Box office flops, unforgettable characters: When characters won, but the films didn't

Time of India

22-07-2025

(Picture Courtesy: Facebook)
Ever been in a condition where you really loved a movie character, but not the movie? Then we are on the same line here. Especially in Malayalam cinema, there have been several impressive characters that still rule social media, but the films actually failed to impress the audiences.
Performances outshine the film
Some directors care a lot for their characters in the movie, even more than the actual script. In some ways, there is a rule that the audience should be able to connect to the character, and then only the script will work, as the viewers will be emotionally invested in a particular character or a group of characters. But this can go wrong in many ways, as even if the character seems to be interesting, the script fails to impress.
Take, for example, Suraj Venjaramoodu's character Dasamoolam Daamu from Mammootty's 'Chattambinaadu'. All thanks to Suraj's stunning performance, Dasamoolam Daamu still rules social media in memes, trolls, and others. Coming to the film 'Chattambi Naadu', did it work well? A strong 'NO' would be the answer.
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook)
'Sometimes, even a full-length character goes unnoticed' - Actress Amalda Liz
Bramayugam - Official Trailer
In an exclusive interview with ETimes, the actress Amalda Liz opened up about the same topic. Speaking about her Yakshi role in Mammootty's 'Bramayugam', she says, 'The desire to portray a 'Yakshi' role has always been within me, so when Rahul Sadasivan, the director, reached out, we immediately bonded over this particular character.
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We delved into character sketches and other preparatory measures that aided me in shaping my role.
Subsequently, we conducted numerous look tests and trial shoots. Additionally, I had already envisioned the character's essence in post-production, which further facilitated my preparation process.'
Amalda further said, 'Watching 'Bramayugam' made it clear to me that it's undoubtedly a classic in the horror genre of Malayalam cinema.
Also, sometimes, even with a full-length character, it can go unnoticed, but this kind of response to my short-length character was unexpected.'
Meanwhile, 'Bramayugam' is a classic example of how characters and story also go hand in hand and impress the audience. Even Amalda Liz's brief Yakshi character stays with you for long after the end credits roll.
'Playing a character from Vaikom Muhammad Basheer's story really excited me' - Pooja Mohanraj
Aashiq Abu's 'Neelavelicham', which is a remake of the Prem Nazir starrer by the same name, unfortunately flopped at the box office.
While the original film has several memorable characters, why did the remake, which was filled with the same characters, failed to impress? Here, the issue was with the storyline and execution, for sure. 'Neelavelicham's story would have been definitely impressive decades back, but now? No.
In an exclusive interview with ETimes, the actress Pooja Mohanraj who played the role of Latha in 'Neelavelicham' said, 'When I got roped in for the role of Bhargavi's friend character Latha, people were asking me two extreme things.
One section among them was actually afraid of whether the remake of such a classic film 'Bhargavi Nilayam' would work well and another section said to me that this film is going to be a magnificent one.
Playing a character from Vaikom Muhammad Basheer's story really excited me.'
In short, there are several examples ranging from Mohanlal's character Mathew Manjooran in B Unnikrishnan's 'Villain' to Mammootty's Bilal John Kurishingal ('Big B' reportedly didn't do well at the box office). Suvh movies may have flopped, but their characters shine.