Newsletter: Is Malayalam Cinema Ready For Its Next Superstar?

Mohanlal and Mammootty's position at the top of Malayalam cinema has remained undisputed (and mostly unchallenged) for decades. Is a truly worthy successor now in the offing? Neelima Menon writes.

The two Ms have remained unrivalled at Malayalam cinema's apex

This column was originally published as part of our newsletter The Daily Show on August 29, 2023. Subscribe here. (We're awesome about not spamming your inbox!)

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FIFTEEN minutes into King of Kotha the narration peaks to bring the hero into the arena with a series of tantalising buildups: A silhouette of a man lighting a cigar (brilliantly framed by Nimish Ravi), a deep baritone. Slo-mo closeups of the man's eyes, shoulders and back. By this point, the audience has erupted into cheers, primed for Dulquer Salmaan's entry on screen.

It’s been a while since one has witnessed such an effortless manifestation of stardom in Malayalam cinema after Mammootty and Mohanlal. Despite how little there is to work with on paper, Dulquer hits it out of the park in King of Kotha acing the emotional trajectory and mass set pieces. His Raju isn’t the most original of characters, in fact, his arc disturbingly fits into yet another narrative that blurs the lines between good and evil. The film too is yet another instance of glorifying bellicose heroes with a thirst for blood — a theme that has proved to be a money spinner at the box office in recent times.

If his younger, leaner version is angry and brash, the older Raju can calmly rip apart someone's neck or stab them to death with the nib of a pen. To witness Dulquer switching from the earnest, lovesick soldier in Sita Ramam to the cold, ruthless thug from King of Kotha is a stunning sight. There are times when the actor reminds you of his father’s fierceness in Kauravar. Undoubtedly, Dulquer is superstar material. Which brings us to the million-dollar question: Has Malayalam cinema finally found a successor for Mammootty and Mohanlal?

The Big Ms

“Are you a Mammootty or a Mohanlal fan?” has been a potent conversation starter for Malayalis, be they in any part of the world, for decades now.

It’s been roughly 30 years since our two biggest superstars have been ruling the marquee. No other actors in Malayalam cinema have commanded the kind of fan following and loyalty that Mohanlal and Mammootty have, and for years, they've dominated the public imagination with their embodiment of the Malayali man on screen. Their films were seen as a reliable barometer of the trends in the film industry, and perhaps in Kerala’s social life as well.

Though their fans have an ongoing war on social media, sources close to the actors vouch for their special bond, which seems to have remained unscathed despite their fluctuating box office fortunes. Interestingly, the debate is still alive as to who is the better of the two. Perhaps a truly neutral observer would find it hard to choose between them in their best roles.

They do share some things in common: both superstars have been notoriously tight-lipped whenever an issue of grave importance has come up. If some of their brilliant, author-backed roles could be included in any film studies class, it is also true that they have played misogynistic, communal, casteist characters that have set back the discourse around gender and discrimination in the Malayalam film industry. Leaving that aside for moment, both have survived and held on to their numero uno position.

What explains their longevity?

Let's begin with the obvious: sheer, undiluted talent. None of their iconic roles can be replicated or reimagined. Mammootty and Mohanlal established themselves in the late '80s and '90s — a time that also coincided with the emergence of several new writers and directors. Both actors brought an undeniable gravitas to the screen, turning in timeless performances. Their trajectory has been organic — from supporting roles to multi-starrers, from ordinary heroes to alpha male projections.

Till the mid-90s, both Mammootty and Mohanlal stuck to films that showcased their acting prowess, although, by the turn of the 2000s, they had shifted gears to superstar vehicles. In their prime, no other actors (present or past) could bring in a crowd like them. It is also true that to this day, none of the younger actors are offered even half the variety the Big Two were. Mammootty was one of the first superstars to blur the boundaries between mainstream and arthouse films. (In a way, that decision coincided with his sudden career trough, and later reemergence with New Delhi, which made the actor rethink his choice of films.)

