When fried chicken and porotta played significant roles in Kilukkam

Blockbuster movie Kilukkam directed by hit maker Priadarshan is still loved by millions of Keralites around the world. Many scenes from the movie, in which Mohanlal, Revathy and Jagathy Sreekumar played lead roles, are known for its genuine humour and funny dialogues. It surprised many that those comedy scenes and witty dialogues were penned by actor Venu Nagavally, who is known for playing sombre or doleful characters on screen.

While the movie portrayed an amazing tale of friendship and love, it also projected how food could be the way into one’s heart. It is through delicious food cooked with love that Nandini, played brilliantly by Revathy, becomes close to the stern and tough Justice Pillai (Thilakan).

Nandini, who pretends she is mentally unwell, is always hungry and becomes extremely happy when she is offered good food. The scene in which she smells the fried chicken which is kept hidden by Nischal (Jagathy Sreekumar) still elicits laughter among the Malayali audience. Her dialogue 'poricha kozhinte manam' which means 'It smells of fried chicken' is still remembered by the Malayali audience. However, Nischal, is shattered when, in the middle of the night, he finds Nandini happily chomping away the porotta and fried chicken that he had hidden from her. Unable to control his anger, Nischal throws Nandini and Joji (Mohanlal) out of his house, yelling that it was her gluttonous nature that had turned her mad.

Justice Pillai, meanwhile, is fed up with his domestic help Kittunni (Innocent) who can’t seem to do the chores properly. As Kittuni serves him undercooked fish curry, Pillai sarcastically asks for a rod to beat the fish to death. Nandini makes an entry into Pillai’s house which is witness to such unsavoury incidents. Though he is harsh to her in the beginning, Pillai slowly begins to realize Nandini’s genuine love for him. It is Nandini who, like a daughter, feeds him and takes care of him when Pillai lands on the hospital bed with fractured hands and legs. Priyadarshan and Venu Nagavally have created many such beautiful scenes in Kilukkam, in which food play a major role.