Director, scriptwriter Siddique who passed away on Tuesday delivered several hits in Malayalam cinema. He was best known for directing movies which attracted the family audience and his flair for comedy. Most of his collaborations with actor Lal were superhits. Here is a look at some of the director's popular works
Films from the Siddique-Lal combo
'Ramji Rao Speaking'
'Ramji Rao Speaking' marked the beginning of a string of superhits by the popular Siddique-Lal duo. Both Siddique and Lal debuted as directors with this film, which featured Sai Kumar, Mukesh and Innocent in the lead. The struggles of unemployment, the situational comedy and the chemistry between the lead cast made the film one of the biggest hits in Mollywood. The 'Kambalipothappu', between the matron and Mukesh's character in the film, continues to enjoy cult status in Malayalam cinema. Even the song 'Avananan Kurukkunna Kurukkazhichedukkumbol Gulumal' sung by M G Sreekumar was also a hit. The 1995 film 'Mannar Mathai Speaking' and 2014 film 'Mannar Mathai Speaking 2' were sequels to the film.
'In Harihar Nagar'
'In Harihar Nagar' still ranks as one of the most popular comedy films in Malayalam cinema. The film revolved around four unemployed men trying to impress the girl who lives next door. Jagadish, Siddique, Mukesh and Ashokan play lead roles in this 1990 film. Many filmmakers tried to rework the chemistry of the lead actors in subsequent films, following the success of the movie. The film was remade in other languages by prominent filmmakers. The sequels '2 Hariharnagar' and 'In Ghost House Inn' were released following the film's success.
'Godfather'
Though the film shares a near-close association with one of the greatest gangster movies, the film has no semblance to the storyline. Instead, the movie is extremely popular for its humour and the interesting relationship between two families, who are at loggerheads with each other. The film's script and the performances of the lead cast was well appreciated. The film also won the Kerala State Film awards for Best Film with Popular Appeal in 1992. The name Anjooran family reportedly was coined by Siddique who had come across the term 'Anjoottikkar' in a Malayalam dictionary. The film ran in theatres for over 400 days.
'Kabooliwala'
The film, which featured actor and dancer Vineeth, was a wonderful narrative of a young man who arrives at the sets of a circus in search of his lost bugle. The film, which hit theatres in 1994 was a huge success. Though the makers had infused humour into the narrative, it was more sentimental than many of Siddique-Lal's previous works.
'Vietnam Colony'
The film, which featured Mohanlal in the lead, revolved around a young man G Krishnamurthy who is hired by a construction firm to evict the local residents of a nearby colony. Mani Suchitra received the Kerala State Film Award for the film, while the dialogue by Innocent's character K K Joseph "Ithalla, ithinapporum chaadi kadannavananee K.K Joseph!, became a massive hit. In later years, the film sparked conversations for its likeness to James Cameron's blockbuster 'Avatar' which had a similar story line, though the setting was completely different.
Solo hits
Friends
This heartwarming story directed by Lal revolves around three friends Jayaram, Mukesh and Sreenivasan who meet each other after several years. The film received appreciation for touching upon issues and relationships between younger people in a humourous and engaging manner. The movie also went on to become the highest grossing film of 1999 and was one of Siddique's solo blockbusters. Lal had even produced the movie, which had songs composed by Illaiyaraaja.
'Bhaskar The Rascal'
'Bhaskar The Rascal', which features Mammootty and Nayanthara in the lead, is considered to be one of Siddique's best solo hits in his career. The light-hearted movie follows a familiar format but was praised for being entertaining. The song 'I love you Mummy' sung by Devika Deepak Dev and Shwetha Mohan was a super hit. The film went on to become a commercial success and was remade in Tamil.
'Bodyguard'
The film marked Dileep's first collaboration with director Siddique. It also marked Nayanthara's comeback movie in Malayalam after a couple of years. The mix of romance, action and comedy in the film ensured it was an entertainer. The film, just like most of Siddiques's previous works, have been remade in various languages. Siddique himself directed the Hindi version of the film, which starred Salman Khan.
