Rajamanikyam is a 2005 Ramadan release, written by TA Shahid and directed by Ranjith. Ranjith resigned as director saying that the film could not be made due to lack of proper preparation. The producer also promised to do another film for Siraj in the big house.
Mammootty said, Anwar Rashid will do
It was Mammootty who introduced most budding directors to cinema and gave Anwar Rasheed a chance to make his film debut. Anwar joined Raghunath Paleri’s Vismayam (1998) as an assistant director, followed by K. Madhu, Johnny Antony, Taha, Sunderdas and AK Sajan came on board as assistant directors. Mammootty suggested Anwar to Rajamanikyam as Mammootty liked Anwar’s story for another project. Anwar has said about this in the book ‘Mammooty Gishma and Anubhav’ edited by Bipin Chandran that Mammootty is seen as a film and not as an actor.
There were reports that Kela Muhammed, a businessman from Palakkad, was the inspiration for the character of Bellary Raja in Rajamanikyam. Kela’s specialty was cattle trading and a love for Benz.
Manikyam’s language from the mouthpiece of M Mani
TA Shahid completed the script after staying in Nagercoil for a month and a half. With the idea that the protagonist’s language should be strong enough to be mocked, leading filmmaker M Mani’s dialogue style inspired Rajamanikyam’s hit colloquialisms.
Mammootty says he borrowed the cone seat
Mammootty states in Manoj Bharti’s book that the language of CV Ramanpilla’s works, mainly the character of Shanku Asana in Marthanda Varma, is borrowed. Mammootty also says that some funny words have been changed. TA Shahid in the same book states that it was difficult to use the language effectively for screenwriting for tragic situations as well as for entertainment.
start of script
Rajamanikyam started with the completion of the first part of the script. Anwar Rasheed had earlier said that he had only a small idea about the climax and second half of the film during the shooting of the film. As the shooting progressed, TA Shahid prepared the sequences. Although Thironthoram is spoken orally, Mammootty’s character in Rajamanikyam used the dialect of the border areas of Thiruvananthapuram, such as Parasala, Poovar, Pulluvila, Neyyattinkara, Nemam, Vellarada, Neyyar, Peppara, Kovalam etc.
Mammootty sabotages the dubbing campaign with the help of Sooraj
Mammootty’s Thiruvananthapuram mouthpiece has garnered more accolades for Rajamanikyam. The idea of Thiruntram slang was given by Mammootty himself. During the deliberations of the film Vajram, he shared his desire to be a character who uses the Thiruvananthapuram language throughout the film. But that idea was dropped as the film shifted towards an action-thriller character. Suraj Venjaramood, who has mastered Thiruvananthapuram’s slang at mime venues, was brought to the location for oral training. If there was a rumor that Mammootty had dubbed Suraj Venjaramud, then Mammootty himself proved it wrong. Mammootty shrugged off the allegations by appearing as Rajamanikya in Thiruvananthapuram slang during promotions on the channels. Rajamanikya verbally answered questions from actor Jagadeesh, hosted by Mammootty.
Later Mammootty appeared before his fans with the look and language of Amma’s stage shows Surya Tejasote Amma and Rajamanikyam.
The second part was considered and dropped
It was heard that the second part of Rajamanikyam was on the mind of screenwriter TA Shahid. Mammootty had also said this in an interview. It was reported that the film would be the story of Rajamanikyam after he marries Malli, played by Padmapriya. But later this project was abandoned. Dulquer Salmaan also spent time on location with Mammootty. Recently, a scene of Mammootty and Dulare is still going viral on social media.
record win, highest starting
The film collected Rs 4.87 crore from 41 theaters during its four weeks of release. Highest opening collection in Malayalam at that time. Valiya Vanya Films, which handled production and distribution, earned Rs 2.53 crore in shares. According to the figures published in the media at that time, the total cost of the film including advertisements was Rs 2.30 crores. As per unofficial reports, the film released on 3 November 2005 and grossed ₹16 crore at the end of its run. This achievement is a huge record considering the ticket price of that day.
In 2005, Mammootty’s first film, CBI, was only an average success. Mohanlal’s film Naran and Dileep’s Chanthupot were the major films. Mammootty solved this fatigue with Rajamanikyam’s all-time Errakkad. Rajamanikyam is the film in which debutant hero Rahman returns after a long gap. Rahman played the role of Raju, Rajamanikya’s right-hand man.
Bellary Naga in Kannada
In 2009, Rajamanikya was remade in Kannada as Bellary Naga with Vishnuvardhan in the lead role and directed by Dinesh Babu. Mammootty himself proved his mettle in Thironthoram Eloquence after Kottayam Eloquence in Kottayam Kunjachan, Kannada mixed Malayalam in Vidyayan and Kadapuram Bhasha Bhede in Amarat. Rajamanikyam is yet another example of the great actor Mammootty’s ability to adapt his style and expressions to dialects.