Before 'Toxic,' there was 'Rappakal:' Revisiting Nayanthara and Geethu Mohandas’ first film together

What makes a 21-year-old Malayalam film relevant again? For ‘Rappakal’, the answer came from an unexpected reunion. During the promotions of ‘Toxic’, Nayanthara fondly revisited her memories of working with Geethu Mohandas in Kamal’s ‘Rappakal’, a film in which the two shared screen space long before Geethu established herself as an filmmaker. Nayanthara’s recollection not only brought the 2005 family drama back into conversation but also offered a glimpse into a time when both women were at different stages of their careers.

Released in 2005, ‘Rappakal’ remains one of the memorable family dramas in Mammootty’s filmography. The film presented the superstar in a rather unusual avatar, Krishnan, a domestic help who becomes deeply involved in the lives of the family he works for, sometimes even crossing the boundaries of their personal affairs.

At the centre of the story is Saraswathiyamma’s family and its ancestral 'tharavadu', which becomes an integral part of the narrative. While the film’s portrayal of familial boundaries and lack of privacy may invite criticism from younger viewers today, ‘Rappakal’ continues to hold a special place for its nostalgia, humour, music and emotional portrayal of family bonds.

But the film’s renewed relevance is particularly interesting because of the people who were part of it. Today, Nayanthara is one of the biggest stars in South Indian cinema, while Geethu Mohandas has established herself as a filmmaker with a distinctive voice. Back then, however, both were actors finding their way in the industry. In ‘Rappakal’, Geethu played Malavika, a popular writer who is deeply attached to her home and develops a quiet affection for Krishnan. She sees him as much more than a domestic help.
For Malavika, he is not simply Krishnan, but her Krishnan, someone who has become an inseparable part of the family. The character, with her literary sensibilities and emotional attachment to Krishnan, was one of the film’s more layered portrayals.

Nayanthara played Gauri, another important member of Saraswathiyamma’s family. The role was a notable departure from the glamorous image she was then associated with. Interestingly, she had appeared alongside Mammootty in ‘Thaskara Veeran’ just a month earlier, in a far more stylised role.

Kamal was unsure about Nayanthara’s deglamourised role
Director Kamal had initially been hesitant about approaching Nayanthara for ‘Rappakal’, particularly because her character was central to the story and required her to move away from the glamorous roles she had been doing in Tamil cinema at the time. “I was quite hesitant and called her saying that this would be her character. She had been doing a couple of glamorous roles in Tamil then, but she agreed wholeheartedly. She was also happy that she would be pairing with Mammootty once again in a movie. I remember her agreeing even without reading the complete script,” Kamal recalled in an interview with Onmanorama.

Geethu’s association with the film was more personal. Kamal and Geethu shared a longstanding friendship, and the director felt she was well suited to Malavika, a character who had shades of the celebrated writer Madhavikutty. Interestingly, the role had initially been written with Shobana in mind. “We had initially considered and written the script with Shobana in mind, and Geethu came into the picture later. But she did a great job,” Kamal recalled.

The director also remembers the atmosphere on the sets fondly. Nayanthara, Geethu, Mammootty and the rest of the cast shared a warm relationship, making the 45-day shoot a memorable experience. That camaraderie appears to have endured. While promoting ‘Toxic’, Nayanthara’s recollection of ‘Rappakal’ brought those memories back for Kamal too. “I saw the reels and was touched that Nayanthara recalled those moments from the film,” he said.

Why ‘Rappakal’ stayed with its audience

The 1990s and early 2000s were filled with Malayalam family dramas revolving around joint families, ancestral homes, property and generational conflicts. ‘Rappakal’ belonged firmly to that tradition, but found its own audience through its mix of family sentiment, humour, music and memorable performances. The film’s setting was also crucial to its appeal. Around 90 per cent of the movie was shot at the Varikkasseri Mana in Manissery, Ottapalam, in Palakkad. The historic house was modified for the film, transforming it into the ancestral home at the heart of Saraswathiyamma’s family.

Kamal recalls that the location was particularly significant because Varikkasseri Mana had until then largely been portrayed on screen as a residence of thampurans, or aristocratic families. ‘Rappakal’ offered a different perspective, turning the heritage space into the lived-in home of a large family and making it an important part of the film’s emotional landscape.

Two decades later, it is this intersection of past and present that has brought ‘Rappakal’ back into focus. Nayanthara’s affectionate recollection during the ‘Toxic’ promotions offered a reminder of a time when she and Geethu Mohandas were both actors on the same set, long before one became a major star and the other moved behind the camera to carve out her own place as a filmmaker. The film is streaming on ManoramaMax.