Malayalam producer Dinesh Panickerone of the producers of the iconic film ‘Kireedam’, looks back at ‘Chenkol’, the sequel to the beloved classic.While appreciating the film’s success, he admits that some aspects of the sequel have stuck with him over the years.During an interview with Movie World Media, Dinesh recalled expressing his concerns when discussions about making ‘Chenkol’ started.“It was ‘Kireedam’ that gave everyone our identity. When Unni informed me that they had decided to make ‘Chenkol’, I expressed my disagreement. As someone who was part of the production of ‘Kireedam’, I felt I deserved recognition. But I never got it. I even have a little disagreement with him about it. However, I am really happy that Chenkol became successful.“
The producer says the sequel lacks the emotional energy of the original
Although Dinesh enjoyed watching ‘Chenkol’, he believes that the sequel will not be able to recreate the emotional impact of ‘Kireedam’. He remembers watching the film with his family on its opening day and feeling the difference between the two films.According to him, the screenplay of ‘Kireedam’ brings a unique emotional strength that is hard to replicate. He also noted that many viewers felt that the sequel had many shortcomings compared to the original classic.“My family and I watched the movie on the first day. I liked ‘Chenkol’, but I feel that the positive energy that was in the screenplay of ‘Kireedam’ somehow got lost in the sequel. There is not a single fault to point out in ‘Kireedam’. But public opinion is that there are many shortcomings in ‘Chenkol’.”
Dinesh Panicker commented on: Thilakan character arc:
The producer also shared his thoughts on how Thilakan’s character was written in the sequel. He said that the character, praised for his strength in ‘Kireedam’, appeared weaker in ‘Chenkol’, which many viewers noticed.Dinesh believes that this change has become one of the most talked about points among the audience after the release of the film.“The character played by Thilakan Chettan, who faced severe hardships and family problems with great strength in the first film, became very weak in the second half. The audience said it was one of the biggest disappointments of the film.Another creative decision that continues to stay with Dinesh is the climax of ‘Chenkol’. He revealed that he never agreed with the decision to terminate Mohanlalcharacter journey in the film.According to him, keeping the character alive could have allowed the story to continue with another sequel if the makers chose to revisit the franchise.“Though I liked the film as a whole, I still feel that Mohanlal’s character should not have been killed off in the end. If that hadn’t happened, Unni could have done a third part if he wanted to.”
‘Kireedam’ continues to remain a landmark in Malayalam cinema
Directed by Sibi Malayil and written by AK Lohithadas, ‘Kireedam’ is widely regarded as one of the classics of Malayalam cinema. The movie was re-released recently.Although the second part ‘Chenkol’ received good reviews from critics, many audiences shared mixed opinions about Thilakan’s character arc, the ending and other reasons.