No Manjummel Boys without Kamal Haasan's Kanmani Anbodu Kadhalan, reveals Chidambaram

"I feel this song was made for me 30 years ago. Thanks to Ilaiyaraaja sir and Kamal Haasan sir," filmmaker Chidambaram said while talking about the spectacular success of his latest movie, "Manjummel Boys".

Chidambaram was referring to the iconic song "Kanmani Anbodu Kadhalan" from the cult classic "Guna", starring Kamal Haasan in the lead role. One cannot overstate the role that this song played in making Manjummel Boys the biggest hit in the history of Malayalam cinema.

Appearing on the podcast Filmi Fiesta , Chidambaram revealed that even before he wrote the screenplay, he asked the producers to acquire the rights to use the original version of "Kanmani Anbodu Kadhalan" in the movie.

ALSO READ: Chidambaram on Manjummel Boys: 'After OTT revolution, more people are interested in Malayalam movies'

"I decided to open the movie with 'Kanmani Anbodu Kadhalan' and close it with that song. I asked the production team to get the rights to the song. I told them, if you don't secure the rights, there was no movie," revealed Chidambaram.

Chidambaram's vision and conviction paid off as the film exploded at the box office, taking over theatres across Tamil Nadu. The film became the biggest Malayalam hit in Tamil Nadu, thanks to the enduring appeal of the song and its nostalgic power.

Chidambaram and his composer Sushin Shyam knew the profound impact that this song would have on the audience's viewing experience. The director revealed that he had no doubts about the placement of the song in the narration or what reaction it might garner from the viewers. "We knew that this song would be a great stress reliever. We knew it would work. It worked for me while writing. When I narrated it to my friends, it also worked for them. I tested it on a lot of friends, only then did I put the song in the movie," he said.

Chidambaram confirmed that Kamal Haasan was not aware of how the iconic song that he birthed with composer Ilaiyaraaja was used to shape the narrative of 'Manjummel Boys". But when he found out, Kamal expressed his interest in watching it.

Kamal was very impressed with the movie. So much so that he hosted the main cast and crew of "Manjummel Boys" at his office in Chennai and discussed the movie at length with them.

"He (Kamal) told me that even though he knew that it was his voice saying 'Manithar Unarnthu Kolla, Ithu Manitha Kaathal Alla,' it emotionally moved him. That compliment was a big award for me," Chidambaram said on Filmi Fiesta.

"Manjummel Boys" is all set to make its streaming debut on Disney+Hotstar on May 3.