Two thick ropes are seen on the ground before they are pulled up and stretched a long way. A crowd of people are divided by the ropes, which at last you see is pulled by actor Mohanlal, in character with his hair in a top knot, a roar on his face, and wearing old-fashioned clothes. Courtesy of director Lijo Jose Pellissery, who was letting us get a glimpse of the actor’s upcoming Malayalam film Malaikottai Vaaliban on his birthday. Mohanlal turned 63 on Sunday, May 21.
From another end, actor-director Prithviraj Sukumaran wished Mohanlal with a birthday poster designed for the character of their movie together, Lucifer. The poster, full of guns and pistols laid out on a table, is a birthday wish for Kjureshi Ab’Raam, Mohanlal’s character in the movie series. The poster is apparently for the second part in the trilogy, Empuran.
Mohanlal fans are looking forward to both films, one being with Lijo, who churns out movies acclaimed across the world, and the other, a rather popular directorial debut by actor Prithviraj. Lijo, who began making films in 2010, cast one of the two famous superstars in Malayalam for the first time last year with Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam, starring Mammootty as a man who wakes up from a nap and assumes the identity of a different person.
Malaikottai Vaaliban, as soon as it was announced, was celebrated by fans of both Lijo and Mohanlal, in their excitement of the director and actor coming together for the first time. The first look of the film, which was released last month, showed Mohanlal in a similar frame, lifting ropes and roaring. The film’s script is by short story writer PS Rafeeque, who wrote Lijo’s Nayakan and Amen.