An honour to witness 'Kireedam' return to the screen, says Mohanlal
Chennai, Nov 26
Malayalam star Mohanlal, who has expressed delight at the National Film Archive of India (NFDC) managing to restore his cult classic film 'Kireedam' from a 35mm release print, has now said that it would be an honour to witness the classic return to the screen.
Taking to his X timeline to share the news that the world premiere of the restored 4K version of the film was to be presented as part of the Special Screenings at the International Film Festival of India that is being held in Goa, Mohanlal said that the final grading had been supervised by the film's cinematographer S Kumar.
He wrote, "Delighted to share the world premiere of the 4K restoration of Kireedam (1989), presented as part of the Special Screenings at the 56th IFFI, Goa. The film has been meticulously restored by NFDC – National Film Archive of India from a 35mm release print, thankfully preserved by the archive for several decades after the original camera negative had decomposed. The final grading was supervised by the film’s cinematographer, S. Kumar. It is an honour to witness this classic return to the screen."
The actor further went on to say, "It is heartening to see 'Kireedam' revived under the National Film Heritage Mission. My best wishes to NFDC–NFAI as they continue preserving and presenting India’s cinematic heritage for future generations, in both digital and analog form."
For the unaware, director Sibi Malayil's Malayalam film 'Kireedam', which released in 1989, featured Mohanlal, Thilakan, Parvathy Jayaram and Mohanraj in the lead roles. The film, which is hailed as a cult classic, fetched Mohanlal his first National Award. The National Award (Special Mention) was presented to Mohanlal for portraying a young man's agony and pain exceedingly well and in a unique fashion.The film, which went on to emerge a huge commercial success at the box office, was also hailed by the critics and to this day, remains one of Malayalam cinema's most iconic films.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally some good work by NFDC! Preserving our cinematic heritage is so important. Kireedam's restoration is a blessing for cinema lovers. That scene where Sethumadhavan breaks down after hitting his father's friend still gives me goosebumps. Iconic film!
As someone who grew up watching this film on Doordarshan, I'm thrilled! But I do wish they'd restore more regional classics with the same enthusiasm. There are so many Tamil and Bengali masterpieces that deserve this treatment too.
I'm not Malayali but watched Kireedam with subtitles last year. Mohanlal's performance is world-class! The way he portrays the character's descent is just incredible. More people need to watch Indian regional cinema - it's truly special.
Thilakan's performance as the father was equally brilliant! The father-son relationship in this film is one of the most authentic portrayals in Indian cinema. Hope they screen this restoration in theatres across Kerala.
This is why film preservation matters! So many classics from the 80s and 90s are being lost to time. Great to see India taking steps to protect its cinematic legacy. The National Film Heritage Mission sounds like a much-needed initiative.
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