Thiruvananthapuram: Comparing iconic Mohanlal films directed by Priyadarshan and Sathyan Anthikad, Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeev reflected on the state’s evolving entrepreneurial culture in a Facebook post.

In his post, Rajeev drew parallels between Sathyan Anthikad’s ‘Varavelpu’ and ‘Hridayapoorvam’, and Priyadarshan’s ‘Mithunam’. In ‘Varavelpu’ and ‘Mithunam’, Mohanlal portrayed Murali and Sethumadhavan — characters who return from the Gulf, attempt to start ventures like Gulf Motors and Dakshayani Biscuit Factory, but fail. The Minister observed that while those times reflected the challenges of entrepreneurship in the 1980s and 1990s, today’s Kerala presents a completely different picture — one where “Sandeep’s cloud kitchen in Hridayapoorvam continues to thrive and improve”.

Rajeev used this cinematic evolution as a metaphor for Kerala’s transformation into an entrepreneur-friendly state, claiming it demonstrates the state’s success in national rankings for ease of doing business.
 

“When Murali returned from the Gulf in the late 1980s to start his business, he lacked basic entrepreneurial awareness. His investment decisions were based on advice, not research. He hired without assessing skill or merit — and Gulf Motors failed,” Rajeev wrote, adding that both Murali and Sethumadhavan’s stories symbolised a time when Kerala lacked a support system for entrepreneurs.

“Now, decades later, the world has changed. The then teenaged Sandeep of Hridayapoorvam (2025) runs a successful cloud kitchen in Kerala that ranks first in industrial friendliness. The government stands by entrepreneurs from the very first step, offering single-window clearances, MSME clinics that function like hospitals for small businesses, and grievance redressal systems from the ministerial to local level,” he noted.

Rajeev further remarked that the bureaucratic hurdles that once frustrated entrepreneurs like Sethumadhavan no longer exist in today’s Kerala. “Officials now extend help, not harassment. There’s no need to ‘commit a crime’ to get an ISI mark,” he quipped.

He concluded that Sandeep’s business success is not an exception but a reflection of the “new Kerala” — a state where entrepreneurship thrives.

“The beloved Sathyan Anthikad, who once gave us Murali, has now brought Sandeep to life. Murali and Sethumadhavan — long symbols of Kerala’s struggling entrepreneurs — have exited the stage. The spotlight now shines on new-age entrepreneurs like Sandeep, whose stories of success are Kerala’s new normal,” Rajeev wrote, referencing recent remarks shared by top entrepreneurs at an event.