Made on Rs 60 lakh budget, Mohanlal and Priyadarshan’s comedy blockbuster was Malayalam cinema’s first Rs 5 cr grosser; producer had no faith as it had ‘no story’

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While Malayalam cinema crossed the Rs 50 crore mark in 2013, the industry saw its first Rs 5 crore grosser 22 years earlier. In fact, it was Mohanlal himself who led Malayalam cinema into the Rs 5 crore club with his classic comedy-drama Kilukkam (1991), directed by Priyadarshan. Featuring Revathi, Thilakan, Jagathy Sreekumar, and Innocent in key roles, Kilukkam is widely regarded as one of the finest comedies the industry has ever produced. It also broke several collection records upon its release.

However, prior to its release, even producer R Mohan of Good Knight Films, who bankrolled the film, did not have much confidence in Kilukkam. Mounted on a budget far higher than what was typically spent on Malayalam movies at the time, Mohan feared he wouldn’t be able to recoup the money, as he felt, after watching the movie’s preview, that it had little more than a string of jokes. Revealing that Kilukkam was the most expensive movie of the era, made on a budget of Rs 60 lakh, the producer explained that Malayalam films usually cost Rs 20-25 lakh during that period.

Mohanlal, Revathi and Jagathy Sreekumar in Priyadarshan’s Kilukkam. (Credit: The Complete Actor website)

“While my Iyer the Great (1990), starring Mammootty, cost Rs 50 lakh, by the time Kilukkam’s first copy was ready, I had already spent Rs 60 lakh. Back then, Malayalam films were usually completed for Rs 20-25 lakh. After watching the preview, I asked Priyadarshan how a movie so expensive would make a profit. I told him that aside from many jokes, I found no story in the film. Yet, Priyadarshan’s confidence was impressive,” Mohan revealed during an appearance on Safari TV’s Charithram Enniloode programme.

“Priyadarshan asked me if I would give him the remake rights for other languages if the film earned more than Rs 1 crore. Back then, his salary was around Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000. Until then, none of my films had collected Rs 1 crore. I didn’t even know that a Malayalam film could collect that much. Thus, I agreed to his request. The film eventually collected Rs 5 crore and broke all the Malayalam box-office records at the time. Priyadarshan earned Rs 8-10 lakh just by selling the Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi remake rights. That too was a record for Kilukkam,” Mohan added.