Ten interesting dialects of Mammootty in various movies

Dialect is the difference in the same language from place to place and Rajan P Dev was an expert on this. Mammootty, though not an authority on creating it, can present it perfectly. Here are ten movies which used his skill of verbal disguise. Mammootty's voice is pretty famous and it is amazing how he flexes it to suit the character and the situation. Some of our great screen writers have given him a good chance to use his voice to give life to wonderful dialogues in a variety of dialects. Here is a list:

1. Pranchiyettan and the Saint

This was written by Ranjith. He had spent 5 years in Thrissur during his School of Drama period and got a good chance to study the dialect up close. He first decided not to use the commonly known Trichur words 'kannali' and 'shavi'. With the help of the actors who were mostly from Trichur he wrote dialogues according to the stature and education of the characters. He took their situation also into consideration. So, even the people who use this dialect were amazed at Mammootty's skill.

2. Rajamaanikkyam (2005)

The script writer T A Shahid stayed there for one and a half months to master this dialect in the southern part of Kerala. Typically this dialect is used in and around the cattle market in Araalummoodu. Initially the dialogues were modeled after the style used by M Mani, a famous producer. This dialect which is found in C V Raman Pillai's classic novels is used with much variation, mixing it with words and phrases used in other part of Trivandrum as well. This dialect has been used only for humour till this movie. The pathos element that comes out through the dialogues in this funny dialect could have been done perfectly only by Mammootty.

3. Kottayam Kunjachchan (1990)

This movie could be called the first of its kind. The title emphasizes the importance of the locale in the movie. Mammootty was born in Kottyam and spent 5 years there and so it was not so hard for him. But along with the Kottayam dialect, he also copied their mannerisms and pushed this movie to the top of charts. A little bit of Pathanamthitta and Thiruvalla can also be heard in his dialogues since the character had been to those places too. However, the movie was shot in Amboori in Trivandrum as this place resembles the rural areas of Kottayam like a mirror image.

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4. Amaram (1991)

Since Chemmeen, no other movie had used the fishmongers' dialect, used by a million Keralites, like it was used in this movie. Lohithadas had no idea to make it so perfect while he penned the script. However, while the movie was getting shot, he stayed among the fishmongers in and around Alappuzha and mastered the dialect and its nuances. Bharathan also asked all the artists, who were mainly from the coastal belt, to frequent those villages. Mammootty spent most of his time in the locations along the coastal area from Punnapra to Chellaanam during the schedule and absorbed the essence of the dialect.

5. Loud Speaker(2009)

The dialect used in this movie (written and directed by Jayaraj) by the hero is a loud variation of the Kottayam dialect to say the least. It is the dialect of Idukky, mainly of those who came from Kottayam and settled there long ago. The hero comes out of his land and uses its dialect among other people. Muttathtu Varkey and Kanam E J had used this dialect in their works. Abel Achan's songs, which are popular among the people here, have polished this dialect to some extent. The hero, like his people, is a very simple minded person who doesn't mind being overheard. So he is loud. Mammootty has done more than justice to this character.

6. Danny (2001)

T V Chandran's Danny happens in Kochi and tells the story of a man born and brought up in Kochi. The dialect spoken in Kochi is a mixture of several cultures, religions and lands. Long sentences without full stops, Portuguese words and a little bit of English make this coastal dialect stand out. Vani Viswanath once said that she used to forget her own dialogues as she got much moved by Mammootty's realistic presentation. The dialogues in this movie is a good collection of samples for studying this colourful dialect.

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7. Valsalyam (1993)

The script was written by Lohithadas and the movie was directed by Kochin Haneefa. Hailing from the city, Kochin Haneefa was not so particular about the authenticity of Valluvanaadan dialect but Lohithadas was fastidious. This dialect had already been popularized by writers like M T Vasudevan Nair, Kovilan and Madhavikkutty. The Valluvanaadan bhasha used in the movie is very important for the movie and sensing this, Mammootty performed it to perfection. There is great consistency and accuracy in his delivery. Though this dialect is popular in books and movies, Valsalyam exploits its possibilities to the fullest.

8. 1921 (1988)

Directed by I V Sasi, this mega movie tells the story of a great historic movement that happened in Malappuram in 1921. The dialect used in Malappuram which was once called Eranaadu has a lot of Urdu, Persian and Arabic words in it. Even the folk songs have this nature. T Damodaran has been very meticulous in catching it and Mammootty has done an excellent job in presenting it. T Damodaran's experience in several plays based on Malappuram was of great help to him. He had been tutored in this dialect by people from Malappuram. Later, in 2004, Mammootty used the same dialect in Bus Conductor with the same ease.

9. Paleri Manikyam (2009)

Mammootty appears in three roles in this movie and they all speak the same dialect, the northern Kozhikodu variety. But there is noticeable difference in the dialogue presentation for each character as the characters come from different stratas of the society. One character is well educated and has seen the world, another is an educated landlord and a third is an uneducated landlord. All the actors had to attend a camp for perfecting their dialogue delivery and T P Rajeevan on whose novel the movie is based says he was completely satisfied to see Mammootty giving life to his characters.

10. Vidheyan (1993)

Set in the southern part of Karnataka, this movie needed Mammootty to speak four different languages and their mixtures. He speaks fluent Kannada at home and when he is in his farm he has to speak a mixture of Malayalam, Thulu and Kananda. This mix up of languages has its own pattern and it is not an easy task for some one from southern Kerala to write the dialogues. But based on Zakaria'a story Adoor Gopalakrishnan did a good job. Zakaria had come across these character because he had a farm in that area. Later this experience came in handy for Mammootty when he did Chattampinaadu.