Why do Sun Pictures gift exotic cars to Rajinikanth, Nelson, and Anirudh for ‘Jailer’? What’s the story behind P K R Pillai gifting Mohanlal an Ambassador in 1988, and K T Kunjumon’s lavish gifts to Shankar and his team for ‘Gentleman’ in 1993? According to Kunjumon, it’s simple: “Those people worked hard to make the film a grand success.”
It’s astonishing! The value of Rajinikanth’s BMW X7 and the Porsches owned by Nelson Dilipkumar and Anirudh Ravichander matches that of Mohanlal’s Ambassador and S Shankar’s Maruti 800. These cars were all tokens of appreciation.
Kunjumon didn’t stop at the Maruti 800; he gifted Shankar a three-bedroom flat and Kinetic Hondas to his assistant directors. He also gave gold coins to the rest of the crew. “I had to do something to show my token of appreciation,” he explained. “Maruti 800 was then considered a ‘superstar’ among cars. Since Shankar didn’t own a house, I also decided to purchase one for him.”
He continued, “Most of the actors were well-off and didn’t need a car or a house. However, I gifted a Kinetic Honda, which was the rage then, to every assistant director who worked on the film.”
In 2017, after ‘Oru Mexican Aparatha’ became an industry hit, producer Anoop Kannan decided to share profits with every actor and technician. “The success of a film depends on the efforts of every individual associated with the project,” he said. The film’s director, Tom Emmatty, received the latest Innova model as a gift.
Producer Vinod Shoranur, behind ‘Oru Vadakkan Selfie,’ invested in director G Prajith’s home after the film’s massive success. “It was a noble gesture on Vinod’s part,” praised Prajith.
Last year, Unni Mukundan, producer of ‘Meppadiyan,’ gifted a Mercedes-Benz to filmmaker Vishnu Mohan after the film became a hit. He posted a heartfelt note on Instagram, emphasizing that the luxury car was something the director truly deserved. Mammootty, through his production company Mammootty Kampany, gifted Asif Ali a Rolex watch during the success celebrations of the film ‘Rorschach’ in 2022.
Anoop Kannan stressed that the Malayalam film industry differs from the Tamil industry, known for high-budget movies. “Our films are made on a smaller scale, and the profit and turnover of most of our films are comparatively low. So, it would not be feasible to share profits or lavish expensive gifts on the cast and crew. But there have been rare instances,” he explained.
K T Kunjumon believes that showering expensive gifts only on the star cast is unfair. “I’m not saying not to gift expensive cars to actors like Rajinikanth, who still managed to pull off a hit even in his 70s. However, producers should ensure that every technician who worked behind the film benefits from their generous gesture. It’s something I believe in and what I have done.”
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