Lohitadas, scriptwriter and filmmaker, and top star Dileep created Chakkaramuthu with a tragic ending, as already reported in these columns, where we had also mentioned the possibility of a different climax which would be more palatable to the audiences.
For Lohitadas, changing climaxes in a film is nothing new; he had altered the ending of his debut directorial venture, Bhoothakannadi also.
Chakkaramuthu first had an ending where Dileep's died of a bullet injury sustained; as a result, heroine Kavya Madhavan became insane and was admitted in a mental asylum. Audiences complained that Chakkaramuthu was not sweet but bitter. So the filmmakers deleted Kavya becoming mentally unbalanced, but did not delete Dileep's on-screen tragic demise.
The new version is a classic happy ending, what each viewer has been seeing from the time Malayalam cinema began. Lohitdas now claims this version being shown now is its original version. The tragic ending was changed following viewers complaints.
Should filmmakers changes climaxes based on feedback from audiences? Opinions are divided. Malayalam cinema already has a history of changing climaxes after films release. A Mohanlal-Mammootty grosser Harikrishnans was released with two endings in two regions to suit viewers tastes. Juhi Chawla chose Mammootty as her lifemate in the prints released in north Kerala where the actor holds sway. In south Kerala, Mohanlal married Juhi.
But this is the first time that the climax of a Malayalam film was shot and shown with three different endings. Will we have multiple choice endings for all Malayalam films in future? God knows.
Click here to view the photo gallery of Dileep , Mammootty, Kavya
