PremiumMohanlal’s Aaraattu team on what to expect: Aaraam Thampuran references, multiple villains and AR Rahman cameo
The film’s cast and crew including B Unnikrishnan, Udaykrishna and Shraddha Srinath reveal what the ‘mass’ entertainer is about, ahead of its release
Last Updated: 01.34 PM, Feb 17, 2022
Mohanlal’s Aaraattu is already billed as the biggest Malayalam release – with about 1600+ screenings in 52 countries. The movie, however, also carries the weight of the industry’s expectation to propel it forward and bring back the family audiences.
Made on a budget exceeding Rs 30 crore, the movie was put together quickly, with Mohanlal himself expressing his interest of doing a “festive entertainer kind of film” that would make the audience laugh and enjoy in theatres, while forgetting the doom and gloom of the pandemic. It’s also been a while since the superstar did a ‘mass’ entertainer of this scale. The previous such film goes back to Pulimurugan, which released to packed houses back in 2016.
Here’s what the cast and crew of the movie had to share about the film, ahead of its release:
Loaded with comedy and action
Mohanlal in a recent interview with Manorama News said that the movie is an all-out entertainer that can be compared with Tamil and Telugu ‘mass’ films. “It will have a lot of unexpected moments. It’s almost like going to a temple festival,” he said, adding that the film is packed with laugh-out-loud comedy that is sure to keep the audience engaged.
A major part of the film’s budget was also earmarked for its action sequences. Unnikrishnan in a recent interview with OTTplay also told us that he had roped in stunt choreographers from other industries to ensure that the action scenes of Aaraattu stood well above the industry standards.
Filled with references from Mohanlal’s previous mass films
From the film’s trailer, it was anyways obvious that the movie will have a lot of references from Mohanlal’s previous ‘mass’ entertainers. From Aaraam Thampuran to Lucifer, Udaykrishna has added these to give the fans of the actor what they want. But these references aren’t just gimmicks, said Udayakrishna to OTTPlay.
“The story is told through these references,” he said, while Unnikrishnan added that all the references of previous films would make sense at the end of the movie, when the audience recall these moments.
A strong female protagonist
While the female leads often get sidelined in big superstar-driven ‘mass’ entertainers, Shraddha Srinath, who will be making her re-entry in Malayalam with the film, says that she has an interesting part in the film. “My character brings in the friction and drama elements of the movie. She is also the one who stands her ground and has her way,” Shraddha told OTTplay, adding that her character is the one who questions Neyyattinkara Gopan, who creates ruckus after coming to a village to help out with a deal.
AR Rahman’s return to Mollywood
The Oscar-winning composer will return to Mollywood after a gap of 30 years and will play himself in the movie. From the trailer, it’s evident that the composer portions in Aaraattu will involve a concert.
Unnikrishnan had earlier told us that AR Rahman’s portions were integral to the film’s plot and that it took a lot of convincing to get the music director on board.
Villains galore
Scriptwriter Udaykrishna’s previous ‘mass’ entertainer Pulimurugan presented a memorable villain in Daddy Girija, essayed by Jagapathy Babu. However, for Aaraattu, the scriptwriter told us it’s not just one villain, but a queue of antagonists. “The movie is a journey in search of an antagonist. There is a line of villains and the story tries to find out who the real antagonist is and what is his aim; that’s the suspense of the story,” he says.