{
  "id": 7233561,
  "title": "A ‘Pramod Pappanic Approach’: How Mammootty, Nayanthara’s Thaskaraveeran went horribly wrong",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/a-pramod-pappanic-approach-how-mammootty-nayantharas-thaskaraveeran",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-14T02:37:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/malayalam/mammootty-thaskaraveeran-nayanthara-pramod-pappan-worst-movies-retrospective-analysis-10876110/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In September 2022, Mammootty celebrated his 75th birthday, and many praised his talent and unconventional choices. However, like any great actor, he has also been involved in poorly executed films. One such movie is Thaskaraveeran, directed by Pramod Pappan and featuring Mammootty and Nayanthara. The film tells the story of Arakkalam Kochu Baby, a notorious robber from Mumbai who returns to his hometown in Kerala after decades of exile. Baby seeks to save his aging parents from debt and avenge the murder of his grandfather by the antagonist, Malayil Eapen. In the film, Baby uses a mask to impersonate others and commit robberies.\n\nDespite being Mammootty's debut directorial venture, Thaskaraveeran is part of a series of unsuccessful movies by Pramod Pappan. Each of their films seems to be progressively worse than the last. The duo claims to have introduced innovative technologies to Malayalam cinema, yet their idea of using masks for identity impersonation fell flat. The movie's numerous inconsistencies, such as characters switching from daytime to nighttime without clear justification and poor character development, make it a disaster. Mammootty's performance, while commendable, is marred by a bizarre hairstyle and moustache that seem out of place, coupled with cringeworthy dialogues like \"Nee thanthakku pirannavanalla mone, thanthede thanthakku pirannavana.\" Nayanthara's romantic scenes are equally clumsy, with forced dialogue and overacting. The film's script, written by Dennis Joseph, was based on a story by Antony Eastman, and the composer Ouseppachan's music couldn't save the overall poor execution.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}