Another famous director in Malayalam cinema shot the song scene ‘Karmukilvarnanten chundil’ in Nandanam.
‘Nandanam’, directed by Ranjith in 2002, told the story of a girl named Balamani, a devotee of Krishna, and is one of the Malayalam’s favorite films. Navya won the State Award for Best Actress for her role as Balamani. Prithviraj’s film debut was through Nandanam. The songs of the film also got a lot of attention. The song ‘Karmukilvarnanan chundil’ also won KS Chitra the state award for best female singer of the year.
Chitra’s beautiful singing, the importance of the song in the context of the story, and the beautiful cinematography made the song scene a great experience. But how many people know that it was not director Ranjith but another director who shot that beautiful song scene that still gives nostalgia to movie lovers.
Director CB Mala shot that song scene in Nandanam. Ranjith had invited Sibi Malayil who had done many songs of similar nature to do that song.
“Ranjith once told me the story of Nandan on the phone. I said that is a great idea. Navya, who acted as the heroine in my film Ishta, was also told. The hero was not decided then. Later, Ranjith introduced Prithvi to me saying that he was Sukuvetan’s mon.”
“Ranjith asked me if I could shoot Varnan’s chundil song in Karmukil, in which Navya sings in the climax of that film. I was called on the courage that I am an experienced person who has shot such songs. I shot that song scene,” says CB Malail.
Cibi Malail also says that he met Prithvi through Nandana, but later there were some problems in the relationship between him and Prithvi. CBI Malail clarified that it was not a problem due to his fault.
Says CB Malayil: “Prithviraj was cast as Jayaram’s brother in the film Amritham. The writer and the producer went and told the story to Prithvi. Later the producers told me that the remuneration he was asking was high. I can’t interfere in that, you decide, whatever you have budget for that character, say that. If he can do it, let him do it, or we will look for another option. They talked to each other and did not reach an agreement on the reward. That’s how Arun came to that role. After many years I realized that I changed Prithvi’s outfit from that film, and I still have no clarity about it. It is still a gap. I don’t know if it will change, the stages to change have passed,” says Cibi Malail.
Nandanam was the life-changing film for Prithvi, who came home to Thiruvananthapuram from Australia during her college summer vacation at the age of nineteen. Prithviraj, who went to meet Ranjith after his mother Mallika Sukumaran told him to change the boredom of a holiday, came to Malayalam cinema as a hero with the film ‘Nandanam’. Prithvi’s plan when he went to meet Ranjith was to go back to Australia and continue his studies by the end of the vacation. But that meeting with Ranjith was a 360 degree change in life for Prithvi. Prithvi did not have to go back to college after his vacation, instead Prithviraj Sukumaran grew up to become a young superstar in Malayalam cinema.