Manjummel Boys director on shooting VS Achuthanandan for documentary, being amazed by his ‘energy level’
In an earlier interview of Manjummel Boys director Chidambaram spoke about interacting with former Kerala CM VS Achuthanandan and getting to know of the energy level who was then a nonagenerian.
Last Updated: 10.54 AM, Jul 23, 2025
Kerala is still mourning the loss of one of its most popular political leaders, VS Achuthanandan, who passed away in Thiruvananthapuram on July 21, 2025. Even amid the outpouring of grief, anecdotes and past incidents of the Communist icon are much discussed and shared on social media. One such instance is an earlier interview of Manjummel Boys director Chidambaram S Poduval, when he spoke about interacting with VS and getting to know the energy level of the politician, who was then a nonagenarian.
Manjummel Boys’ Chidambaram on VS
Malayalam Filmmaker Chidambaram made his debut film Jan.E.Man, starring Basil Joseph, in 2021. Prior to that, he had assisted in films and documentaries, and one such instance had him closely interacting with VS Achuthanandan, former Kerala Chief Minister. In an earlier interview with Cue Studio, the young filmmaker recounted the incident and said that New Castle University planned a documentary on the 100 years of Communism. Ian MacDonald was the director and cameraman of the documentary.
Saying that he had the good fortune of assisting the British filmmaker, Chidambaram said, "I learned a lot from him."
"That's how I met Achuthanandan sir for the shoot of Punnapra-Vayalar uprising anniversary in Alappuzha. I got to spend 2-3 days with him, and that's when you understand his energy level,” he added.
As per news reports, the British filmmaker was in Kerala in 2016, and the Communist leader would have been 93 years old at the time. One of the most well-respected political leaders in Kerala, VS was known as the champion for the marginalised and followed a strict health regimen, that kept him active in politics and public life even in his advanced years. The veteran politician had even acted in a movie, titled Campus Diary in the same year.
Also read: Campus Diary: When former Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan acted in Malayalam movie at 93
In the interview from March 2024, Chidambaram also said that the documentary had not completed shoot even then. They are still accumulating the footage, he remarked.
On the other hand, Chidambaram shot to popularity after his second directorial, Manjummel Boys, became one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films. The survival thriller is available for streaming on JioHotstar via OTTplay Premium.