Mammootty used to sleep under a tree during shoot breaks

Mammootty’s performance in Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam astonished many fans and captured the hearts of those who saw the film. It appears that the astonishment extended beyond those who saw the film to those who saw the actor on site.

A photo of Mammootty sleeping on a cement floor outside a house, presumably during a shoot break, has gone viral. The actor is seen taking a snooze on a leaf-strewn floor while dressed as his character. It’s unclear whether this is a shooting still or a photograph was taken during a break. This sequence does not appear in the film, which is also produced by Mammootty, because his character is portrayed sleeping on the verandah of a house rather than outside it. Mammootty’s assistant George, who also produced Puzhu last year, took the photo.

Many fans were reminded of Mammootty’s early days when the actor said that during filming breaks in the 1980s, he and his colleagues would sleep outside under a tree. But by the time they awoke, the tree’s shadow would have moved and they’d be baking, but too tired from work to care.

Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam is currently in theatres and stars Ramya Pandian, Ashokan, Kainakary Thankaraj, Suresh Babu, Chethan Jayalal, and Rajesh Sarma. The plot centers around James, who is returning from a trip to Velankanni with his family when he requests that the bus stop at a village in Tamil Nadu. James enters the village and begins acting like Sundaram, who had gone missing sometime earlier.

Mammootty Kampany made his directorial debut with the film, which was written by S Hareesh and directed by Theni Easwar. The film received a resounding ovation at its global premiere at IFFK in December 2022, and it also received excellent reviews after its theatrical release on January 19.