Apr 22, 2026 10:57am IST
Saiju Kurup on Imitating Rajinikanth’s Title-Card Style in ‘Mohiniyattam’: ‘I Was Worried His Fans Might Not Like It’ (Exclusive)
Malayalam’s latest dark comedy "Mohiniyattam" is running to full houses in theaters across Kerala. In an interview with Variety India, Saiju Kurup, the film’s lead actor and producer, talked about this film's third installment and replicating Rajinikanth's title-card style for showing his name in "Mohiniyattam." His latest release is a sequel of his 2024 movie, "Bharathanatyam".
The “Abhilasham” star reveals that the third part of this film franchise is probably going to happen. "As a producer, I am pleased with the reception ‘Mohiniyattam’ is receiving, but at the moment, acting is my main priority. Next year, I might produce a film with some of my friends in the industry and mostly newcomers," he stated. “Bharathanatyam,” which had a dismal theatrical run, garnered appreciation and more viewers following its OTT debut on Prime Video and Manorama Max in 2024. The film's producers announced a sequel to the film last year as a result of its online success.
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The actor expressed his strong belief that the viewers who enjoyed "Bharathanatyam" on OTT would be drawn to see the movie in theaters. “Directors Tharun Moorthy and Midhun Manuel Thomas had shared their feedback online after watching ‘Mohiniyattam’ ahead of its theatrical release. This also increased the movie’s visibility on social media,” he said.
When asked about copying Rajinikanth's title-card style of displaying his name in “Mohiniyattam,” Saiju stressed that it was entirely the film’s director Krishnadas Murali's idea and that at first, he was unaware of it. "I found out about the surprise element two days before the release. I was a little worried about whether or not Rajinikanth Sir's fans would like this. However, I was relieved to see people giggling when my title card appeared on the screen in theaters," he continued.
Speaking about the recent genre-shifting trend in Malayalam, he thought it was an intriguing way to keep viewers interested, particularly for movie franchises and sequels. He emphasised that had they made "Mohiniyattam" in the feel-good genre like "Bharathanatyam", they would have taken a significant risk, and it would not have been successful.
Saiju, who made his production debut with "Bharathanatyam," said the audience also responded favorably to the referential humor used in two or three scenes in the sequel. “People found the ‘Drishyam’ reference and the way Jagadish's character mimics a line from Mammootty's character in the 2004 movie ‘Vesham’ amusing,” he added.
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