Five Malayalam movies rejected by Mammootty which turned out to be blockbusters

Mammootty, the megastar of Mollywood, is now enjoying the success of his latest release 'Abrahaminte Santhathikal'. The film which received positive reviews from audiences and critics alike has apparently grossed more than Rs 40 crore at the box office.

The career of Mammootty has witnessed many ups and downs, and in the course of time, he has rejected many movies which later turned out to be blockbusters.

International Business Times India present you the list of five movies rejected by Mammootty which later racked up millions at the box office.

Drishyam

Jeethu Joseph, the director of mega-hit movie Drishyam, had initially approached Mammootty to do the lead role in this thriller. However, the Rajamanikyam actor turned down the offer stating that he is working on other movies with similar themes. Later, Jeethu Joseph approached Mohanlal, and he readily accepted the offer.

Even though the film started slowly at the box-office due to less pre-release marketing, it gained momentum after family audiences took it up at the theatres. The film which narrated the story of a common man trying to cover up a murder for his family impressed audiences, and it emerged as one of the biggest hits in Mollywood history.

Upon the completion of its theatrical run, Drishyam grossed more than Rs 65 crore at the box-office. The movie also helped Mohanlal to revive his career after colossal box office failures post-2010.

Ekalavyan

Ekalavyan, the movie released in 1993, and played a crucial role in elevating Action King Suresh Gopi to superstardom. Initially, director Shaji Kailas and scriptwriter Renji Panicker had planned to rope in Mammootty to do the lead role in this flick. Suresh Gopi was also the part of the initial star cast, but his role was that of the second hero.

But after hearing the script, Mammootty told Shaji Kailas that he is not impressed with the dialogues. A disappointed Shaji Kailas decided to start the movie with Suresh Gopi in the lead, and the originally planned role for Suresh was later given to Siddique.

Surprisingly, the crime thriller shattered many collection records, and also marked the birth of a new superstar in Mollywood - Suresh Gopi. The mammoth success of Ekalavyan helped Suresh Gopi to fetch more action-oriented roles in films like Commissioner, Mafia, Mahatma and Yuva Thurki.

Rajavinte Makan

In 1986, director Thambi Kannanthanam had approached Mammootty to do the lead role in Rajavinte Makan. At that time, Thambi Kannanthanam was not an established director, and it compelled Mammootty to turn down the offer. An irked Thambi Kannanthanam had apparently told Mammootty that he would cast Mohanlal in the movie, and also added that he will be a real competitor to Mammootty's stardom once the film hits the screens.

The predictions made by Thambi Kannanthanam turned true, and the movie emerged as a huge blockbuster at the box-office. The character of underworld don Vincent Gomez portrayed by Mohanlal is still considered one of the stylishly-crafted roles ever made in Mollywood history.

Memories

Memories, the Jeethu Joseph directorial which featured Prithviraj Sukumaran, was one of the biggest hits in 2013. After the release of the movie, Jeethu Joseph revealed that he had initially approached Mammootty to do the lead role in this flick.

As per reports, Mammootty adamantly turned down the offer stating that the character of the tormented drunk cop lacked maturity. However, Mammootty's prejudice went wrong, and the role of Sam Alex emerged as one of the finest performances in the career of Prithviraj.

Iruvar

Mani Ratnam's magnum opus project Iruvar which loosely detailed the life of legendary Tamil Nadu politician MG Ramachandran (MGR) was a turning point in the career of Mohanlal. Mohanlal enacted the role of Anandan, the lead protagonist in this flick.

In the earlier days of pre-production, Mammootty was approached by Mani Ratnam to do the role of a character with negative shades. The actor even did some screen tests for the movie, but finally turned down the offer. The role later went to Prakash Raj, and he portrayed it elegantly on screen.