Blessy on 18 years of 'Thanmathra': It gives me immense joy that the film has helped create awareness about Alzheimer's disease in society

Blessy’s sophomore directorial ‘Thanmathra’ has completed 18 years of its release on Saturday (Dec 16). Starring Mohanlal in the lead role, the film was released on 16 Dec 2005. The film delved into the horrors of how Alzheimer's disease impacts a person and his family.

‘Thanmathra’ was released at a time when Malayalam cinema’s trend was comedy entertainer, however, the film turned out to be a critically and commercially successful venture, attaining a classic status over the years. The film also had Meera Vasudev, Nedumudi Venu, Jagathy Sreekumar, and Arjun Lal in pivotal roles.

Speaking about the reception the film received, Blessy shared, “Apart from being the director of 'Thanmathra', it gives me immense joy that 'Thanmathra' has helped create awareness about Alzheimer's disease in society. On this occasion of 18 years since the release of the film, I would like to express my gratitude to the audience and the cast and crew involved in the production of the film."

Blessy also divulged that he had the idea of 'Thanmathra' in mind, even before making his debut directorial 'Kazhcha'. "The film is also a story of relationships. It is often the dream of many in middle class families see their son achieve what they couldn't. Apart from that, not just Mohanlal, but every member of the cast, be it Nedumudi Venu, Jagathy Sreekumar, Arjun Lal, or Meera Vasudev, they all stepped into the shoes of the characters they played, and played them with utmost conviction,” the director added.


The film won five awards at the 2005 Kerala State Film Awards. Along with the award for the best film, best actor, best director, best screenplay, debutant Arjun Lal won the special jury award for his performance .'Thanmathra' is available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar.

On the work front, Blessy is currently working on his upcoming film 'Aadujeevitham' starring Prithviraj Sukumaran. The film is set to hit theaters worldwide on April 10, 2024.
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