If there is one area where the two superstars beat the younger lot fair and square then it must be in these departments — mass appeal, screen presence and charisma. (One witnessed how Prithviraj Sukumaran struggled to bring the requisite swagger to the quintessential alpha male hero in Kaduva.) In the past few years, even if their films haven't lived up to the hype, their mere presence still guarantees an initial at the box office.

It is no small task to be at the top of your game for over three decades. New actors have come and gone; their offspring have debuted on screen; newer narratives, technicians and a legion of perceptive professional and social media cine-goers have made their presence felt, and yet Mammootty and Mohanlal remain compelling forces of nature. That perhaps explains why every film award worth its salt begins and ends with them. And today's films continue to have hat tips to dialogues and scenes from Mammootty and Mohanlal's older repertoire.

Contenders, Past & Present

If Suresh Gopi succeeded to some extent in forming a triumvirate at the top with the two Ms for a few years, his reign didn’t extend beyond the honeymoon period. Dileep and Jayaram brought in the numbers at the box office, but came up short when pitted against the versatility or fan following of a Mammootty or Mohanlal. From the next generation, Prithviraj Sukumaran made his entry when the industry was stuck in a rut. While his age was in his favour, the fact that Malayalam cinema hadn’t yet transitioned from its dependence on larger-than-life films/heroes turned out to be his undoing. Not many of his series of ‘angry young man’ roles in middling films cut ice with the audience. Thus, he didn't quite manage to topple the top brass.

However, at the turn of the last decade, when audiences were feeling the fatigue of formula films, a new wave began to set in. A fresh crop of writers and filmmakers had entered the field, carrying with them new ideas, techniques, and narratives. The time was ripe for a young generation of actors to carve out their niche in Malayalam cinema. Fahadh Faasil, Dulquer, Nivin Pauly and Tovino Thomas were at the forefront, bringing relief to an age group (between 20s-30s) that had briefly disappeared from cinema. They were finding their feet with roles that treated them as characters and not larger-than-life stars.

If Fahadh slipped into dense, flawed, neurotic heroes, Nivin and Dulquer — who started their careers at almost the same time — successfully co-existed, playing relatable boy-next-door roles and creating a fan following of their own. While Dulquer often stepped out of his comfort zone of urban characters (Parava, Charlie, Kammatipaadam), Nivin struggled to fit into ‘action/ heroic roles’ (Michael, Kayamkulam Kochunni). Meanwhile, Dulquer seamlessly made the shift into other film industries, being a natural with languages and a charm that cut across boundaries. If a post-Premam Nivin was labelled "the next superstar", the tag did not last very long. On the other hand, Tovino gradually established himself with roles that were out-of-the-box.

Mammootty and Mohanlal's peak coincided with Malayalam cinema's previous new wave, back in the '80s. Their evolution to stardom began with playing accessible, everyday men to complex, flawed characters and culminated in the towering alpha male projections. The transition to each stage occurred believably as they grew in stature and turned into the titans they are today. And while superstar vehicles and realistic narratives co-exist today, audiences haven't stopped vying for the former.

“There is no stardom today. The magnetism, mystery, mystique, and aura — I don’t think this generation has it. They are wonderful artists. But do they have the magical mystery I witnessed when I grew up watching an Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan? That was power, stardom and glory. Today everything is more casual, more accessible. Thanks to social media, I know everything about my favourite star today. I don’t think there is going to be that (older) kind of stardom anymore,” Karan Johar was quoted as saying in an interview.

That aside, there is also the fact that so far none of the younger stars have yet aced the mass hero actioners — the yardstick of superstardom. They are all astutely positioning themselves in milieus and characters that land them safely.

Though the reviews of King of Kotha are hardly favourable, Dulquer (who commands an opening as good as the superstars' at the box office) has given a signal that he has what it takes to widen his horizons as a superstar. Only time will tell how that part of his trajectory will evolve. Until then, the onus is still on the big Ms to trigger the adrenaline rush on screen.

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