Director Sathyan Anthikad Recalls How Mammootty Worked Hard During Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha

Chandu, a prominent character in Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, stands out as one of Mammootty’s most memorable roles in the history of Malayalam cinema. The film is directed by Hariharan and written by MT Vasudevan Nair. Director Sathyan Anthikad, who was present on the sets of the film, sheds light on Mammootty’s preparations for the role.

Anthikad revealed that Mammootty portrayed his role in Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha by listening to dialogues recorded by Vasudevan Nair in the author’s own voice. Anthikad explained the enduring presence of Mammootty and Mohanlal in the film industry for four decades during a felicitation speech at the Panchayat Jetty film puja ceremony for the Marimayam team.

Sathyan Anthikad mentioned reaching out to stars like Manikandan and Vinod Kovoor by personally calling and congratulating them. He explained that the delay in responding to messages was due to the team’s simultaneous engagement in various socially relevant activities. Congratulating the Marimayam team, Anthikad expressed happiness about the film’s progress and assured success if they continue with their commitment and self-sacrifice.

“Learning about the Marimayam team venturing into filmmaking brought me immense joy. The team is aware of my fandom. I’ve endeavoured to involve actors, particularly Manikandan, who frequently appears in the show, in a modest film project. I reached out to Vinod Kovoor, extended my congratulations, and took the opportunity to acquaint myself with him”, said Sathyan Anthikad.

“Witnessing their performances is consistently surprising, and each character is familiar to us. Sneha, in particular, stands out as an amazing actor, and even the final episode is truly impressive. It’s delightful to see a team with such talent becoming more actively involved in the film industry”, Sathyan Anthikad added.

Sathyan Anthikad shared “I conveyed to those who invited me that Mammootty and Mohanlal’s enduring presence for forty years is attributed to their passion and sincerity towards cinema. Allow me to share a moment from the past when Mammootty and I were travelling from Ernakulam to Thrissur before commencing the film Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha. It was nighttime, and as I was about to hail a taxi, Pulli offered to drop us off since he was heading in the same direction”.