Totally Filmi

Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal: the Marykkundoru Kunjaadu remake

In all the excitement these days over things like TIFF, Ek Tha Tiger, and Gangs of Wasseypur, it had completely slipped my mind that there was going to be a remake of Marykkundoru Kunjaadu, director Shafi's hit 2010 film that starred Dileep, Bhavana, and Biju Menon. 

Marykkundoru Kunjaadu is a film that I rather like -- the whole cast is impeccable, and Dileep is very funny.  Here, check out the trailer and see:

 

 

Dileep plays Soloman, nicknamed "Kunjaadu" ("lamb") because he's timid and always runs from a fight  -- and he ends up the brunt of many beatings, especially from the brothers of his childhood sweetheart, Mary (Bhavana).  Soloman is a bit of a layabout -- he fancies he might want to be a film director, but the only thing he's directed (a religious serial for television) has flopped, leaving the parish on the hook for the money used to fund it.

One day a mysterious stranger (Biju Menon) turns up in the village, and he's taken to be Soloman's brother, Jose, who left home many years before.  Jose is big and brawny, and with him around, Soloman finds a little courage to stand up for himself.

There are many more twists and turns in the film -- there's a funny back story about how Soloman's mother was supposed to marry Mary's father (Innocent), but left him and married the church sextant when she found him fooling around on her.  Mary's father carries a grudge, and vows that Soloman will never marry his daughter as a result.  There's the mystery of the stolen church cross to be resolved.  And there's Soloman, who needs to learn to step up to his responsibilities in life.

I'd say if there's anything wrong with the film, it's that Dileep is a smidge too old to be playing Soloman -- he's incredibly good, quite funny, but the role just felt like it should be for someone younger.

Now, I'm also always wary of remakes of Malayalam films -- they generally aren't a patch on the original.  So it was with a little trepidation that I watched the trailer for Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal: 

 

 

And you know what?  It looks like Priyadarshan is sticking pretty close to the Malayalam original -- and even better, it looks like they've got the casting exactly right.  I adore Shreyas Talpade, and I think he's the perfect age for the Soloman role, and he's got the comedy talent to pull it off.

I've got my fingers crossed that the film lives up to the trailer, and this is one remake I'm actually looking forward to seeing!

 

Malamaal Weekly?

Well.  Rumour is that Shafi's 2010 hit film Marykkundoru Kunjadu ("Mary Had a Lamb") is set for a remake at the hands of Priyadarshan, and, according to IndiaGlitz, it's going to star Ranbir Kapoor, Suniel Shetty, and be titled Malamaal Weekly.

That Bollywood would go looking for yet another Malayalam hit film is no surprise, but I'm skeptical, about the title at the very least -- because, of course, Priyadarshan has already made a film called Malamaal Weekly (apparently loosely based on Waking Ned Devine, and about the attempt to find the winning ticket holder in the local lottery -- with Mollywood actor Innocent in the Ned Devine role).

A sequel to it was rumoured, but somehow I doubt the remake of  Marykkundoru Kunjadu is it.  In Marykkundoru Kunjadu,  Dileep stars as Soloman, a decent-hearted but good-for-nothing guy in love with Mary (Bhavana).  Soloman spends much of his time running from Mary's brothers and the rest of it dabbling as a mostly failed director.  Both his family and Mary want him to stop running away from his responsibilities.  One day a burly stranger (Biju Menon) turns up in the village, and everyone assumes he's Solomon's brother Jose, who had left home many years before.  Solomon is delighted to have someone around to stand up to Mary's brothers and the beatings they deal him -- but the stranger has some peculiar ways and it soon becomes apparent to Soloman that Jose is not quite what he seems.

Here, have a look at the trailer:

 

 

I have seen Marykkundoru Kunjadu, and I quite like it (and should probably dig out the write-up of it sitting in my drafts and get around to publishing it).  And I have to confess:  my first thought on seeing it was that if it had been made 15 years ago, David Dhawan would have snapped up the remake and it would have starred Govinda.  And it probably would have been almost as fun as the original.

I'm also not sure about Ranbir Kapoor or Suniel Shetty in either role -- the Solomon role might seem too much like Ranbir's Prem (from Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani), and although the Jose role is mostly silent and broody, Biju Menon is a terrific actor who brings more to the role than just that.

But of course, I'm always biased when it comes to remakes, generally preferring the original anyway.

Here's a final taste of Marykkundoru Kunjadu, the delightful song "Entedukke Vannadukum":