Malayalam megastar Mammootty’s unparalleled legacy is marked not just by his widely acclaimed and successful movies, but also by those that went under the viewers’ radar despite being impressive works, as well as those that have etched themselves into the hearts of a niche audience. In fact, his oeuvre, comprising over 400 films across five decades, includes several underrated works, among which Adharvam (1989) stands out for its impressive explorations of the dark fantasy horror subgenre.
The sophomore directorial venture of blockbuster screenwriter Dennis Joseph, Adharvam was penned by his longtime associate Shibu Chakravarthy and produced by one of Dennis’ mentors, A Eraaly. In fact, Dennis joined hands with Eraaly as the latter was going through a challenging time and desperately needed a commercial success.
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‘Adharvam over Kottayam Kunjachan’
However, the writer-director himself once revealed that although he had presented Eraaly with two options — Kottayam Kunjachan (1990), an out-and-out action comedy with better chances of being a hit, and Adharvam, which might not achieve the same level of success but would be a far superior cinematic endeavour — the producer chose the latter. Dennis attributed this decision to Eraaly’s penchant for making good cinema, even in the face of a crisis, rather than opting for no-brainers. Alongside Mammootty, the movie also featured Charuhasan, Silk Smitha, Parvathy Jayaram, and KB Ganesh Kumar in key roles.
Although Dennis had a close bond with legendary composer Shyam and worked with him on several movies, including his directorial debut Manu Uncle (1988), this was also the era when he was captivated by the musical brilliance of Ilaiyaraaja. Thus, he wished to rope in the maestro for Adharvam. However, although Ilaiyaraaja had done several Malayalam movies over the years — the best examples being Vyaamoham, Olangal, Aa Raathri, Sandhyakku Virinja Poovu, Oomakkuyil, Pinnilavu, Onnanu Nammal, Yathra, Kaveri, and Poomukhappadiyil Ninneyum Kaathu — by the late 1980s, he had become one of the highest-paid composers in Indian cinema and almost a superstar in his own right.
‘Ilaiyaraaja’s official remuneration was almost 50% of Adharvam’s budget’
During an appearance on Safari TV’s Charithram Enniloode programme, Dennis Joseph revealed that while Adharvam was envisioned with an estimated budget of Rs 22 lakh, Ilaiyaraaja’s remuneration in Tamil cinema at that time was Rs 10 lakh. This meant they would have to set aside almost 50 per cent of their total budget for the composer alone. Moreover, due to back-to-back projects in Tamil and Telugu, he had reduced the number of Malayalam films he did during this period. Nonetheless, Dennis decided to make an effort to persuade Ilaiyaraaja to accept the project and reduce his fee so that they could afford him.
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After much effort, Dennis managed to obtain Ilaiyaraaja’s phone number. When he called, the composer himself answered. The director introduced himself and conveyed his request. Upon hearing it, Ilaiyaraaja said he was already overwhelmed with work in Tamil and Telugu cinema. “However, he asked me which movies I had done before this. I told him I had written films such as Nirakkoottu, Shyama, and New Delhi. Upon hearing New Delhi, he immediately asked me to come over to his home. Apparently, he liked New Delhi a lot,” Dennis recalled. Helmed by Joshiy, the movie featured Mammootty, Sumalatha, and Urvashi in lead roles and marked the megastar’s comeback after a prolonged lull.
‘How can you afford me?’
Ilaiyaraaja liked Adharvam’s story and agreed to do the movie. “With a smile, he then asked, ‘Do you know my current remuneration? How can you afford me?’ I told him we knew about it and informed him transparently that we couldn’t afford him even if he demanded 1/10 of what he charged at that point. He liked our honesty. Ilaiyaraaja asked, ‘How much do you usually pay Shyam?’ I replied, Rs 50,000. That itself was a huge amount considering that this was the era when even the biggest superstars’ remuneration was around Rs 2 lakh. He asked, ‘Can you pay me that amount (Rs 50,000)?’ We immediately said yes, and that’s how Ilaiyaraaja came on board the project,” he shared.
Ilaiyaraaja’s musical mastery and excellence know no bounds, and the entire world knows it. But his sheer brilliance lies in his ability to create an evergreen album in a heartbeat. In fact, he composed all four songs in Adharvam in just 30 minutes. “As we sat down for the composing session, he asked me if I had any reference for the Silk Smitha song. I named ‘Poonthenaruvi’ (Oru Penninte Kadha, 1971). As soon as he heard that, Ilaiyaraaja began humming the tune of our song ‘Puzhayorathil.’ It took him just a fraction of a second to come up with that tune. We were stunned and impressed. Just like that, he composed all four tracks back to back, and it took him less than 30 minutes to finish the job,” Dennis added.
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What’s even more amusing is that none of these songs was hasty jobs, and three among them became chartbusters and are remembered to this day. The other tracks in Adharvam, aside from “Puzhayorathil,” are “Ambilikkalayum Neerum,” “Poovayi Virinju,” and “Om Midhye.” Although Adharvam didn’t become a massive hit like Dennis Joseph’s other films, it was still a success and enjoys cult status to this day.
