When Mammootty said 'yes' to Mani Ratnam's Thalapathi on Joshiy's advice

Veteran filmmaker Joshiy who had directed megastar Mammootty in the blockbuster movie 'New Delhi' says that he and the actor do not share an ordinary relationship of that of a director and his leading man. The duo, in fact, shares a close bond that is as intimate and dear as a blood relation.

“Mammootty is a member of my family just as I am a member at his. He has done most number of movies with me. We share a very strong and special bond. Those who share such close relationship might not call you always,” says Joshiy.

The filmmaker recalls that it was Mammmotty who had come first to console him and his family when his daughter Aiswarya had passed away in an accident. It was the time when Mammootty was filming for the movie  'The King and the Commissioner'. “He would come to my house every morning on his way to the sets. No matter how late it was, he would drop by while returning, to console me. Mammootty came to my house like this continuously for almost a month, just to be with me. Is there a bigger fortune than getting a relative who loves you this dearly?” asks Joshiy.

Mani Ratnam had narrated the story of 'Thalapathi' while Mammootty was shooting for the movie Kuttettan in Madras. Mammootty had decided not to do that movie after listening to the story. "I told him that the audience in big cities like Madras and Coimbatore knows the actor Mammootty. However, the villagers in Tamil Nadu might not know him. Those in the villages too would know him if he works with Mani Ratnam and Rajinikanth. He accepted my advice and said ‘yes’ to Mani Ratnam the next day itself. He valued my option because there is a strong bond between us,” Joshiy recalled.

“Similarly, he might have nodded ‘yes’ to play the cameo of an actor in 'No. 20 Madras Mail' only because I had asked him to. Cinema is Mammootty’s life. He is an actor who gets energy from the movies to stay alive,” Joshiy signed off.