Mammootty: Can't believe Sanchari Vijay is no more; let's celebrate him by watching his film, Taledanda, in cinemas

Back in 2016, when Malayalam superstar was heading out after receiving his award at a south Indian film award event, he spotted Kannada actor Sanchari Vijay, who was fresh of his National Award win as Best Actor for Naanu Avanalla Avalu. Although it was very late in the night, Mammootty broke through the security barrier to get across to Vijay and congratulate him on his win. An elated Vijay had said back then, that he had a major fan-boy moment in meeting Mammootty, which became even sweeter when the senior actor, who has won the National Award multiple times, told Vijay that he’d seen Naanu Avanalla Avalu. Interestingly, Mammootty had a film in consideration for a National Award the year that Vijay won.

In June last year, Sanchari Vijay passed away, succumbing to injuries sustained in a motorbike accident. At the time of his demise, he had a couple of films pending for release, both of which will hit theatres this April. On April 1, one of the late Vijay’s last films, Taledanda, will release in cinema halls. This, apparently was a film that Vijay wanted Mammootty to see. In a social media post, the Malayalam superstar wrote, “I’m sitting here reminiscing fond memories of Sanchari Vijay. I cannot believe he’s no more. We met at an awards function in Hyderabad. And I was truly humbled when he told me he’s a fan of mine. He wanted me to watch his next film and hear my thoughts. Who knew that would be his last. Let’s celebrate his memory by watching his new film Taledanda in cinemas. I’m sure he wants to know how much we love the film and his hard work and talent.”

Directed by Praveen Krupakar, the film sees the late National Award-winning actor play a differently-abled tribal, who fights to preserve nature. The film also stars Chaitra J Achar in a pivotal role.