Although almost 20 years have passed since director Blessy’s Thanmathra (2005) hit the screens, the tragic drama remains an unhealed wound in the minds of Malayalam film audiences. It is one of those rare films that many viewers have said they won’t watch again because it’s too heartbreaking. Revolving around a man diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and its effects on him and his family, Thanmathra starred Mohanlal and Meera Vasudevan in the lead roles.
While the movie featured many distressing moments, one scene stood out as the most disturbing. Towards the middle, after Ramesan Nair (Mohanlal) begins showing signs of memory problems, before the disease is diagnosed, Thanmathra features a scene showing him getting intimate with his wife Lekha (Meera) at night. During their intimacy, he notices a lizard on the wall across the room, and his focus shifts to that. He suddenly, in a disoriented state, gets up from the bed and follows the lizard, underscoring how he is slowly losing control over his thoughts.
A key moment that offered an initial glimpse of how Alzheimer’s disease could affect a person, it required Mohanlal to appear completely nude. However, the entire scene did not make it to the final cut, as certain parts were censored. Although the remaining scene received praise from many viewers for how well it was envisioned and filmed, it also courted controversy because such scenes were uncommon, particularly in family dramas, back then.
Meera Vasudevan herself once revealed that director Blessy and his team ensured both she and Mohanlal were comfortable during the shoot. She also stated that before filming began, Mohanlal apologised to her. Stating that Blessy narrated the entire script, including the intimate scene, during their first meeting itself, Meera said he told her that many senior actors had turned down the movie because of this scene.
‘It was tougher for Mohanlal because he had to go completely nude’
During an appearance on Amrita TV’s Red Carpet chat show, she said, “I asked him just one thing, ‘Why is this scene required? What is its purpose?’ He said it’s very important. From the very beginning of the movie, these two characters are portrayed as very close. It’s an intimate family as well. The husband and wife are always very touchy and feely. And this scene shows him suddenly getting distracted. He leaves his wife to chase a lizard. It crushes her. That’s also when she understands something’s wrong with him.”
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Pointing out that the camera was set from Lekha’s POV, Meera recalled that she was almost fully covered with sheets. “It was tougher for Mohanlal sir because he had to go completely nude for the scene. It was more challenging for him. I had to think about sir, as well as myself, and my integrity and respect. He is very professional. Before the shot, he came and apologised to me. He said, ‘I am very sorry about this. If I am embarrassing you in any way, I am sorry.’ He was wearing a petticoat before the shot and removed it just before the moment. I asked Blessy sir to ensure that it was shot with a small team, and they respected the same. We all worked on the scene with pure hearts and integrity,” she added.
Besides winning the National Film Award for Best Malayalam Feature Film, Thanmathra also earned multiple Kerala State Film Awards, including Best Film and Best Director. It earned Mohanlal his fifth state award for Best Actor as well.
