The Biju Menon starrer Padayottam hit the marquee on September 14 and is doing well at the theatres. The film has the actor playing a goon named Chenkal Reghu, but his character is so hilarious that it is keeping the audiences in splits.
Speaking about his role in the film in an interview to the Deccan Chronicle, Biju said, “Director Rafeek Ibrahim’s idea of Chenkal Reghu was a mature, tough-looking, intimidating, but someone devout and scared of his mother. Hence the thick beard, close cropped hair and clothes to go with the appearance (sic).”
He added, “When audience expect only humorous roles from me, my roles will become cliché and predictable. When I do serious films, I find that my viewership comes down. So within the roles I am offered, I try to be selective and take up those roles I find different. It is not an easy job to make people laugh always.”
Helmed by Rafeek Ibrahim, who is making his directorial debut, Padayottam is a comic caper in which Biju Menon plays a local gangster living in the Chenkal Choola area in Thiruvananthapuram. He sports a rugged look that has certainly gone well with his fans. Padayottam has Anu Sithara playing the lead opposite Biju and stars Dileesh Pothan, Saiju Kurup, Lijo Jose Pellissery, Basil Joseph, Sudhi Koppa and Harish Kanaran in supporting roles. Debutants Arun AR and Ajai Rahul have done the scripting for the film and reports say that it can be equated with films such as Jigarthanda and Delhi Belly.
The technical crew of Padayottam includes Prashanth Pillai for music, Ratheesh Raj for editing, Sabu Mohan for art direction, Stephy Zaviour for costume designing and Satheesh Kurup for cranking the camera. Nithin Michael is the creative director for this venture. The film is bankrolled by Sophia Paul under the Weekend Blockbusters banner.
(Content provided by Digital Native)