No one would have forgotten the mischievous Lothar in the Mammootty starrer 'Manu Uncle', written and directed by Dennis Joseph. He is the leader of the pack and creates trouble wherever he goes. From dangling a dead cockroach in front of the telescope to fool his uncle and ordering a big lunch for his cousins without having money, Lothar is one of the most memorable characters in this immensely popular 90s film. But the child actor Kurien Chacko disappeared soon after. Now he is making a comeback in the Tarun Moorthy directed ‘Saudi Vellakka’ as a magistrate. The film’s crew wrote a post as to how they found the actor.
Here is the note:
During the shooting of ‘Saudi Vellakka’ we were all in search of an actor to play a witty Magistrate. But Tharun and the team weren’t happy with the options we gave them.
Despite casting director Abu Valayamkulam giving many options to Tharun, he remained unimpressed. That’s when Tharun chanced upon a YouTube video. The person’s mannerisms, way of talking and body language were exactly what he wanted in his character. That’s when they discovered that he was none other than 'Manu Uncle’s' Lothar. Tharun wanted to make sure he got this actor and he messaged Producer Sandeep Senan saying they got their magistrate. And an excited Senan was keen on having him onboard. But they took a while to get his contact number and finally approached the channel that interviewed him. They decided to meet him.
When they offered him the role, Kurien Chacko immediately declined—“Oh no, not me. I just did what Dennis sir told me. Besides cinema has changed a lot now. Please look for another actor.”
Tharun decided to tell him the story. That changed Kurien's mind. He found the story fascinating and agreed to do the film.
Having said that Kurien admitted being nervous about facing the camera after a long hiatus. He was also curious to know more about his character.
But all his fears were groundless. Kurien came on the sets well prepared and effortlessly played the character and the director was a happy man. Ever since the teaser came, a lot of people are enquiring about the character and wondering if it is the same Lothar who acted in ‘Manu Uncle.’ Looks like Kurien Chacko is here to stay.
