As Drishyam 3, Aadu 3 and Dhurandhar 2 gear up for release, revisiting the worst Malayalam sequel ever that tarnished a Mohanlal-Priyadarshan classic’s legacy

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If there were a competition for the title of “the worst Malayalam sequel ever,” although it would face strong fight from Mannar Mathai Speaking 2 (2014), Samrajyam II: Son of Alexander (2015), and Ninnishtam Ennishtam 2 (2011) in the final round — after besting the likes of Balram vs Tharadas (2006) and The King & the Commissioner (2012) in the semi-final — Kilukkam Kilukilukkam would still win hands down.

While Senior Mandrake (2010) and Uppukandam Brothers: Back in Action (2011) are far worse in terms of basic cinematic quality and are abysmal sequels, the reason I feel Kilukkam Kilukilukkam is the worst follow-up is due to the status that Kilukkam holds in the Malayali psyche. Senior Mandrake and Uppukandam Brothers: Back in Action were just trainwrecks that ruined the reputations of good, hit movies. However, Kilukkam Kilukilukkam stained the legacy of an unparalleled comedy classic. The worst part is that some of those who contributed to the first instalment’s iconic status were also part of this abomination, including Mohanlal, Jagathy Sreekumar, and Innocent.

Mohanlal and Jagathy Sreekumar in Kilukkam Kilukilukkam. (Screenshot: YouTube/MalayalamRomanticHits)

According to a 2001 SCREEN report, the project was initially announced under the title Angamaaliyile Pradhanamanthri, based on actor Revathi’s iconic dialogue from Kilukkam. With Sandhya Mohan at the helm and Udayakrishna and Siby K Thomas penning the script, it was said that the film would be bankrolled by Anupama Cinema. However, when it hit the screens, Back Waters Entertainment was credited as the banner, and the movie was rechristened Kilukkam Kilukilukkam.

Including the title, Sandhya Mohan and the writers lifted pretty much everything from the original movie, making only some changes here and there to pretend that it’s not a clone. Appallingly, the makers not only failed to bring the magic present in Kilukkam to Kilukkam Kilukilukkam, despite drawing significantly from it, but even the so-called new elements in the new story lacked a soul. From the backstory of Chandni (Kavya Madhavan), the equivalent of Kilukkam’s Nandini (Revathi), to the subplots featuring actors Kunchacko Boban and Jayasurya, whatever Udayakrishna and Siby introduced as new appeared extremely uninspired and for the sake of it.

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Even the so-called jokes and one-liners they provided to Kittunni (Innocent) and Nischal (Jagathy Sreekumar) — characters reprised from the previous instalment — sounded like terrible recreations of the iconic lines created by screenwriter Venu Nagavally and director Priyadarshan for Kilukkam. Overall, the 2006 movie simply gave the impression that the makers’ only aim was to ride on Kilukkam’s coattails. Even though there was no need to have Mohanlal reprise his character of Joji here, Sandhya Mohan ensured even that, milking the comedy drama’s legacy to the fullest. In the meantime, the makers also almost ruined Nadodikkattu (1987) for us by pointlessly throwing in its iconic character Gafoor (Mamukkoya) into this narrative.

However, when the makers freely lifted all those elements from Kilukkam, including one-liners, they failed to understand that there was more to the Priyadarshan directorial than they could draw from. At its centre, Kilukkam told a heartwarming story about two men struggling to make ends meet in a place that wasn’t actually their homeland, and a woman who enters their lives during her search for her real father. The humour was rooted in their hardships, miseries, and realities. It was situational, not manufactured.

Watch Kilukkam Kilukilukkam here:

In contrast, Mohan and the writers’ aim in Kilukkam Kilukilukkam seemed to be merely to piggyback on Kilukkam’s legacy. Thus, they picked only what they thought was the secret behind its success. They believed Kilukkam was the result of a formula and tried to replicate it by picking the exact same elements. Little did they realise that Malayalees loved Kilukkam because it touched their hearts, too, while also making them roll on the floor laughing.

Kilukkam Kilukilukkam is also a classic example that proves actors are only as good as their directors, as even Mohanlal, Jagathy Sreekumar, and Innocent delivered unimpressive performances in the same roles they once immortalised. Although Kavya Madhavan’s portrayal was abysmal, it may be unfair to criticise her here, considering that even legends bombed hard.