20 years of Balram vs Tharadas: The crossover sequel that ruined the legacy of 3 iconic Mammootty movies

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This isn’t just a Mohanlal-Mammootty case. Since the dawn of Malayalam cinema, stars have often shared the screen without any hesitation, fully committing themselves to the narratives. From Sathyan-Prem Nazir-Madhu and Jayan-Sukumaran-Soman to Sheela-Jayabharathi-Sarada, Prithviraj Sukumaran-Kunchacko Boban-Jayasurya, and Meera Jasmine-Kavya Madhavan, there have been many examples of this, and multistarrers were once so common in the industry. The most recent instance is Dijo Jose Antony’s Tovino Thomas-starrer Pallichattambi, where Prithviraj appeared as the antagonist, defying market-mandated conventions.

Balram vs Tharadas: The mashup that shouldn’t have existed

Amid all this, there was also an instance when two of the most iconic characters in Malayalam cinema, both played by Mammootty, shared the screen in a crossover sequel that disappointed both the makers and the audience alike. It was, in all honesty, a mashup that ideally shouldn’t have existed. There, however, the plot was not the hero. It could even be said that the movie Balram vs Tharadas (2006) was butchered in desperate attempts to position both the central characters, DSP Balram and underworld don Tharadas, as heroes, almost making one wonder whether the two fictional men bullishly pestered the makers into doing so. Or, it could also be seen as the best reference text for “how not to make a character(s)-driven story.”

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While Mammootty played the iconic cop Balram in Aavanazhi (1986) and its sequel, Inspector Balram (1991), he appeared as the fearless Tharadas in the actioner Athirathram (1984), all three helmed by blockbuster director IV Sasi. Even as both Aavanazhi and Inspector Balram were penned by Sasi’s frequent collaborator T Damodaran, Athirathram was written by the veteran John Paul. However, when Sasi made Balram vs Tharadas, the script was penned by Damodaran and hit writer SN Swamy. Mammootty appeared in a dual role in the film as both DSP Balram and Tharadas, which was the first mistake the makers made. Interestingly, the movie also marked the Malayalam debut of the then-up-and-coming actor, Katrina Kaif, and it remains the only film she has done in the industry thus far.

Mammootty with Katrina Kaif in Balram vs Tharadas. (Credit: IMDb)

Much like Sasi and Damodaran’s earlier works, Balram vs Tharadas also begins as a movie discussing a socially relevant subject. After a large cache of arms is dug out from a land owned by a businessman, the Chief Minister entrusts Balram with the investigation. As the probe progresses, Balram realises that it has links to smuggler Tharadas and his girlfriend, actor Supriya Menon (Katrina). Tharadas is extremely powerful and has connections with the state administration’s top brass. But Balram is determined to bring him and his empire down. Meanwhile, Tharadas learns that some people he believed were close to him have been using his name as a front to commit illegal activities about which he was unaware. As Balram begins his hunt for Tharadas, the latter is steadfast in exposing the real culprits.

How many dialogues are too many dialogues?

One of the major issues with Balram vs Tharadas is that its script follows an obsolete template where literally everything is explained through dialogues. From the word go, every person who appears on screen is provided with unbelievably long lines, and most scenes feature just dialogues, disregarding the fact that cinema is, in essence, about visuals. Following the pattern Sasi and Damodaran tried and tested umpteen times in the 1970s and ’80s, which yielded great results back then, the entire narrative here unfolds through spoken words. Even the content of the dialogues largely remains unchanged. Here too, the communal and caste angles are very apparent, with ample misogyny. The elaborate praise for CI Satheesh Varma’s (Mukesh) savarna background, the disgust towards the woman MLA Rani Mathew (Vani Viswanath), and the good Muslim-bad Muslim rhetoric are some of the problematic plot devices introduced early on.

Once Tharadas appears on screen, the movie begins to struggle, trying to give both him and Balram equal prominence, something we have only seen in multistarrer entertainers. The screenplay, nonetheless, remains extremely weak, unable to incorporate any story between the moments when Balram and Tharadas pipe down. Unfortunately, they never do.

