Prithviraj, who headlined Shaji Kailas's comeback film 'Kaduva', said it was the most profitable movie produced by Magic Frames & Prithviraj Productions
He was speaking at the success celebration of the film. Prithviraj also declared that if Mammootty, Mohanlal or Suresh Gopy are unwilling to play the role of Kaduvakkunnel Koruthu Mappillai, the father of his onscreen character, Kaduvakkunnel Kuruvachan in 'Kaduva', he will play the role spotting grey hair.
“It was in 2017 that Jinu first told me the story of ‘Kaduva.’ That was the time when such genre films were getting redundant in Malayalam cinema. It was a time when a section of the audience was trying to tell themselves that such mass commercial big-scale entertainers were unsuitable to their tastes. Me and Unni Mukundan loved such films and wanted to be part of them. That’s why my first-ever directorial falls into that category.
Post that a lot of people asked me why I am staying away from such action commercial films. Thing is, such films are a huge responsibility. If I attempt such a huge film and it fails to work, I will be doing a great injustice to such genre films. I will only do such films if I am 100% sure about its workability.
'Kaduva' was one of the best subjects I heard in that genre. I had decided that I was going to go all out to make it work. So I called the Guru of action films, Shajiyettan (Shaji Kailas) to helm the project. That time Shajiyettan had deliberately kept himself away from Malayalam cinema. But when I persisted he agreed to listen to the story. As far as I am concerned the biggest achievement for 'Kaduva' was that Shajiyettan agreed to direct it,” he said.
“I am not claiming that I am that actor who brought back a director from hibernation. Rather I am that actor who had the fortune to act in a film directed by him when he came back to Malayalam cinema after a hiatus of 5-6 years. I am a huge fan of Shajiyettan. This is something all my assistants are aware of. Even when it comes to my direction he has been a huge influence. From ‘Asuravamsham’ to ‘Kaduva’ I have learned a lot from him,” he added.
According to him, ‘Kaduva’ is a big statement. “ 'Kaduva’s' success makes it loud and clear that such films are still relevant today. This was also the most successful film from the production of Magic Frames and Prithviraj Productions. I am extremely happy to be part of this film. Me and Jinu would love to see Mammukka, Lalettan, or Sureshettan in the role of Kaduvakkunnel Koruthu Mappila. And if they don’t agree, I will play the part with salt and pepper hair. I have conveyed this to Jinu and Shajiyettan. We are a team who love to do big-budget films.
In Shajiyettan’s next film ‘Kaappa’ I am playing the main lead. Having watched the full film I can say with certainty that it is one of his best films. It isn’t an out-and-out commercial entertainer like ‘Kaduva.’ It is also a film I am looking forward to.
‘Kaduva’ was a film that had to face a lot of troubles during its making and release. I have to give a special mention to Listin Stephen at this juncture. He has been part of all my projects in the last 1 and half years. He partnered with me when I distributed films like ‘Charlie 777,’ ‘KGF 2’ and ‘Kanthara.’ I am someone who dreams big. Maybe you can even call me a little eccentric. By that count, I think Listin is a notch more eccentric than me. That’s why I decided to partner with him. If not for Listin, so many projects would never have been made. If not for Listin Stephen and Magic Frames, Prithviraj Productions would never have been such a profitable production house,” says Prithviraj.
