Rajiv Menon’s 2000 romantic drama Kandukondain Kandukondain, starring Mammootty, Aishwarya Rai, Tabu, Ajith Kumar, and Abbas, stays one of the crucial celebrated Tamil movies of its time. Whereas the AR Rahman soundtrack grew to become an prompt basic, the movie additionally gained approval for its layered performances. Lately, director Rajiv Menon opened up concerning the casting of Mammootty as Main Bala, one of many movie’s most memorable characters.
Discovering the appropriate actor for Main Bala
In a dialog with Sudhir Srinivasan, Rajiv Menon revealed that the hardest casting choice was for the function of Main Bala, a struggle veteran with a tragic previous. “The fantastic thing about that character is that he’s an alcoholic and a struggle veteran who misplaced a leg. However again then, some main actors rejected the function, brazenly saying they didn’t wish to play a person with one leg,” the director recalled.Ultimately, the function went to Mammootty, who, Rajiv stated, “by no means as soon as thought-about it a downside.” Within the movie, Main Bala’s quiet and unstated love for Aishwarya Rai’s Meenakshi gave the character immense emotional depth.
Mammootty’s quirky on-set preparation
Rajiv Menon additionally shared a light-hearted reminiscence from the shoot. Since Main Bala had misplaced his proper leg within the struggle, Mammootty determined he ought to lean to the appropriate whereas strolling. “However typically in the course of the shoot, he would overlook. At some point, I observed he was leaning to the left as an alternative. My assistant director wasn’t positive whether or not to level it out or not. Then Mammootty himself would ask, ‘Am I speculated to lean to the appropriate or the left?’” the director laughed, including that it grew to become one of many funniest moments on set.