Blockbuster movie Maheshinte Prathikaram has many beautiful scenes which celebrate the taste and heritage of the local dishes and cuisine of Idukki. There are countless scenes in many movies, in which the lover is shown as gifting red roses to his/her sweet hearts. However, the gentle Mahesh, the protagonist in Maheshinte Prathikarm would be the first lover to gift some delicious kumbilappam to his girlfriend.
Director Dileesh Pothen reveals how the kumbilappam, wrapped in plantain leaf, made its way into the super hit movie. “We were treated to some delicious kumbilappam and black tea when we went to a house while hunting for locations through the hamlets of Idukki. We were floored by the taste of kumbilappam and ate to our hearts content. It was from those mouthwatering kumbilappam served by the chechi at that house that we decided to make Mahesh express his love through the dish,” says Dileesh.
Dileesh has fond memories of the sweetness from kumbilappam that he had had in his childhood. He turned nostalgic about his childhood days when they had kumbilappam made with grated coconut and melted jaggery from the house at Idukki.
“Screen writer Syam Pushkaran and I had decided that food and love should go hand in hand in the movie. The scenes which elaborately depict harvesting the tapioca, cutting it and then boiling it, in the ‘Idukki’ song aptly reflect what we too were familiar in our lives. My grandmother used to cook delicious kappa and beef at home. I was always drawn to the incredible taste of it. Boiling tapioca was a big thing at my house as well. Until I was studying for pre degree, I remember my parents and grandmother engaged in boiling huge amounts of tapioca. It was a woman living in the neighbourhood of where we had shot, who made the kumbilappam that was shown in the movie. Fahadh and Anusree really enjoyed it. Kumbilappam had a major significance in the narrative of the movie,” explained Dileesh.
Maheshinte Prathikaram wouldn’t have turned interesting had appappan not climbed on the jackfruit tree to cut down some ripened and sweet jackfruits. The turning point in the story takes place from a scuffle that happens over a bunch of bananas that are served during a funeral. The scene in which gooseberries are scattered on the road and the children from the nearby school picking it up too is crucial. From the tasty kumbilappam and boiled tapioca to the lunch box that Mahesh packs to his studio and the hot rice porridge that he lovingly serve for his chachan, food plays an unavoidable part in Maheshinte Prathikaram.
