The title ‘Kireedam’ was originally planned for Mammootty’s film; Sibi Malayil talks about Mohanlal’s classic film

As ‘Kireedam’ returns to theaters in a restored version 37 years after its original release, director Sibi Malayil has revealed an interesting chapter from the film’s journey. The director shared that the now famous title was not originally intended for the Mohanlal classic.Speaking in an interview with Silly Monks, Sibi Malayil recalled how the title eventually found its way to Kiridam. He also credited writer AK Lohithadas for naming both Kireedam and its sequel Chenkol.

‘Kireedam’ was first proposed for Mammootty’s film

Sibi Malayil revealed that the idea of ​​’Kireedam’ was there long before Mohanlal finalized the lead role. At that time, Lohithadas was writing scripts for several filmmakers, including IV Sasi.Recalling the incident, Sippy said: “We had the idea of ​​Kiridam for some time.

When Lohi (Lohithadas) and I were developing the story, we had not even decided that Mohanlal would play the lead role. At that time, Lohi was writing films for many directors as well. IV Sasi Sir was making a film titled Mukthi, starring Mammootty. Once, when Lohi was in Madras working on this film, I went to meet him. Tell me about Mukthi.

The film was about the life of an antique collector and the “crown of thorns” he carried in his life.”

He also said, “Lohi suggested the title Kireedam for this film. But Mr. IV Sasi was not particularly impressed with the title. He asked Lohi to come up with something else. When Lohi told me about it, I immediately said, ‘This title belongs to us.’ Let’s use it in our film.” Lohi agreed and said it fit our story perfectly. “So we ended up using the title Kireedam.”

How did “Chenkol” get its ultimate nickname?

Sibi Malayil also revealed that the sequel almost had a different name before the team settled on “Chenkol”.

Several options were discussed during the planning stage.Sharing the details, he said, “When we started planning the sequel, several titles were discussed. One of the names we considered was Kanneerpoovu. But it was Lohi who finally came up with the title ‘Chenkol’. He wanted a title that had a connection with Kireedam. There is a symbolic connection between the crown (Kireedam) and the scepter (Chenkol). In fact, the end title of the film says: ‘A prince has lost both the crown and the king’. Scepter.”

“This idea also influenced the title.”According to the director, the symbolic connection between the two titles made ‘Chenkol’ a perfect continuation of Sethumadhavan’s story.‘Kireedam’ marks one of the most memorable collaborations between director Sibi Malayil, writer AK Lohithadas and actor Mohanlal.The second part, “Chenkol,” continued the story and ended on a more emotional note than the first part.The restored version of ‘Kireedam’ is now back in theatres.