Malayalam film Pathemari’s National Film Awards win is a validation that good films with a strong message will triumph, the film’s Dubai-based producer TK Hashik tells tabloid!.
Starring Mammootty, the Malayalam film — which was shot in Fujairah, Dubai and Kerala — dwelled on the lives of expatriates from Kerala living in the Gulf region. It won best Malayalam film at the 63rd National Awards, India’s highest filmmaking honour.
Read the review here.
“We decided to put money into this film because of its strong theme and the message it carried. Pathemari could be the story of our fathers who sacrificed everything to provide for their families back home. It has got such a strong message and the National Award win makes us realise that there will always be an audience for good films,” said Hashik in Malayalam over the phone on Monday morning. The film was co-produced by UAE-based producer T P Sudheesh.
Actors Mammooty and Sreenivasan spent a month in the UAE to film the Rs60 million (Dh3.2 million) period drama, directed by Salim Ahamed.
Pathemari refers to the wooden boats that sailed into the Middle East filled with desperate Malayalis hoping to make a living in the region during the 1960s.
“This film is our tribute to all those Malayalis who work hard in the Gulf regions. This film made the younger generation aware of what their fathers had done for them and it made them respect their sacrifices more. When the Kerala State Awards were announced, we didn’t understand the criteria on which they were judged. We didn’t win. But now our win at the National Awards today makes us believe that good stories will always be appreciated by the jury and the audience,” Hashik added.
