Adoor Gopalakrishnan confirms fourth collaboration with Mammootty; actor to produce

Two of Malayalam superstar Mammootty’s three national awards as Best Actor came from his collaborations with filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, namely Mathilukal and Vidheyan. Nearly two decades since Adoor last made a feature film, Pinneyum (2016), he will return to the director’s chair with Mammootty in the lead. This collaboration has been the subject of speculation for a while, but it is only now that Adoor confirmed the same at a public event.

On the sidelines of literary event held by a leading Malayalam daily, Adoor Gopalakrishnan affirmed that Mammootty would be the leading man of his next directorial, which, the actor would produce under his home banner. It is still early days, said the filmmaker, adding that the rest of the cast and crew details are still being worked out. There had been speculation that the film will likely be an adaptation of a Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai work (Randidangazhi).

Adoor Gopalakrishnan had only Mammootty in mind for the film

Speaking at the event, Adoor said that while writing the script of the film he’d thought about casting options and that Mammootty was the best fit for the protagonist’s role. The filmmaker said that he could not think of any other actor for the role. Interestingly, in a recent special segment for the promotion of his next release Kalamkaval, Mammootty had said that scripts should never be written keeping an actor in mind.

Also read: 50 years of Mammootty: Adoor Gopalakrishnan on working with the megastar in Mathilukal and Vidheyan 

Kalamkaval, which is also a home production for the actor, is set for theatrical release on December 5. The film stars Vinayakan in a primary role, while actors like Gibin Gopinath, Meera Jasmine, Rajisha Vijayan, Shruti Ramachandran, Azeez Nedumangad, Gayatri Arun, among many others are also on the cast of the neo-noir crime thriller. Mammootty was last seen in the Vishu release Bazooka, which is yet to find its way to OTT. His next is Patriot, directed by Mahesh Narayanan, which also stars Mohanlal, Fahadh Faasil, Kunchacko Boban, among others.

FAQs

Q. Where can one watch Mammootty's National Award winning films with Adoor Gopalakrishnan?

A. Both Mathilukal and Vidheyan are not available on any mainstream OTT platform. However, there are versions of the films on YouTube. 

Q. What is Mammootty's next release?

A. Mammootty will next be seen in Kalamkaval, a neo-noir crime thriller directed by Jithin K Jose. The film releases in theatres on December 5, 2025