The much awaited Malayalam action entertainer ‘Kaduva‘ hit the movies today. The movie is already collecting positive reports from the audience and critics and if initial trackings are an indicator, Kaduva is all set to become the highest opener for a Prithviraj Sukumaran movie ever. There were many rumours regarding a Mohanlal cameo in this Shaji Kailas directorial. However makers vehemently denied the news. It seems like the superstar is indeed not in the film but Kaduva makers have a thoughtful idea to roll a prequel to the film right now.
Director Shaji Kailas admits that he had approached Mohanlal to play a key role in the film which was scraped because of a schedule clash. In a recent press meet, Prithviraj talked about a significant character who is merely referenced in the film, albeit with very powerful words. “There is a character referred in a dialogue in Kaduva – Kaduvakunnel Koran Mappila, who is Kaduvakunnel Kuriachan’s father,” said Prithviraj. “It refers to the migration of people to Pala and Mundakkayam areas in the 1950s. Koran Mappila is a brilliant character and I believe it would be great if one of our senior superstars plays the role some time in future.”
Prithviraj diplomatically responded that he would like Mohanlal, Mammootty or Suresh Gopi to play Kaduvakunnel Koran Mappila. The actor also added, “Each of them will add their unique flavour to the towering character” he said. The actor added that the film’s scriptwriter Jinu Abraham hinted him about Koran Mappila’s background and he believes it could make for a solid backstory.
In the film, there’s a particular scene showing a photograph of late Kaduvakunnel Koran Mappila and the face of the man bears uncanny resemblance to actor Mammootty. Mammootty in his second coming fired all cylinders as Michael in Bheeshma Parvam. The movie celebrated the superstardom and magnetic screen presence of the superstar like no other. The actor has also played old-age larger than life characters earlier in films like Dadasaheb. So it goes without saying that the super talented actor can ace a character as powerful as Koran Mappila.
Kerala also fell in love with the swagger Mohanlal brought in when he played Stephen Nedumpally / Khureshi Ab’raam in Prithviraj directorial Lucifer (2019). The film not only broke records, but is also set for a sequel titled ‘Empuraan’. Malayali audience can never forget how he nailed the old but still strong Mangalasherry Neelakantan in the 2001 film Ravanaprabhu. For an acting phenomenon like Mohanlal, Kora Mappila’s larger than life character is hence, not a big deal.
Suresh Gopi might be one of the weakest fishes currently in the sea for the role stardom-wise. But that doesn’t mean the actor has lost his mojo. He still has the screen presence of a volcano. His dialogue delivery in masala action entertainers is still second to none. So if the actor clearly wants a big scale come-back to movies, Kaduva prequel is one really safe bet.
No matter who amongst the three is fit for the role of Kaduvakunnel Kuriachan’s Father, we are excited by the fact that a prequel to Kaduva is on cards. We clearly hope one of the three comes on board and own the screens like no other. Mighty ageing superstars playing ageing larger than life characters has always been a treat to watch. Stay tuned for more updates.