Some movies never fail to tickle our funny bones and liven up our lives no matter what mood we are in. When it comes to Malayalam cinema, Punjabi House (1998) is one such film that remains the audience’s most beloved comedy despite the passage of more than a quarter-century since its release. Although the industry has produced scores of comedies both before and after, it won’t be an exaggeration to state that only a few works have managed to match Punjabi House, let alone surpass it. With immense rewatch value and humour that remains fresh even today, the film, crafted by screenwriter and director duo Rafi–Mecartin, remains close to Malayalees’ hearts.
Starring Dileep — accused of masterminding the sexual assault of a fellow actor in 2017 — as the male lead, the film features two heroines, actors Mohini and Jomol. Revolving around a young man, Unni (Dileep), who unintentionally fakes his death to escape lenders from whom he had borrowed a large sum of money, much of Punjabi House is set in the home of a Malayalam-speaking Punjabi family settled in Kerala, where Unni ends up. Pretending to be speech and hearing impaired, he assumes a new identity there to evade the eyes of creditors. Although his marriage was fixed to his cousin Sujatha (Jomol) back in his native village, at the Punjabi House, he falls for Pooja Kaur (Mohini), who is actually speech-impaired in life. And the movie follows their journey. Interestingly, both Mohini and Jomol received widespread acclaim for their performances, and Sujatha and Pooja became a turning point in their respective careers.
However, did you know that Mohini wasn’t the first choice for the character? In fact, the makers filmed various scenes with the initial heroine for three days before replacing the actor, feeling that her appearance did not resemble that of a Punjabi. This intriguing behind-the-scenes revelation was shared by actor Neena Kurup, who played Karishma Kaur, Pooja’s cousin and best friend, in Punjabi House. In conversation with Milestone Makers, she said: “Actually, Mohini was not the first heroine. Someone else played that role. They did it for about three days. That girl was replaced, saying she didn’t have a Punjabi look. After a day’s break, Mohini joined us. The decision was changed at the last minute.”
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Also starring Lal, Thilakan, Harisree Asokan, Cochin Haneefa, Janardhanan, NF Varghese and Indrans in key roles, Punjabi House is one of the most celebrated movies in the world of Malayalam memes, having contributed richly to pop culture, thanks to its one-liners and comedic situations. Besides becoming a blockbuster success, the movie was remade in Telugu as Maa Balaji (1999), Kannada as Punjabi House itself (2002) and in Hindi as Chup Chup Ke (2006). Starring Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Suniel Shetty and Neha Dhupia — reprising the roles originally played by Dileep, Mohini, Lal and Neena, respectively — Chup Chup Ke was helmed by Priyadarshan.
