‘Flop actor’ Mammootty to superstardom: Actioner made in Rs 30 lakh earned over Rs 1 cr, Priyadarshan told Mohanlal, ‘Mammootty is back’

Meanwhile, director Joshiy and producer Joy Thomas of Jubilee Productions joined forces with the noble aim of giving Mammootty a much-needed hit. The actor played a key role in shaping their careers, and several of their previous collaborations with Mammootty had been hits. Along with them was veteran screenwriter Dennis Joseph, who was riding a wave of success at the time. However, both Joshiy and Dennis were also in a tough spot; even their previous ventures with Mammootty, such as Sayam Sandhya and Nyayavidhi, had flopped. So, the plan for a new project together was kind of risky for all of them. Yet, they all desperately wanted to see Mammootty return to glory. That’s the bond they shared.

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The dropped Payyampally Chandu project

Initially, they planned to make a movie about Payyampally Chandu, but they dropped the idea after learning that the Priyadarshan-Mohanlal duo was contemplating making a film against the backdrop of Vadakkan Pattu. During his appearance on Safari TV’s Charithram Enniloode programme, Dennis revealed that this was when he shared an incident he had recently heard of: a tabloid journalist, whose newspaper business had failed, hatched a plan to kill the US president to secure it as an exclusive story. After hiring assassins, he allegedly printed late editions of his newspaper reporting the president’s murder. However, the plan backfired, and the journalist landed in the police net. This had also served as the theme for some novels.

After zeroing in on this, Dennis gave the central character, the journalist, a strong motive to commit murders and publish them as exclusive stories in his newspaper. He crafted the character not just as an evil genius journalist, but also gave him a compelling backstory that would resonate with the audience. Dennis suggested that they set the entire movie in New Delhi, something that had not been done before in Malayalam cinema. Joshiy and Joy liked this idea. Thus, they all left for the capital city to make the movie titled New Delhi (1987).

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Mammootty’s remuneration for New Delhi was just Rs 1 lakh

Although the production wasn’t easy since New Delhi was under tight security at the time, after Indira Gandhi’s assassination, Joshiy completed the shooting in just 22 days. Producer Joy later wrote in Manorama Online that New Delhi was mounted on a massive budget of Rs 30 lakh. “In those days, a Malayalam film could be completed with Rs 15-16 lakh, but New Delhi cost me more than Rs 30 lakh,” he noted. Interestingly, Mammootty’s remuneration for the movie was just Rs 1 lakh.

While Joshiy and Dennis were confident in the film, they were also apprehensive. If New Delhi bombed, they risked disappearing from Malayalam cinema altogether. Therefore, they decided to show it to one more person: Priyadarshan. Joshiy and Dennis organised a special preview for the director. After watching the movie, Priyadarshan reportedly told Joshiy, “I was stunned. When I saw the first three reels, I was sure that the movie would be a superhit.” Priyadarshan, convinced that New Delhi would be a massive success, immediately called his best friend and frequent collaborator Mohanlal and told him, “Our Mammootty is back!”

Mammootty as G Krishnamoorthy in New Delhi. (Credit: Facebook/@Mammootty)

Also starring Sumalatha, Urvashi, Suresh Gopi and Thiagarajan in key roles, the movie eventually hit the screens on July 17, 1987, and turned out to be a massive blockbuster. It reportedly grossed over Rs 1 crore at the time. New Delhi not only marked Mammootty’s glorious comeback but also instantly catapulted him to superstardom, positioning him next to Mohanlal, who had reached that status the previous year with director Thambi Kannanthanam’s Rajavinte Makan, which was also penned by Dennis Joseph.

After watching the movie, ‘Superstar’ Rajinikanth expressed his desire to remake it in Hindi. However, Joy did not go ahead with this, despite sharing a close bond with the Tamil legend, knowing the potential risks involved in mounting such a film in Bollywood. Instead, he sold off the remake rights. Though it was remade in Hindi with Jeetendra, in Telugu with Krishnamraju, and in Kannada with Ambareesh, none of them had the same impact as the Malayalam version. Their biggest shortcoming was not having Mammootty in the lead. No one managed to portray the central character of G Krishnamoorthy alias GK — the evil-genius journalist-turned-newspaper baron who orchestrated the murders of his affluent rivals, who ruined his life, and profited from them by publishing their deaths as exclusive stories in his daily — as brilliantly as Mammootty did.

Recalling the experience of making New Delhi, Joshiy once told Rediff, “In 1986, all his (Mammootty’s) films flopped miserably. Everybody wrote him off. Many predicted that Mammootty’s days as a hero were over, and that hitherto, he would get only supporting roles. We had worked on four films that year — all flopped. It was one of his worst years. Why, youngsters wouldn’t go near the theatre if they found it was his film! The moment he appeared on screen, they used to boo.”

He continued, “In the history of Malayalam cinema, no one has come back as hero after he was down and out. All that awaited a fallen hero was character roles. Mammootty himself was ready for that. But it was not to be. Mammootty rewrote history. I remember he was under tremendous tension during New Delhi. He went through each scene as if he were possessed. It was like he was driven to prove everyone wrong. After each sequence, he would tell me, ‘Let me put in my best. After that, it is up to the people to accept or reject me. But I will do my best. I shouldn’t feel later that I didn’t give my best to them.’ We were in Kashmir shooting for Nair Saab (1989) when news of New Delhi’s success reached us. I think that was the happiest day in his life.”