PremiumKunchacko Boban on working with ‘idols’ Mohanlal, Mammootty again: ‘Nothing in my life has turned out as I planned...’
Officer On Duty star Kunchacko Boban talks about teaming up with Mohanlal and Mammootty for Mahesh Narayanan film after Harikrishnans and the success of his latest cop thriller
Last Updated: 12.38 PM, Mar 03, 2025
“Unstoppable,” reads Kunchacko Boban’s latest social media post, on the success of his first movie of 2025 , Officer On Duty. But that’s only the start of bigger things this year, which will also see him teaming up with Malayalam cinema’s biggest stars Mohanlal and Mammootty in buddy Mahesh Narayanan’s yet-to-be-titled movie.
In an exclusive chat with OTTplay, Kunchacko talks about the much-anticipated, mega-budget movie, which will also have Fahadh Faasil and Nayanthara as part of its cast. The actor had shot with the two veteran stars when the film’s shoot had kicked off in Sri Lanka last year.
Kunchacko Boban on working with his idols in Mahesh Narayanan film
“In the first schedule, I had three days shoot in Sri Lanka,” he says. “I will next be joining the team after I complete a schedule of Oru Durooha Saahacharyathil. From May till June, I will be spending time with the two men whom I have idolised. I am thrilled to be part of this film.”
Kunchacko had previously shared screen space with the Big Ms for Harikrishnans when he was just starting out in his career in 1998. Incidentally, the actor was the senior star in his latest hit, Officer On Duty, which had youngsters Vishak Nair, Ramzan Muhammed, Leya Mammen, Aishwarya Raj, Vishnu G Warrier and Amit Eapen as the antagonists.
Ask him if felt he was a mentor figure for them and he explains, “Movies are all about teamwork. The success doesn’t belong to just one individual. A film works when each and every one has done their job well and so they deserve their due acceptance. Be it Vishak, Ramzan or the newcomers , each of them contributed to this film’s success If the audience were able to empathise with my character of CI Harishankar, it’s because of the villains in the film who were equally powerful.”
Kunchacko Boban on the success of Officer On Duty
The actor is also thrilled at the reception of the film, which has already become the second superhit of Malayalam cinema after Rekhachithram this year. “The biggest high for me is that after watching the film, the audience haven’t said anything majorly negative about the movie. Usually, it's the performance of actors that catch their attention, but in this movie, everyone also praised the technical aspects and that meant a lot to us,” he adds.
The film’s promotions also made for some memorable moments for Kunchacko, including when he had invited a member from the crowd who had taken a photo with him after his debut film Aniyathipraavu, almost 28 years ago, to take a selfie or when Ramzan had revealed to him that he had played his younger version in movies such as Dr Biju and Three Kings.
“You can’t create those moments. We might not even have thought of these things. It happens naturally. That’s the magic of cinema,” said Kunchacko. “I believe good things happen to people who do good. Nothing in my life has gone the way I have planned, instead it has turned out way better than I ever could have.”