TEST BY FIRE-DILIP

Test by fire

Malayalam film star Dilip insists on doing something different in every new film in spite of losing out with Pachakuthira, writes KK Moidu


Popular Malayalam actor Dilip has always shown a passion for variety. Though his experiments have ensured full houses at theatres, his recent release Pachakuthira was a complete washout at the box office.
But this hasn't made the actor lose his ardour for challenges. In his next movie, Chess, the audience will get to see him potray a blind young man. The movie's storyline goes thus. Dilip (Jayakrishnan alias JK), along with his mother, moves to the town, to start a dance school. But things go awry in JK's life and he ends up offending some powerful people. JK pretends to be blind to avenge the atrocities committed against him.
Earlier, Kalabhavan Mani portrayed a blind man in Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njanum (VLPN), which went on to become a mega-hit. Similarly, Dilip expects to regain his status in the industry with his portrayal of the blind man in Chess.
The movie is directed by debutant Raj Babu (Babu Cherthala), who has worked under ace director Shaji Kailas. The script is penned by the successful duo Udayakrishnan and Sibi K. Thomas, who wrote the script for the hit movie Lion, directed by Joshi. Dilip played a macho but idealistic politician in that film.
The actor has come a long way since his debut movie, Sallapam (1996), in which he was paired with his wife Manju Warrier. The film industry and the audience soon recognised Dilip's skill at comedy.
The actor's choice of roles have made him a household name in Kerala. The common man could easily relate to his characters in movies like Joker, Punjabi House, Kunhikkoonan and Chandupottu. This was a refreshing change for the public which was fed up of the poorly scripted, star-studded flicks that had become the order of the day.
But he was soon typecast as a comedian. It was director Lohithadas's movie Joker which gave him a break from that mould. The movie saw Dilip in the role of a joker in a circus company, who has to entertain the audience in spite of his personal traumas.
His research for playing the part of a deaf and mute person in Punjabi House, stood him in good stead. The movie was grosser at the box office. In Kunhikkoonan, the actor did a double role. One of them was a popular college student and the other an ugly-looking hunchback, who runs a telephone booth. The audience instead of being repelled, welcomed the endearing misfit. But his role as the effeminate Radhakrishnan in Chandupottu made even critics sit up acknowledge his calibre.
Dilip's flair for portraying the challenged and the downtrodden kept the cash counters ringing. But the actor never stuck to that genre. He did regular potboilers like Ee Parakkum Thalika, Runway, Ee Puzhayum Kadannu, Ishtam, Mazhathullikilukkam and Lion, which made him a box office darling. Meeshamadhavan had already made him one of the hottest properties in Malyalam film industry. Soon theatres expressed their willingness to pay for his films the kind of advance they were paying only for movies with megastars like Mammoty, Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi.
So when megastars Mammooty, Mohanlal and action hero Suresh Gopi were struggling for hits, ladyluck was smiling on this former mimicry artiste. A string of hits increased his market value phenomenally.
Kavya Madhavan has proven to be a lucky mascot in Dilip movies. Their pairing has become a formula for a surefire hit. Meeshamadhavan, Runway, Thilakkam, Kochi Rajavu and Lion were big hits. The only flop movie from the duo being Sadananthante Samayam. Earlier, the actor was paired successfully with his wife Manju Warrier. The movies Sallapam, Ee Puzhayum Kadannu and Kudamattam saw the pair shine. But the actress bid adieu to the industry after their marriage. The actor has also been paired with actresses like Navya Nair, Meera Jasmine and Bhavana. He has acted with Navya Nair in Ishtam, Kunhikoonan and Kalyanaraman. Movies Gramaphone and Perumazhakkalam saw Meera Jasmine as his co-star. Bhavana played the female lead opposite him in CID Moosa.
However, in Chess the actor will not have his lucky mascot, Kavya Madhavan, but Bhavana by his side. This pair will be seen on screen after a long time. According to insiders, the main reason cited for not choosing Kavya for Chess was her recent weight gain. Even Bhavana, who is strict about her diet had to shed some extra kilos for the role. This movie too comes with its share of controversies. There is an allegation that Chess is a straight lift from Kamal Hassan's Malayalam movie Chanakyan.
Dilip has lot to prove with this movie. Megastars Mammooty, Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi have already regained their status with recent hits. Though Dilip opted for a tried and tested formula in Pachakkuthira the movie was rejected by the audience. Moviegoers who loved and supported Dilip's "Kunhan" in Kunhikkoonan and "Radhakrishnan" in Chandupottu didn't take kindly to the formula in Pachakkuthira. For an actor like Dilip, who has never seen a consistent dry spell in his career, his next film will be a test by fire.