THR India's 25 in 25: 'Maheshinte Prathikaram' and The Comedy of Revenge

Dileesh Pothan, now considered one of Malayalam cinema’s great directors, having made three films that fit into most GOAT (Greatest of All Time) lists, began his career with Maheshinte Prathikaram (which translates to Mahesh’s Revenge). It came at a low phase for its lead actor Fahadh Faasil, but the freshness of this film was obvious, even with every new poster that was being put out.

It’s like the audience had learnt to instinctively fall in love with the film’s world, the moment it began with shots that can now described as poetry — that of Mahesh (Faasil) washing his white rubber slippers in a pond in Idukki. Minutes later, as we listened to Bijibal’s ‘Idukki’, alongside montages of the eponymous land and its people, we started watching Maheshinte Prathikaram as though it was the story of our own closest friends and neighbours.

Dileesh Pothan on Making Maheshinte Prathikaram

Pothan struggles to name just one scene from the film that he keeps going back to. But he admits to a special kind of attachment for the scene between Crispin (Soubin Shahir) and Baby (Alencier Ley Lopez), when the latter confronts Crispin about spending time with his daughter. “All scenes are favourites but I have a special soft corner for that scene. It’s the one set in the photo studio in which Crispin asks Baby, ‘Artist Baby ithra cheap anno? (Artiste Baby, are you this cheap?)’. It’s a scene that holds a special place in Malayali pop culture, turning into a dialogue that’s become a part of common consciousness.

“The other scene I still think about,” Pothan says, “is the one during Sowmya’s (Anusree) wedding. After she gets married, when she’s washing her hands, she notices Mahesh, her ex-lover, looking up at her from his bike, with a half-smile on his face. It’s a personal favourite.”

Fahadh Faasil in 'Maheshinte Prathikaaram'

When Pothan remembers the days of the film’s shooting, he speaks about a scene “that got away” almost like how Sowmya left Mahesh. “We shot the entire film in sequence, with the first scene getting shot first and the climax getting shot last. But even when we got our last shot, we still had one scene left to take. It was sequence in which Mahesh’s father goes missing at night. It takes the flash from the camera for Mahesh to realise that his Chachan was just metres away from him, waiting to get the picture-perfect moment to capture a bird. Ironically, like Chachan with the bird, it’s a scene we too had to keep waiting till the end of the film to capture. If I remember correctly, we charted that scene at least 10 times to try to shoot it before but we were met with one obstacle after another. Finally, it’s that scene that ended the film’s shoot, although we felt the moment was right, even though it took so long to happen.”