How Perumbalam, now connected by the Rainbow Bridge, became the heart of Mammootty’s ‘Balyakalasakhi’

As the decades-long wait for the Perumbalam bridge finally ended for the residents of the island village on Saturday, director Pramod Payyannur was flooded with memories. His Mammootty-starrer ‘Balyakalasakhi,’ filmed over a decade ago, was shot in this very island village, then untouched by the the mainland.
Those who have read ‘Balyakalasakhi,’ widely regarded as one of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer’s masterpieces, would have fallen in love with the village (Thalayolaparambu) where childhood friends-turned-lovers Majeed and Suhara grew up in. Pramod and his creative team embarked on a journey to find a place that could capture the essence of the village, which was an integral part of Basheer’s works. After months of searching, they discovered Perumbalam: a secluded island on the tranquil waters of Vembanad Lake, just an hour’s ride from Vaikom.

This island village, which was connected to the mainland only by a jankar and a few boats, would soon become a beehive of activity, where actor Mammootty would arrive daily for the next 28 days. He would sometimes mount his car in the jankar from the mainland to reach the island. On other days, he would be perched inside a boat that would ferry him to the island. On most days, Mammootty’s childhood friends from his hometown Chembu in Vaikom would arrive to watch their childhood friend flex his acting prowess and become both the lover Majeed and his cruel father in ‘Balyakalasakhi’. There was also a huge crowd who were drawn to the place, both by Mammootty’s aura and the curiosity of a film shoot. Actors Isha Talwar, Meena, and Mamookkoya’s presence further added to the charm.

Pramod, while speaking to Onmanorama, shared several fond memories of the shoot. He fondly recalls the warmth and cooperation of the island’s residents, whose hospitality made the experience unforgettable. “On some days, we had to hire the jankar for at least three or four trips a day,” Pramod said. “The locals were always ready to help, offering their support whenever we needed it. They’d pluck tender coconuts and bring them to Mammootty and the crew. There was an abundance of fish, and we were truly spoiled by their kindness.”

For Pramod, Perumbalam wasn’t just a location—it was a place that breathed life into Basheer’s world. "Perumbalam had retained a charm that echoed the period Basheer’s works often evoke," he said. "I knew that to do justice to such a film, I needed a canvas that could carry the soul of that era. We scouted several islands across Kerala, but Perumbalam was the only one completely untouched by the noise and chaos of the mainland."

The island, with its sugar-like sands kissed by the Vembanad Lake and the vivid colors that painted the sky at sunset, felt like the perfect backdrop for ‘Balyakalasakhi.’ "The novel celebrates the beauty of the water bodies that shape Majeed and Suhara’s land, and Perumbalam captured that essence perfectly," Pramod said.

Yet, shooting in an isolated location did come with its challenges. “Traveling constantly on a jankar wasn’t easy, but the challenges were outweighed by the joy of being there and making a film that paid tribute to Basheer. Even after we left for Kolkata to continue the shoot, the memories of Perumbalam stayed with us. There’s a certain aura to the place—something no other location could replicate. The contrast between the two locations in the film, the bustling Kolkata landscape and the serene village, came to life because of these very locations,” he said.

He remembers the unexpected mishap that occurred just a day before the shoot began. "There was a small accident at the site, and our cameraman, Hari Nair, injured his eye. But despite the hurdles, we pushed forward,” he said. Before Pramod, no other filmmaker had stepped into Perumbalam to capture its untouched beauty. Director K P Kumaran, later shot his 2022 film ‘Gramavrikshathile Kuyil’, with Perumbalam becoming the setting for the movie. In ‘Balyakalasakhi,’ art director Santosh Raman reconstructed one of the village houses to bring Majeed’s home to life. “Majeed comes from a well-off family, and we wanted to reflect that in his house. We renovated parts of an existing house to recreate the home from Basheer’s story. It still stands there today, a living testament to the film," Pramod said.

He smiles softly as he recalls setting up the house where Suhara, played by Isha Talwar, lived. "The house stayed for quite some time after filming, and for a while, it became something of a tourist attraction. The villagers felt it added to the charm of the place. I don’t think it is still there, though,” he said.
Today, the residents of Perumbalam have a reason to celebrate. After years of enduring travel hardships, their long wait came to an end with the inauguration of the much-anticipated Rainbow Bridge. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan officially opened the Rs 100 crore bridge on Saturday, marking a new chapter for the island.