Lal Jose is a well-known director to Malayalis. Lal Jose’s first film was Oru Maravathur Kanavan, after working as Kamal’s co-director for six years, he decided to become an independent director. Lal Jose opened his mind while speaking in a program on Kairali TV.
I was traveling with Mammootty for the dubbing of Mammootty’s Azhakiya Ravana from Mahabalipuram in Madras to a studio in Madras itself. At that time he was the associate director of the film. Mammooka, who was driving as he had a short journey, asked me many things. What do mom and dad do? , how long has it been in the cinema? He replied that they are teachers and that they have been in the cinema for six years. As he went on, he asked; Are you and Srinivasan planning a film together or starring in it? He said that the story is not complete and when the story is completed, the hero will be made someone who feels that he will fit the character. Then Mammooka said that if I fit your character, I can become the hero.
In fact, those words are a golden opportunity for any aspiring director. But Lal Jose then said no. He says that actually Mammooka was shocked to hear that. To Mammooka’s other question about why he said that my answer was, “I don’t even know if I will going to be a great director, and I will come and see you after proving how much I can handle this direction work, then just give me a date for another film”. But Mammootty said that he will give a date only if it is for this film or he will never give a date.
Mammooka said his reason that, if you invest all your years of working experience in this film then it will be a great film. But he didn’t think Mammooka meant it. In the evening Sreenivasan called Lal Jose and asked “Why did you say no even though Mammooka made such a big offer?” Sreenivasan said that “he was called by Mammootty and told him that nobody said anything like this in his life. Lal Jose says that it was with the courage given by Sreenivasan that he decided to take the story of Maravathur Kanav, which they had previously discussed and discarded, into a movie.
One of the reasons for saying so was the lack of courage to do a film with a senior actor like Mammooka and then the extent to which he would yield to the direction. It was never said out of pride. Lal Jose says that it was said completely innocently
