At that point, this was my first Muslim character. Sainu’s body language and mannerisms are so different from me…I enjoyed the experience.” It was also her first experience with sync sound. Blessy’s inputs made getting into the character easy. “He facilitates a deep understanding of the story and the character, their background and backstory. Sainu is strong and ambitious; she encourages Najeeb to go abroad. Once Najeeb leaves, she takes over the responsibilities and looks after his mother,” says Amala.
She makes a special mention of Blessy’s treatment of love in his films. “The love stories are unique, not confined by age or other factors. Here too, it is love that keeps Najeeb going, despite the distance and the circumstances. It is love that brings him back.”
Due to giving birth to her baby in a couple of months, Amala calls it a coincidence that Sainu is pregnant and has a baby in the film and now, when the film is up for release, she is pregnant. “When I was shooting, I had to pad up my belly to look pregnant. And now, during the film’s promotions I am actually pregnant.”
She gets philosophical about Aadujeevitham, especially about Najeeb. “Najeeb would not have seen the big picture when he was going through what he was. He wouldn’t have known how his life would become a big film and touch so many other lives. The world should hear his story.”