Mammootty was the first choice for Pranayam : Blessy
Pranayam was one of the finest films ever made in Mollywood and the performance of Mohanlal in that film as the paralyzed character named Mathews is regarded as one of the best ever performance by an Indian actor. Mohanlal had won great critical appreciation and many awards as well for that performance. Pranayam was considered as one of Blessy’s best films as director.
Blessy- Mohanlal team had given us 3 films and all of them become classics in Malayalam Cinema. Thanmathra was the first association of this team which had won several state film awards and Mohanlal had won best actor award in State level. He had also reached the final round of National film awards as well that year. Pranayam also helped him to contest at the final round of national film awards. But, Blessy says that Mohanlal and Anupam Kher was not the first choice to do the characters of Mathews and Achyutha Menon in the movie.
Mammootty was in the mind of Blessy to do the character of Achyutha Menon and SP Balasubrahmaniam was approached by the director to play Mathews. Mammootty opted out from the movie due to some problems related to the age of the character and SP Balasubrahmaniam was not sure if he can do the character of Mathews which was a challenging one. Achyutha Menon’s character has more importance in the story than that of Mathews’s.
So Blessy not thought about a legend like Mohanlal to play the character of Mathews as it is not the most important character in the story. But when Mohanlal heard the story from Blessy while they were travelling together, he asked Blessy’s permission to do the role of Mathews. Blessy says that Mohanlal’s great observation to realize the depth of that character had just stunned him.
Blessy said that Mohanlal’s performance as Mathews was just amazing and he elevated that character to another level with his unbelievably natural performance. Even doctors asked Blessy about how they made use of certain mannerisms like scratching the nose by Mathews to establish the character’s paralyzed condition. But Blessy said that it was not told by him to Mohanlal to do that way. It was his own improvisation and it came naturally to him. That is what making this actor better than anyone else.
Mohanlal never prepares for any characters and when the camera get starts he becomes the character. No one know how it is possible and Blessy says Mohanlal himself doesn’t know how it happens. Blessy gives all credit to Mohanlal’s performance and he says that it is because of the marvelous performance by Mohanlal, Thanmathra and Pranayam still remembered and celebrated.
