Made on ₹20 crore, grossed ₹200 crore, and swept 10 awards: ‘Manjummel Boys’ keeps riding a wave of success

Director Chidambaram is on cloud nine. His sophomore film Manjummel Boys has swept this year’s Kerala State Film Awards, bagging 10 honours across various categories. The icing on the cake is his win for Best Director. Speaking to Onmanorama, Chidambaram shared his excitement and joy over the achievement, admitting that while he had some expectations for the film, he never anticipated such an overwhelming number of awards. Even before winning the most number of awards at this year’s state awards, Manjummel Boys scripted history last year, when it went on to become the highest-grossing film in Malayalam cinema, a record that was broken only recently by Lokah.

Made on a modest budget of ₹20 crore, the film went on to gross over ₹200 crore at the box office. Remarkably, it wasn’t just Malayali audiences who were captivated by the story of friendship, directed by Chidambaram. The film made a significant impact in Tamil Nadu as well, even playing a role in reviving theatres during a time when few Tamil films were drawing large audiences. Its universal theme resonated deeply with viewers, and its music, composed by Sushin Shyam, also contributed to its success. The song "Kuthanthram," with lyrics penned by Vedan, won this year’s state award for Best Lyrics. However, Sushin expressed some disappointment, as his work on the film didn’t make him eligible for the state awards in the music category, despite winning for two songs in Bougainvillea.

Soubin Shahir, who won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Character Artist, breathed life into the character Siju David, while Sreenath Bhasi, Chandu Kumar, Khalid Rahman, Deepak Parambol, and Arun Kurian were among the actors who played pivotal roles in the film. The film also received awards for Best Sound Design, Best Cinematographer, Best Screenplay Writer, Best Colourist, among others.

The journey to success, however, wasn’t without its challenges. Given that the film was based on a real story set in the Guna Caves, the team faced the challenge of recreating the cave environment, as shooting at the actual location was deemed too risky. Kamal Haasan was probably among the first director-actors to shoot extensively at the Guna Caves. Shooting in these areas also came with its own set of obstacles. The crew had to start shooting early in the morning, wrapping up by 9 a.m. to avoid the influx of tourists. The extreme cold and the risk of falling into holes, like the one shown in the movie, added to the challenges. Since they did not gain access to shoot at the cave, the team had to scout for a location where a large cave could be constructed. On set, they were constantly battling flooding due to the rain-effect method used in the film, which required the team to pump water out regularly.

Post it’s grand release and historical achievements, the film ran into legal trouble after one of the investor’s claimed that the producers of the movie, including Soubin Shahir, his father, Babu Shahir, and producer Shawn Antony, all partners of Parava Films, failed to provide profit share to the investor after the film became a massive success. The case continues to this and the team still faces legal hassles. Despite that, Chidambaram is extremely happy with the accolades coming the film’s way. "The journey wasn’t easy, but it was incredibly rewarding. I believe we received what we truly deserved. It motivates us to push forward and create even more."