Language of Romance

Salam Bappu’s Manglish, starring Mammootty in the lead, is the tale of a cross-cultural romance.

Mammootty and Caroline Bech in a still from Manglish

Mammootty is back on screen this Id, this time as Malik Bhai, a ‘tharakan’ (fish auctioneer) hailing from Mattanchery in Kochi, in director Salam Bappu’s Manglish .

Salam had made his debut with the Mohanlal-starrer Red Wine last year.

“Malik Bhai acts as an intermediary between fishermen and traders. More than physical labour, it is the gift of the gab that is essential in Malik’s line of work.

Manglish was written with Mammookka [Mammootty] in mind. The character was moulded to cater to his style, mannerisms and dialogue delivery. And he has excelled in this role,” gushes the director.

Malik’s sedate life goes topsy-turvy when Michelle, a British tourist, comes to him for help. “Malik barely knows English and she doesn’t know Malayalam. The fun starts from the confusion that follows,” says the director.

Dutch theatre artiste Caroline Bech plays Michelle.

Salam is all praise for her. “Caroline’s experience in acting was a bonus and she is a dedicated actor, even going to the extent of learning all the dialogues and delivering them faultlessly when we did the live recording.”

Manglish will be going head to head in theatres with Vikaramadithyan , directed by Lal Jose, Salim’s mentor and “guru”. But Salim says that he is not unduly worried. “Malayalam cinema now has a space where three or four films can do good business at any given time. In fact, before my guru went for his road trip to London, he told me that I have to promote Vikramadithyan as well. Dulquer Salmaan, who plays the lead in Vikramadithyan has sung the promo song of Manglish . I feel it is more of a celebration for the viewers,” he says.

Salam has three projects in the pipeline, one of which is being scripted by well-known author Anita Nair.