Malayalam producer Dinesh Panickerone of the producers of the iconic film ‘Kireedam’, looked back on ‘Chenkol’, the sequel to the beloved classic.While he appreciated the film’s success, he admitted that some aspects of the sequel have stayed with him over the years.During an interview with Movie World Media, Dinesh recalled voicing his concerns when discussions about making “Chenkol” began.“It was ‘Kireedam’ that gave us all our identity. When Unni informed me that they had decided to make ‘Chenkol’, I expressed my disagreement. As someone who was part of the production of ‘Kireedam’, I felt that I deserved proper recognition. I was not asking for money. I just wanted at least a ‘thank you’ card. But I never got that. I even had a small disagreement with him. Still, I was genuinely happy that Chenkol was a success.“
The producer says the sequel lacked the emotional energy of the original
While Dinesh enjoyed watching ‘Chenkol’, he feels the sequel could not recreate the emotional impact of ‘Kireedam’. He recalled watching the film with his family on the day of release and felt a difference between the two films.According to him, the script of ‘Kireedam’ carried a unique emotional strength that was difficult to reproduce. He also noted that many viewers felt that the sequel had several shortcomings compared to the original classic.“My family and I watched the film on the first day. I liked ‘Chenkol’, but I felt that the positive energy present in the script of ‘Kireedam’ was somehow missing in the sequel. There was no flaw to point out in ‘Kireedam’. But public opinion is that there are many shortcomings in ‘Chenkol’.”
Dinesh Panicker comments in Thilaka character arc
The producer also shared his thoughts on how Thilakan’s character was written in the sequel. He said the character, admired for his resilience in ‘Kireedam’, appeared significantly weaker in ‘Chenkol’, which many audiences noticed.Dinesh believes that this change became one of the frequently discussed points by viewers after the film’s release.“The character played by Thilakan Chettan, who in the first film faced immense hardships and family problems with great strength, became very weak in the second part. Viewers have said that this was one of the biggest disappointments of the film.”Another creative decision that continues with Dinesh is the climax of ‘Chenkol’. He revealed that he never agreed with the decision to end Mohanlalthe character’s journey in the film.According to him, keeping the character alive could have allowed the story to continue in another sequel if the creators had chosen to revisit the franchise.“Though I liked the film as a whole, I still feel that Mohanlal’s character should not have been killed in the end. If that hadn’t happened, Unni could have made a third part if she wanted.”
“Kireedam” continues to be a landmark of Malayalam cinema
Directed by Sibi Malayil and written by AK Lohithadas, ‘Kireedam’ is widely regarded as one of the classics of Malayalam cinema. The film was recently re-released.Although the second part ‘Chenkol’ received good reviews from critics, various audiences share mixed opinions about Thilakan’s character arc, the ending and various other factors.