Before KH x RK Reunion, landmark Malayalam film Twenty:20 tried to bring Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan together; producer reveals why it didn’t happen

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Nonetheless, we wouldn’t have had to wait so long to see the two legends together on screen had the plans for a segment in a Malayalam movie come together as initially envisioned. In fact, had the makers of the film pulled it off, it would have been an unprecedented, monumental event in Indian cinema history.

Why is Twenty:20 a landmark film?

Helmed by legendary filmmaker Joshiy, Twenty:20 (2008) remains one of the most awe-inspiring achievements in Malayalam cinema history, not for its narrative or technical quality, but for bringing together a massive number of recognisable faces in the industry. Made as a fundraiser for the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA), Twenty:20 featured some of the biggest names in Malayalam cinema, including Mohanlal, Mammootty, and Suresh Gopi, in key roles.

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While renowned actors like Bhavana, Jayaram, Gopika, Mukesh, Vijayaraghavan, Siddique, Manoj K Jayan, Madhu, and Kalpana, among others, played supporting roles, several other artistes appeared in small roles, and some like Nayanthara, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Kunchacko Boban, and Jayasurya even made cameo appearances, making Twenty:20 a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. The movie was produced by actor Dileep, who also starred in it.

While the iconic track “Deewangi Deewangi” in Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om (2007) brought together some of the biggest names in Bollywood for one song, and director Zoya Akhtar’s Luck by Chance (2009) featured cameo appearances by several bigwigs in Hindi cinema, Joshiy achieved what no other industry has managed so far and made an entire movie with almost all the mainstream actors in his language, giving a large number of them fleshed-out characters. Unsurprisingly, Twenty:20 turned out to be one of the biggest hits of its time.

Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth at a Nadigar Sangam meeting. (Express archive photo)

Producer wanted Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan to appear in a song

Interestingly, the film was supposed to feature Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan too, albeit in just one song. Producer Dileep initially wanted to include a special song in the film featuring many A-listers from across the country. In fact, he had even approached both Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan to make the request. However, the plan eventually fell through as the makers didn’t have ample time to pull it off.

Nonetheless, Dileep himself once revealed that Kamal Haasan was on board with the idea and even rang him up after noticing there was no further word from him on the shooting schedule. “He called me and asked, ‘Aren’t you doing that song? When should I come for it?’ However, by then, we reached a stage where we had to complete the film and release it soon,” Dileep shared during a conversation with CinePlus Productions.

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Twenty:20 was also the last film to feature Mohanlal and Mammootty together in central roles. The two are currently gearing up for an on-screen reunion in director Mahesh Narayanan’s Patriot. Also starring Nayanthara, Fahadh Faasil, Kunchacko Boban, Darshana Rajendran, Revathy, Rajiv Menon, and Zarin Shihab in key roles, Patriot will hit the screens on May 1.