‘He may not know how to speak well, but acts brilliantly and is lovingly mischievous’: Mammootty praises Vinayakan at Kalamkaval event

At the pre-release event of Kalamkaval, Mammootty revealed that Vinayakan is the true lead of the film, directed by Jithin K Jose. Mammootty added, with a smile, that he himself plays the antagonist.

When Vinayakan was invited on stage in Mammootty’s presence, he said he didn’t know how to speak. Mammootty immediately responded, “He may not know how to speak, but he certainly knows how to act brilliantly.”

“There are plenty of mischievous kids in every class. But you always feel a certain affection toward the mischievous ones. Vinayakan is exactly that sort of playful spirit. He may do all kinds of mischief, but when you watch him on screen, you feel a fondness. You even feel that what you’re seeing isn’t the Vinayakan you know—because the Vinayakan off-screen is even better. People just haven’t truly seen that side of him,” Mammootty said.

Speaking jokingly about the film title and poster, Mammootty added, “Only the ‘hero’ part of Vinayakan stands on the poster—so they dropped the ‘Vi’ from his name leaving ‘Nayakan’ (hero). You have to make use of the opportunities you get, right? If you write my name removing Ma, it would be ‘mmootty’? That won’t work. It works only because it’s Vinayakan.”

Mammootty said he is excited about his upcoming release after a long time. “Every film we produce is made with deep passion. I want to continue doing good films. When each film is accepted with joy by the audience, it brings great peace. I hope I’ll keep getting the opportunity to make better films, supported by the audience’s love. I wouldn’t call this an experimental film—every film is an experiment. Whether the budget is ten crore or a hundred crore, every film is a risk until it succeeds,” he said.

“For me, in Kalamkaval, the greatest challenge isn’t the film but the character I’m playing. You may find it very difficult to like or love this character. But once you leave the cinema, you won’t be able to abandon the character in the theatre. Initially, the role of a police officer was offered to me. But I felt Vinayakan would play it even better. When I approached him, he didn’t quite believe it. Vinayakan is the hero of this film, and that’s how it appears on the poster too. I may be the hero, but I am the antagonist,” Mammootty added.

“I have dared to take on such a role only because I trust the audience who have embraced all my cinematic experiments for nearly 45 years. I believe you will continue to stand by my confidence. I have survived only because of your trust and entertainment over all these decades. I pray that I continue to get such opportunities,” he said.