Exclusive | Mahesh Narayanan interview on 'MMMN', says Mohanlal is in a "full fledged role" alongside Mammootty

Has Mahesh Narayanan pulled off the biggest casting coup in modern-day Malayalam cinema? The editor-turned-filmmaker, known for Take Off (2017), C U Soon (2000), Malik (2021) and Ariyippu (2022), is now helming the tentatively-titled MNMM that will see superstars Mammootty and Mohanlal reunite on-screen after 11 years, alongside a spectacular ensemble cast.

The production of MNMM began in Colombo, Sri Lanka two weeks ago, and both the legendary Malayalam actors were present at the ceremony to begin the schedule. Touted to be an action-thriller, the film will be shot in multiple locations worldwide over the next few months, including Sri Lanka, London, Abu Dhabi and several cities in India.

In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Mahesh Narayanan talks  about how the film was conceptualised, what audiences can expect from the Mammootty-Mohanlal reunion, and if he will work with Kamal Haasan next.

Since it has been in the works for quite a while now, how did 'MNMM' finally come together?

I have always wanted to make all sorts of films, and this was an idea I've had for quite some time. Initially, it was supposed to star just Mammoooty sir, and Fahadh (Faasil) was going to make the film with me as a producer. However, due to his dates and other issues, Fahadh then came in as an actor and we got Mohanlal sir also onboard. I have written the script, and I wanted to explore Mammootty and Mohanlal's acting within my style of filmmaking. More than this being a fanboy moment of any sorts, I look at it as a fantastic collaboration; they all committed to the project because they liked the script, and the fact that it's a writer-driven film.

There is a lot of talk that the film comes from an earlier script written by Kamal Haasan, meant to be a movie that he was originally supposed to feature in. Is this true?

No, not at all. That is a totally different script and story. This is my film entirely; a big-budget action-thriller that is now being produced by Anto Joseph Film Company. Apart from Mammootty and Mohanlal, the film stars Fahadh, Kunchacko Boban, Nayanthara, Darshana Rajendran, Rajiv Menon, Revathy, and several others.

But is that project with Kamal Haan still in the works? You share a great equation with Raaj Kamal Films International (RKFI) too, having been editor on both the 'Vishwaroopam' films..

Yes, Kamal sir has written a script for me. However, that is still in progress as we have enough time to make that film exactly the way we want to. We are on the same page and when I'm ready to make a Tamil film, that will be my first outing.

Is 'MNMM' inspired from a real-life incident, as has been the norm with some of your earlier projects? And how has the project benefitted from having your earlier collaborators Fahadh and Chackochan come on-board?

It is not based on any real-life incident, but I cannot reveal more about the film’s themes at this point in. However, it is great to have Fahadh and Chackochan amongst the cast; they are my friends who always want me to do better and push me constantly. Having said that, it's not like I am utilising them for just cameos, they have solid characters with lots of material to perform. The same goes for Lal sir (Mohanlal); he is going to appear in a proper full-fledged role. Now my challenge is to present all these actors on-screen together in the best possible manner.

You have worked with popular actors before, but this is managing a whole new level of stardom. How are you dealing with the pressure and hype?

Both of them are very senior professional actors, and have the utmost conviction in the story and director; that's the best kind of support I can get from them. I am a huge fan of the I.V. Sasi and T Damodaran combination movies from the '80s, such as Ee Nadu, Iniyengilum and Vartha. They were political films with strong ideologies, in which the voice of the masses was heard. I loved  that they were ensemble films, in which several big stars like Mammootty, Mohanlal and Ratheesh collaborated. My film is a collaborative experience wherein I'm attempting to do something similar.

2024 has been a landmark year for Malayalam cinema in many ways, both theatrically and on streaming. What do you think have been the biggest takeaways from how the industry has progressed in recent times?

We should be thankful to all the streaming platforms, because now our overseas market has increased as people from across the world are watching Malayalam films, and openings have increased too. My perspective is that the industry should survive with all the films doing well. But, as always, what is ultimately more important than the stars is the content that we produce, as well as how it has been conceptualised and how it reaches the people.

You see that in successful films in recent times like Bramayugam, Aavesham, and Kaathal The Core. Or take a title with a different narrative like Kishkindha Kaandam... it's not as if it's new to Malayalam cinema — we have seen such films earlier — but not in recent times. Even Aadujeevitham was expected to attract a niche audience, but it ended up becoming such a massive success. So we’ve understood that anything which is unconventional is working, and anything that is conventional is not.

Everyone is trying to crack the USP of each film; how rooted it is, how the story is going to affect and resonate with people, and so on. This is what I try with every film, as well as with my current one. But the only thing that differs is scale. Ariyippu, for instance, was made for a certain category of the audience, but a film like MNMM is obviously for a much larger section.