Many told me that Classmates won’t become a hit : Lal Jose
Director Lal Jose is known as a superhit filmmaker, the reason being very simple; most of his movies are commercially successful ones. In a career spanning almost two decades, the director has worked with almost all the leading actors ranging from Mammootty, Suresh Gopi to Dileep, Kunchacko Boban, to Prithviraj, Jayasurya to Fahadh Faasil and Dulquer Salmaan.
The one name that was absent from Lal Jose’s filmography all this while was that of superstar Mohanlal’s. And now after years of waiting, their movie Velipadinte Pusthakam has started rolling and is expected to hit screens for Onam this year.
The 2006 classic Classmates is one of the biggest hits of Lal Jose’s career. The movie, written by noted scenarist James Albert was a refreshing coming of age thriller that had a big star cast. Prithviraj, Indrajith, Jayasurya, Narain and Kavya Madhavan played the lead roles. At that time, all of them were just trying to establish themselves in the industry.
Classmates was the highest grossing Malayalam movie of that time. But in reality not many gave the movie a chance to have a good run in theatres. Director Lal Jose in a recent interview, recollected how many people thought that the movie’s basic plot of having an alumni meet after 15 years is not practical in today’s busy life.
But after it’s release, Classmates triggered a new trend of alumni meets in the state. Old friends working in different corners of the world, got together for reunions to revive the joy and laughter of their student days. Lal Jose says that he himself has attended over 100 such meets.
Apart from becoming a big commercial success, the movie was also a critical success winning several accolades. It won the Kerala State Film Award for Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value. Classmates enjoys a cult status and is frequently referred in the pop culture of Kerala, even today.
