Priyadarshan and Mohanlal are now gearing up to collaborate once again. (Express archive photo)
What makes the Mohanlal-Priyadarshan duo so iconic is the wide range of films they have created together. It’s not just timeless comedies like Boeing Boeing, Aram + Aram = Kinnaram, Mazha Peyyunnu Maddalam Kottunnu, Vellanakalude Nadu, Chithram, Vandanam, Kilukkam, Thenmavin Kombath, and Chandralekha that the two have made, but also tragedies like Thalavattam and Minnaram, crime dramas like Aryan and Abhimanyu, the political thriller Adhwaytham, and the epic historical drama Kaalapani. And most of their films continue to rank among moviegoers’ all-time favourites, boasting high repeat-watch value.
Hence, when they announced that they were joining forces yet again — after the superhit Oppam — and that too for an epic historical movie like Kaalapani, expectations were sky-high. The hype intensified when fans learned that the new movie would be based on Kunjali Marakkar IV, the admiral of the fleet of King Samoothiri, the erstwhile ruler of the Calicut kingdom.
Titled Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea (Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham in Malayalam), the epic historical actioner’s journey was nothing short of phenomenal. Produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the banner of Aashirvad Cinemas, the movie featured Pranav Mohanlal, Arjun, Suniel Shetty, Prabhu, Manju Warrier, Suhasini, Keerthi Suresh, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Fazil, Siddique, Nedumudi Venu, Innocent, and Ashok Selvan in key roles. While its production design was handled by National Award-winning Sabu Cyril, Thiru served as the cinematographer, and Ronnie Raphael composed the music.
Pushing the hype through the roof, the movie clinched three trophies at the 67th National Film Awards, including the coveted Best Feature Film. Sujith Sudhakaran and V Sai earned the award for Best Costume Design, while Priyadarshan’s son Siddharth won the trophy for Best Special Effects for his work in Marakkar. Thus, the Mohanlal-starrer became the title that won most awards during that edition of the ceremony. After the March 2021 announcement, the awards were distributed in October of that year, just two months before Marakkar’s theatrical release.
This further contributed to the already soaring hype. Although the makers initially considered a direct-to-OTT release due to the then-prevailing COVID situation, they later decided against it and opted for a theatrical debut, making it the biggest pandemic-era release. A day before its scheduled worldwide premiere on December 2, 2021, the makers announced that Marakkar had entered the Rs 100 crore club even before its release.
While the movie opened grandly and earned an India nett collection of Rs 6.37 crore on day one, according to industry tracker Sacnilk, the collection figures dipped almost immediately as it received average to negative reviews from all quarters. Despite showing slight improvement during the first weekend, Marakkar failed to maintain its momentum and crashed at the box office soon after.
Mounted on a reported budget of Rs 100 crore, making it the most expensive Malayalam film at the time, the Mohanlal-starrer managed to gross only Rs 45.4 crore worldwide, making it a colossal bomb at the box office. Unlike their previous epic historical film Kaalapani, which earned praise from critics and audiences alike despite being a flop, Marakkar failed to impress even Mohanlal’s hardcore fans and eventually became a subject of trolling.
Nonetheless, the iconic actor-director duo’s bond, which began long before they entered cinema, remains unwavering, and they are now gearing up to collaborate once again. Following the Bollywood movie Haiwaan, the remake of Oppam, Priyadarshan will join forces with Mohanlal again for the former’s 100th directorial venture. Priyadarshan had previously hinted that he might retire from filmmaking after reaching this milestone.