9 months ago
From Rivals to Legends: Siddique-Lal's Unlikely Friendship
Siddique and Lal, the famous Malayalam film directors, were once enemies who led rival gangs.
A series of events, including a magic show prank and a shared play script, led to them becoming friends and eventually creating successful films together.
Siddique and Lal were once leaders of rival gangs in their hometown
They competed fiercely, even sabotaging each other's events
A magic show prank and a shared play script brought them together
They became friends during rehearsals and started performing mimicry together
Their partnership led to successful films, including 'Godfather', the longest-running Malayalam film
- Who
- Siddique and Lal
- What
- Were once rivals who became successful film directors
- Where
- Pullepady, Ernakulam district, Kerala
- When
- Before entering the film industry
- Why
- They had a personal rivalry that turned into a friendship
Rivalry
Friendship
Magic show prank
Rivalry
Lal's gang locked the magician in a box
Friendship
Siddique's gang stole Lal's play script
Key facts
- First film together
- Ramji Rao Speaking (1989)
- Longest-running film
- Godfather (1991)
- Success rate
- 100%
Quotes
Lal
Lal, a renowned actor and director in Malayalam cinema, recalling his past with Siddique
“We first met each other during the local football matches. We belonged to two groups and Siddique and I were the leaders of our respective gangs. We played football matches every week for money, and the winning team earned Rs 15–25. Nonetheless, Siddique’s team mostly won. So, we initially had only that acquaintanceship and enmity.”
indianexpress.com
“Back then, on the last day of the festival at the local Saint Sebastian church, people staged cultural programmes, including plays and mimicry performances. Both our gangs used to stage plays every year, and we competed with each other in that as well. Since none of us ever learnt the script and dialogues by heart, it was important that someone stood near the stage and prompted the lines to the artistes. One year, the members of Siddique’s gang stole our script. As a result, we couldn’t perform well. Yet, we managed to complete the performance somehow. That created a sense of resentment in us against them.”
indianexpress.com