Although it's almost three decades old, the 1987 Malayalam movie Thaniyavarthanam is still remembered as a cult work owing to its profound theme, deft direction, and obviously, incredible performances.
The movie gave Mammootty his big break and became a cornerstone in the careers of director-scriptwriter duo Sibi Malayil and late Lohithadas who went on to deliver a few more super hits in Malayalam.
But in a cinematic twist, Nandakumar, the producer of the movie, which ran successfully for over 100 days in packed houses, now sells dosa batter in Alappuzha to eke out a living.
Nandakumar fell from grace after his last two movies bombed at the box office. To overcome the financial crisis, the producer turned to dosa batter business. According to Nandakumar, his latest production company is a modest initiative called‘Devi Food Products.’
Nandakumar produced six movies, including Thaniyavarthanam, Mudra, Soorya Manasam, Yaadhavam, and finally Careebeyans. He has no qualms in admitting that his decision to produce Careebeyans was a grave mistake.
Apparently, Nandakumar was only 26 years old when he produced Thaniyavarthanam (repetition). Now at 56, Nandakumar still hopes for a ‘thaniyavarthanam’ in his real life, so that he could once again be a part of good movies.
Earlier, a video of Kavitha - a Malayalam TV actress, who was forced to sell dosa at a wayside eatery, had gone viral.