As the latest Malayalam film 'Bheeshma Parvam' still running to packed houses, Mamootty’s Michael Appan's Land Cruiser has become a star attraction among auto enthusiasts.
The vehicle with the registration number KCF 7733 drove straight into the hearts of audience. Even after leaving the cinema hall after the film, the vehicle is unlikely to vanish from viewers’ minds soon. The vehicle owned by Kozhikode native Ashwin has enough interesting stories to tell, just like the film.
Special edition
The Land Cruiser that appears in the film is a 1983 model which is powered by a 4.2-litre inline six-cylinder diesel engine. The right-hand drive vehicle reached Kerala from Singapore via Qatar. Ashwin became its owner in 2006 and he has used the vehicle till now with the registration number KL 11J 7733.
Mammootty & Soubin drove it
The owner says he fidgety about letting others drive the vehicle because in case it develops any problems it will be extremely difficult to find the parts and fix it. However, Mammootty and Soubin drove the SUV for the film. The vehicle was not given for any film shoots earlier. Ashwin is happy that he could provide the vehicle to a Mammootty-Amal Neerad film. For the film shoot, the SUV sports old-model alloy wheels.
Spare parts are sparse
The vehicle is a special edition of Land Cruiser right-hand drive model and because of this it is difficult to get its spare parts. The vehicle had to undergo an engine re-haul in 2012 but getting the parts was difficult and the work was completed only in 2017.
Parts from Pakistan
Even though the entire work was done, one component was hard to come by. When the carmaker was contacted, it said such a part was not available and suggested using one from old engines. The search even reached Delhi but to no avail. "When a workshop owner understood my attachment to the vehicle, he took great risk and brought the part from a dismantled vehicle in Pakistan," says Ashwin.
