Happy Sardar , scripted and directed by the husband-wife team of Sudheep and Geetika, has Kalidas Jayaram in a turban and looking every bit a proud and handsome Sikh. Shot in Chandigarh and Patiala, the film’s songs are already racing up on the charts.
The Punjab connection, seen now and then in Malayalam films, has always ensured that the movie hits the jackpot at the box office. In the olden day, most of those did not even cross the border for shooting and were completely shot in Kerala. Usually, it would be Punjabi characters that brought in the flavours of the land and not many had anything ever to do with authenticity or nuances.
As Happy Sardar reaches theatres soon, here is a look at some of the Malayalam films that had the audience going balle balle at cinemas while the producers laughed all the way to the bank.
Mutharamkunnu PO
A rollicking comedy scripted by Sreenivasan and directed by the master of melodrama and tragedy, Siby Malayil, the film had none other than Dara Singh as a wrestler from Punjab. He acted as Dara Singh himself and was the catalyst in the film starring Nedumudi Venu, Jagathy Sreekumar, Kuthiravattam Pappu, Mukesh, Lizzie, Sreenivasan and Jagadish. Set in a quiet village, it is the story of a patriarch and his passion for wrestling that threatens to knock out the budding romance between his daughter and a newly arrived postmaster in the village.
Released in 1985, the film was a hit and announced the arrival of Siby Malayil as a director.
Punjabi House
Made in 1998 by Rafi-Mecartin, the film is about a Punjabi family settled in Kochi and what happens when a stranger, who pretends to be hearing- and speaking-challenged, enters their cloistered existence. The characters were caricaturised beyond recognition and there was no attempt to be authentic to the region or culture they claimed to represent.
Cochin Haneefa and Lal in a still from Punjabi House
However, the slapstick comedy, aided by some popular numbers and play on words, was a huge hit. The scenes and dialogues continue to raise laughter and have become a part of the Malayali’s dictionary of film speak.
Mallu Singh
Yet another film with a storyline about Punjabis, but this one is set in Punjab amidst golden yellow mustard fields and green fields dancing in the wind. Directed by hit master Vyshakh, the movie remains a landmark in Unni Mukundan’s career as one of his biggest hits. He and Kunchacko Boban share the screen space with Biju Menon, Manoj K Jayan, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Geetha, Samvritha Sunil, Meera Nandan, Aparna Nair and others.
A scene from Mallu Singh
Unni plays the Malayali-turned-Sardar Harinder Singh. A comedy released in 2012, it also had some popular numbers tuned by music director M Jayachandran. Although, the film with a convoluted plot did not explore Punjabi culture or language, the film was shot in Nabha in Patiala.
Godha
Perhaps the best of the films made with a Punjab connection, the movie, directed by debutant Basil Joseph, is about an ageing wrestler trying in vain to make his son follow in his footsteps. Eventually, the son, Anjaneya Das, played by Tovino Thomas, finds himself being sent to Punjab to do his postgraduation there. There he meets Aditi Singh, a Punjab University wrestling champion.
Renji Panicker in a still from Godha
Wamiqa Gabbi came good as Aditi, the champion wrestler fleeing from her home as her brother wants to get her married. As things turn out, Aditi inspires Das to flex his muscles and resume his training as a wrestler. Released in May 2017, the film, shot in Chandigarh and Patiala, ticked all the boxes at the turnstile and became a winner. Renji Panicker, Aju Varghese, Parvathy T, Mammu Koya and Sreejith Ravi were among those in the stellar cast.
