As ‘Kireedam’ returns to theaters in a restored version 37 years after its original release, director Sibi Malayil has revealed an interesting chapter in the film’s journey. The filmmaker shared that the now iconic title was not originally intended for the Mohanlal classic.Speaking in an interview with Silly Monks, Sibi Malayil recalled how the title finally came to Kireedam. He also credited writer AK Lohithadas for naming both Kireedam and its sequel Chenkol.
“Kireedam” was first suggested for a Mammootty film
Sibi Malayil revealed that the idea of ’Kireedam’ had been around long before Mohanlal was finalized for the lead role. At that time, Lohithadas was writing scripts for several filmmakers, including IV Sasi.Recalling the incident, Sibi said, “The idea of Kireedam had been with us for quite some time. When Lohi (Lohithadas) and I were developing the story, we hadn’t even decided that Mohanlal would play the lead. At that time, Lohi was also writing films for various directors. Mr IV Sasi was then making a film called Mukthi, starring Mammootty. Once, when Lohi was in Madras working on that film, I went to meet him. He told me about Mukthi. It was about the life of a collector and the ‘crown of thorns’ he brought to his life.”He further said, “Lohi suggested the title Kireedam for that film. But Mr. IV Sasi didn’t particularly like the title. He told Lohi to come up with something else. When Lohi told me that, I immediately said, “That title belongs to us. Let’s use it for our film”. Lohi agreed and said it suited our story perfectly. That’s how we ended up using the title Kireedam.”
How ‘Chenkol’ got his final title
Sibi Malayil also revealed that the sequel almost had a different name before the team settled on ‘Chenkol’. Several options were discussed during the planning stage.Sharing the details, he said, “When we started planning the sequel, several titles were discussed. One of the names we considered was Kanneerpoovu. But it was Lohi who finally came up with the title ‘Chenkol’. He wanted a title that had a connection with Kireedam. There is a symbolic relationship between a crown (Kireedam) and a film (in fact, the title of Chenkolding). ‘A Prince Who Lost So Much the crown as the sceptre“That idea also influenced the title.”According to the director, the symbolic link between the two titles made ‘Chenkol’ the perfect continuation of Sethumadhavan’s story.‘Kireedam’ marked one of the most memorable collaborations between director Sibi Malayil, writer AK Lohithadas and actor Mohanlal.Its sequel ‘Chenkol’ continued the story and ended on a more emotional note than the first part.The restored version of ‘Kireedam’ is now back in theaters.