Showrunner and director of two featurettes in Manorathangal, an anthology based on nine stories written by Jnanpith-awardee MT Vasudevan Nair, Priyadarshan’s connect with the film is evident in his conversation. He turns emotional while talking about his work in the anthology that drops on ZEE5 on August 15, in which he has directed two segments, Olavum Theeravum and Shilalikhitham. He says reading the screenplay of Olavum Theeravum (1970), written by MT, as a 15-year-old, inspired him to become a director.
Mohanlal in a scene from ‘Olavum Theeravum’| Photo Credit:Special Arrangement Priyadarshan says, “Initially, I made my name by helming full-length comedies, then a rare phenomenon in Malayalam cinema. But there were other films in me that I longed to make. I was jealous of filmmakers like IV Sasi, Sibi Malayil and Hariharan who were directing movies that are now considered classics in the language.
” Priyadarshan yearned to helm a script by the veteran scenarist. “But I was a little afraid of him. He rarely smiles and has a serious expression,” he shares.
When he shared his disappointment with Mohanlal, the actor reached out to MT and requested him to consider writing a script for Priyadarshan. Mamu Koya in a still from ‘Olavum Theeravum’, one of the films in the anthology ‘Manorathangal’| Photo Credit:Special arrangement “MT agreed and we met a couple of times in Chennai. That was when my father fell ill.
He told me to immediately go to my father. I.
