A film that never happened: Mohanlal as hero and Padmarajan as villain

In the realm of Malayalam cinema, the legendary filmmaker Padmarajan was always Mohanlal’s "hero”. But imagine —Padmarajan, not as the genius storyteller but as the ultimate villain in a cinematic spectacle. A far cry from a petty antagonist, this was to be a "genius villain" conceived by the master scriptwriter Dennis Joseph. The story revolved around a brilliant yet sinister musician who manipulated, blackmailed and imprisoned renowned artists, claiming their creations as his own to achieve global fame.

Set against the backdrop of high-stakes music theft, the crime drama was envisioned by Dennis in 1990, with Mohanlal as the protagonist and Padmarajan in the role of a musical maestro turned criminal genius. However, this ambitious project never saw the light of day. Despite initial interest, Padmarajan ultimately withdrew, leaving cinephiles to dream about what could have been.

Padmarajan was initially intrigued by the role of this mastermind, who Dennis called a "criminal genius”. The writer-director vividly narrated the character to Padmarajan: a virtuoso capable of creating masterpieces while carrying out nefarious deeds. Padmarajan hesitated initially. However, eventually he agreed. Anyhow, the next day, he called Dennis with a heavy heart: “I couldn’t sleep all night. Initially, I thought it was fine, but later, I realized I can’t fully commit to such an intense villainous role. I’m afraid I have to back out.”

Dennis later approached Bollywood actor Kulbhushan Kharbanda for the role. However, the project was shelved before production could begin. The challenges of shooting such a grand narrative in the US and the logistical difficulties of the early '90s led to its abandonment. Instead, Dennis went on to create the 1990 film Appu, with Mohanlal in the lead.

Ananthapadmanabhan, Padmarajan’s son, recalls the narrative's immense potential and his father’s apprehension: “The story was about the brutal competitiveness of the global music industry. My father was to portray a genius with a dark side—a challenging role, to say the least. While he initially agreed, the weight of playing a villain deterred him. My mother wasn’t keen on his acting ventures either, which might have influenced his decision.”

Even as cinephiles mourn the loss of this epic collaboration, the fragments of its music and the echoes of its untold story linger, haunting the annals of Malayalam cinema. The what-ifs of a cinematic world where Mohanlal faced off against Padmarajan as hero and villain leave us yearning for the masterpiece that could have been.