On Christmas Day in 1980, Manjil Virinja Pookkal was released in theatres without big names or any fanfare. But that small film by a debut director named Fazil went on to become a pathbreaking hit.

The vision of a young filmmaker changed the course of Malayalam cinema. The film also launched to stardom the likes of Mohanlal, Shankar, Poornima Jayaram and Jerry Amaldev.

Now, as Manjil Virinja Pookkal turns 45, TNIE catches up with Fazil to revisit the making of the landmark film. Excerpts:

Could you share how the core idea of Manjil Virinja Pookkal came about?

I was involved in the script discussions of Thacholi Ambu as part of its creative team. After its success, I asked Navodaya Appachan if we could try making a small-budget film with newcomers. Though hesitant at first, he approved the idea later. But we still didn’t have a story for the film.

Around that time, [Appachan’s son] Jijo Punnoese handed me a book on people’s ghost experiences. A piece in that collection caught our attention. It told the story of two strangers who meet on a flight, fall in love, but after reaching their destination, the woman is mysteriously murdered by her ex-lover. Oddly, her friends claim to have seen her alive after the murder, leading to the eerie question of who they saw.

That sparked the idea of what if someone from a lover’s past returns and disrupts a new relationship. From that thread, Manjil Virinja Pookkal was born. I never imagined it would become such a landmark film. If it had failed, perhaps no one would have even known my name today!

Many people consider it a ‘new generation’ film that broke several conventions. Looking back, how do you see it now?

I don’t see Manjil Virinja Pookkal as a ‘new generation’ film. To me, however, it was a lesson. It was only after making that film that I began to approach projects like Noketha Doorathu Kannum Nattu, films that are now considered timeless, with attention to detail.

Looking back, I actually wonder if we had gone overboard with the style trends of that era — the haircuts, the bell-bottoms…

That said, when filmmakers like Sathyan Anthikad say the film changed the course of Malayalam cinema, I agree. It marked a clear turning point after the Prem Nazir–Madhu–Sukumaran era, paving the way for the rise of Mammootty and Mohanlal.