After a gap of nearly two years, a world premiere attended by its lead actors took place in Dubai on October 6.
Prithviraj’s Malayalam thriller ‘Bhramam’ premiered to a packed hall at Vox Cinemas in Deira City Centre, but it was Tamil actor Madhavan’s surprise appearance that got the crowd excited. The camaraderie between Prithviraj and Madhavan was evident as they spoke about each other’s acting prowess and their collective joy at seeing viewers back in full force in theatres again.
“It gives me so much joy to see your faces tonight ... But I hope I don’t have to see some faces pretending to eat popcorn. Those cutout figures placed on chairs [to maintain social distancing] goes away forever soon ... Let’s pray for all of us. My film is also releasing brother,” said Madhavan, cracking jokes about how his presence indicated solidarity towards Prithviraj’s film. ‘Bhramam’ is the Malayalam adaptation of the 2018 Hindi film ‘Andhadhun’.
“I hope you return the favour brother with ‘Rocketry’,” joked Madhavan. There’s often a perception that actors are competitive and their rivalry prevents them from encouraging other films other than their own. But Madhavan and Prithviraj’s support for each other’s projects and their combined vision to see viewers back into the theatres made this world premiere event different.
“I want to wish my brother Prithviraj — whom I am not just fond of as an actor, writer, director, technician — also as a fantastic human being. I hope we get to work with you soon,” said Madhavan.
The admiration of Madhavan, who was recently spotted with AR Rahman at the Expo 2020 Dubai, wasn’t one-sided. Actor Prithviraj described him as his idol who taught him to dream big.
“In my generation of actors, Madhavan is one actor who taught us that you can dream, achieve a pan-Indian appeal. He taught us to dream. He’s our generation’s bonafide Pan-Indian star,” said Prithviraj. He also recalled an incident where Madhavan WhatsApped him the uncut trailer of his directorial debut ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’ and how it blew his mind. Directed, produced, written and acted by Madhavan, this film is likely to define his career.
“I saw the [rough] trailer on WhatsApp. He’s a genius and I am not talking playing a cameo there. ‘Rocketry’ shows his true mettle as an International filmmaker,” swore Prithviraj.
The two actor also hailed the viewers who came to attend the premiere in the post-pandemic times.
“Watching you turn up for my premiere reminds me of the real reason why I became an actor and strengthens my love for my craft. A movie may be a hit or a flop, but the feeling of seeing your viewers waiting to watch your film on the big-screen is why were are here in this field as actors,” said Prithviraj.
The premiere was also attended by actors Mamta Mohandas, Unnimukundan and director Ravi K Chandran.
Earlier in the day, Mohandas, who has stepped into Tabu’s diabolical role in the original, also spoke about how ‘Bhramam’ pushes the boundaries for female roles in cinema. She plays the saucy and sinister wife of a rich man.
“This role was refreshing for me to play … You have heard of anti-heroes, but anti-heroine roles don’t come by easy and is not as familiar,” said Mohandas.
Read the full interview in Gulf News.