While Athirathram’s Tharadas was too dashing and rooted, here he comes off as extremely cartoonish, desperately trying to portray himself as an underworld don, and Mammootty’s performance, along with his getup, is nothing short of caricaturish. On the other hand, although he exudes an aura as Balram — the character being the same old no-nonsense, outspoken, and righteous officer — there’s nothing more that the story offers him.

Mammootty as DSP Balram in Balram vs Tharadas. (Credit: IMDb)

With both Balram’s loud lines, carrying an unnecessary and unnatural rhythm, and Tharadas’ pompously distinguished ones, Balram vs Tharadas makes us feel as if we are forced to listen to a boring conversation between two identical human beings who even have the same voice. How the characters around them didn’t point out the uncanny resemblance in their appearances remains a mystery.

IV Sasi’s miserable direction

What makes matters worse is IV Sasi’s miserable attempts to pretend that his filmmaking style has undergone an update and is contemporary. Despite the elaborate settings in Dubai, the scenes end up looking like they were crafted for a low-budget telefilm by an amateur. Here, even the art direction seems too pretentious, focusing solely on opulence to enhance Tharadas’ wealth rather than adding gravity to the moment.

The shoddiness in Sasi’s filmmaking becomes all the more apparent in the cringeworthy romantic scenes featuring Mammootty and Katrina Kaif, who is 32 years younger than him. As disturbing as the age gap is, their absolute lack of chemistry on screen and the nonsensical things they do in the name of romance only make the viewing experience far more excruciating, with the sole grace being Jassie Gift’s impressive songs.

Where are the villains?

One of the biggest strengths of Aavanazhi, Inspector Balram and Athirathram was that all three movies had formidable villains. As the popular saying goes, great heroes are created by greater enemies, both Balram and Tharadas faced off against equally powerful and ruthless villains in all three earlier movies. Be it Aavanazhi’s Sathyaraj (Captain Raju), Inspector Balram’s Sayed Mohammed Shah (Kiran Kumar), or the characters played by Raveendran and Lalu Alex in Athirathram, they were worthy opponents for their respective heroes. However, in Balram vs Tharadas, a slew of villains are introduced, but none have any impact, making the whole narrative feel weak. Even DSP George (Siddique), one of the main antagonists, is simply all talk.

While the earlier movies had ample impactful drama, the conflicts in Balram vs Tharadas are just frail. The film also features too many unnecessary comedic moments, marred by lame jokes.

Why don’t the two Mammoottys look each other in the eye?

However, nothing comes close to PC Mohanan’s shoddy editing, particularly in scenes where the two Mammoottys share the screen. Towards the interval, there is an almost two-minute scene where Balram and Tharadas simply trade ‘mass’ dialogues, resembling a poor ping-pong match. While the lines themselves are too flavourless, as exemplified by the stoic expression on Katrina’s face, even Balram and Tharadas’ positioning in the frame is bizarre, with their eyelines seldom matching, making one wonder what IV Sasi and cinematographer Sanjeev Shankar were thinking or doing during the shoot. Even worse is the fight between Balram and Tharadas towards the end, which is far too reminiscent of Tom and Jerry cartoons and is marked by an abundance of background score, pointless slow motion, and dialogues that are too funny to be taken seriously.

In a later interview with Onlookers Media, the movie’s co-writer, SN Swamy, revealed that he agreed to be part of the project at the insistence of IV Sasi and producer Liberty Basheer. He pointed out that it wasn’t a film meant to tell a story and claimed it was hastily assembled. Mentioning that it is not easy to create a connection between two unrelated characters, he stated that the story lacked logic and that he was not satisfied with the work.

According to Webdunia, IV Sasi mentioned in an interview once that the film would have been a success had they followed T Damodaran’s initial script exactly as it was. Sasi remarked that Damodaran’s original script was very powerful.

Nonetheless, Swamy’s comments carry significant weight, as the idea of two identical-looking characters with no relation to each other — and those around them never pointing this irony out — sounds too silly to begin with. Anyway, Balram vs Tharadas has, over the years, become a goldmine for internet trolls, and rightfully so. The only unfortunate thing is that it successfully tarnished the legacy of three iconic movies.

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