New Delhi: Malayalam star Jagathy Sreekumar is making a comeback to the big screen, 12 years after a devastating car accident left him paralysed. But he may not have any dialogues.
Sreekumar will star in Vala, an upcoming zombie film by Gaganachari (2024) director Arun Chandu. The announcement was made on 5 January—his birthday—via a striking poster and has thrilled the industry and fans alike.
“He [Jagathy Sreekumar] was the biggest comedy actor in Malayalam cinema from the late 70s till the accident happened in 2012,” Malayalam industry tracker Sredhaar Pillai told The Print. “He was a big box office draw and a character actor. His being in the star cast was a crowd-puller.”
While his comeback has brought a wave of joy, an industry insider said that the actor is “unlikely to have dialogues as speaking has been challenging for him since the accident”.
Pillai noted that no one has seen him talk and few know about his medical condition.
“Maybe his character is a robot. Only time will tell about his contribution to the script. But the brand ‘Jagathy Sreekumar’ is coming back for sure,” he said.
Marco (2024) actor Kabir Duhan Singh can’t stop singing Sreekumar’s praises. He calls him a “legend; one of the greatest actors Malayalam cinema has ever produced”.
Singh is excited about Sreekumar’s comeback. While the actor already has several Malayalam projects in the pipeline, he hopes to collaborate with the latter someday.
“He has five Kerala State Awards to his name. I’m thrilled to hear about his big-screen comeback,” Singh said.
Renowned for his iconic comedic roles, Sreekumar has also excelled in delivering unforgettable performances as a villain.
While it’s nearly impossible to choose a favourite from the veteran actor’s illustrious repertoire, Pillai highlights Kilukkam (1991) as one of his finest works.
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‘Maestro of comedy’
Sreekumar is expected to play the role of a scientist, Professor Ambili, also known as Uncle Lunar. The poster features him seated in a wheelchair, set against a post-apocalyptic backdrop. The wheelchair’s design, reminiscent of Stephen Hawking’s, hints at a tech-savvy, innovative character.
“The maestro of comedy is back !! Happy Birthday to the legendary Jagathy Sreekumar. Get ready to witness his iconic return in Vala as Professor Ambili, aka Uncle Lunar. The stage is set for a comeback like no other,” read the caption of the post.
Vala, co-written by Chandu and Tyler Durden, reunites much of the team from Chandu’s State Award-winning science-fiction mockumentary Gaganachari.
Produced by Underdog Entertainments in collaboration with Letters Entertainments, Vala stars Gokul Suresh, Aju Varghese, Anarkali Marikar, and KB Ganesh Kumar. The film’s narrative will be a “hybrid of screen thriller and found footage films”. Its protagonist is modelled after American YouTuber and investigative journalist Johnny Harris, Chandu revealed in an interview.
“The film will be laced with humour, with more focus on the genre in the second half and will also have pop culture references, just like Gaganachari,” he said. “It’s exciting to see others pushing the zombie genre in Malayalam alongside us. We view it as a mutually beneficial endeavour.”
The film is currently in the pre-production stage, with a significant focus on CGI-heavy elements, including 3D–modelled creatures. It is slated for release later in the year.
Despite not having fully recovered from his accident, Sreekumar made a minor return to cinema in 2022 with the Mammootty-starrer CBI 5: The Brain.
In the film, he reprised his role as CID Vikram from the CBI franchise. Though his appearance was limited and without dialogues, it was his first screen presence in a decade.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)
His last film CBI 5 realeased in 2022.