5 QUESTIONS
BILLBOARD
BOX OFFICE
MAKING WAVES
MEMORIES
MOVIES CHAT
QUOTE MARTIAL
REVIEWS
ROUGH CUTS
SHORT TAKES
SOUTHERN SPICE
THE LIST
WISH THE STARS
ARCHIVES

'He made my job easy!'

They worked once.

That was enough. They struck gold.

Vadakkan Veera Gaadha -- or, more important, Mammootty in the film -- had National Award emblazoned all over it.

The man who directed Mammootty? Hariharan. Add to that Gnanpith award-winner M T Vasudevan Nair's story and screenplay, and it was sweet tailormade history for Mammootty.

Here, Hariharan transports us back to the personification of Chandu (Mammootty's character):

ONLY Mammootty can deliver dialogues the way he does. No one else.

At the end of Vadakkan Veera Gaadha, for instance, he had a very strong line, which went: "You are the children I could never have myself."

When Mammootty recited them, it only confirmed my belief.

He is a highly talented actor -- and actors like him need strong characters and genuine situations to perform. Mammootty got it in Vadakkan Veera Gaadha.

I knew Chandu would be extraordinary when I read the script. Truth to tell, all the other characters in the film were. How could they not be, with MT's script?

Mammootty was the Chandu I wanted the moment I read the script. Physically, too, he was Chandu personified. And he didn't disappoint. He came very well prepared for the shoot -- he had read the script several times over and was keenly aware of all its nuances.

Why, he made my job as a director easy -- he understood Chandu so well! As the shooting progressed, it was clear his was an award-winning performance. His expressions were just right. He never went overboard. He struck just the right balance with his performance.

He played Chandu to perfection. Physically, too, he was Chandu personified.

Also read:

'Acting is like firing a bullet'
'People want entertainment'
'Why would I harbour any jealousy?'
'He is king!'
'He is a courageous actor'
'I would have been surprised if he hadn't won any National Award'
'I felt relieved only after the censor board certified Ambedkar''
'Ambedkar was a humanist. I am also for the human race'
The dalit messiah
'Gandhi pushed Ambedkar to the edge'
Mammootty and Mohanlal to act together
Team of 48
Pick of the pics