Dara Singh’s intense attachment towards the spirit and ethics of wrestling forced a change in the climax of Malayalam movie ‘Mutharamkunnu P O,’ according to the team behind the film.
The maiden venture by ace director Siby Malayil, released in 1985, was the only film in a south Indian language in which the world champion wrestler acted.
It told the love story between a postman (Mukesh) and the daughter of a veteran wrestler (Lissy) in a rural background. Dara appeared as himself in a notable cameo. Initially the movie was planned in such a manner that Dara, who comes in as the challenger to Mukesh, submits before the lover in a trick to fool the girl’s father. But Dara, who remained undefeated through his wrestling career, could not digest this idea.
“He told us it was unethical on his part to ditch the profession of wrestling, his first love. Moreover, it would be too much to expect a former world champion losing to a novice. Hence we changed the story in such a way that Dara, an old friend of the veteran wrestler played by Nedumudi Venu, convinces the latter to accept the couple and their love as it was a logical climax,” said Siby.
Actor Jagdeesh, who wrote the film’s story, went to Mumbai to sign Dara for the film. “Dara became a natural choice as he was both a wrestler of national repute and a film star. However, he expressed doubt at first whether a small industry like Malayalam could afford an actor like him. But he was happy to be a part of the film after listening to the story and his role,” said Siby. Dara was given a decent remuneration for his four-day shoot at Melila near Kottarakkara where he spent almost a week with the unit.
“`25,000 was a big sum when the film was made on a budget of less than `5 lakh. The then superstars charged less than `1 lakh per film. Though the movie was not a massive hit, it was noted for the rustic innocence and the presence of Dara,” remembers the director who went on to become a hot property in the industry soon.
Siby still cherishes the warmth displayed by Dara, when both of them met at a function in Mumbai sometime back.