The quirky ‘Handshake Curse’ that has captured the imagination of Malayalam cinema fans has claimed a new victim: superstar Mohanlal. The incident unfolded during the trailer launch of the political thriller ‘Prathichaya’, starring Nivin Pauly, when Mohanlal inadvertently fell into the viral phenomenon that has been spreading across the film industry. 

The amusing moment occurred as Mohanlal was being honoured with an award. Gokulam Gopalan, founder of the Gokulam Group, extended his hand for a handshake towards director Sibi Malayil. Mohanlal, assuming the gesture was directed at him, extended his hand, but was ignored.

The origins of the ‘Handshake Curse’

The so-called curse began with actor-director Basil Joseph during the Super League Kerala Football Tournament. While presenting awards, Basil extended his hand towards a football player for a handshake, but the player inadvertently bypassed him and shook hands with actor Prithviraj Sukumaran instead. The comical mishap, captured on video, went viral and set off a flood of memes and social media jokes, coining the playful term “Handshake Curse.”

Malayalam cinema’s fun-loving stars join in

Since then, several actors have become part of this light-hearted trend. Tovino Thomas experienced a similar incident during the pooja ceremony for his film ‘Marana Mass’, when a priest offering aarti missed his outstretched hand. Actor Unni Mukundan too became part of the saga after a child fan ignored his handshake following a screening of ‘Get-Set Baby’.

Actress Grace Antony added to the trend when she missed a handshake with comedian Suraj Venjaramoodu at an event. She joked using one of Suraj’s popular film lines, prompting playful banter that referenced earlier mishaps involving Tovino Thomas. Veteran actor Mammootty also unintentionally joined the growing phenomenon when a child overlooked his outstretched hand.

Nivin Pauly’s ‘Prathichaya’ and upcoming projects

The incident coincided with the launch of the trailer for ‘Prathichaya’, Nivin Pauly’s next project, written and directed by B Unnikrishnan. A political thriller, the film explores the state’s political landscape over the past decade, touching on events linked to former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. Alongside Nivin Pauly, the cast features Balachandra Menon, Sai Kumar, Harishree Ashokan, Sharaf U Dheen, and Anne Augustine.

Nivin Pauly, who was last seen in the thriller ‘Baby Girl’, also has other projects in the pipeline. He will play a villain in the Tamil film ‘Benz’ and is involved in filmmaker Girish AD’s ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’, co-starring Mamitha Baiju. Both ‘Baby Girl’ and his earlier hit ‘Sarvam Maya’ are currently streaming on OTT platforms.