Kumbalangi Nights is a 2019 Malayalam drama film written by award-winning scriptwriter Syam Pushkaran and directed by debutant Madhu C. Narayanan. The film was jointly produced by Fahadh Faasil and Nazriya Nazim under the banner of their production house Fahadh Faasil and Friends, in association with Dileesh Pothan and Syam Pushkaran under the banner of Working Class Hero. The film stars Shane Nigam, Fahadh Faasil, Soubin Shahir, Sreenath Bhasi, and Mathew Thomas in crucial roles.
The film centers on the strained relationship between four brothers living together in a dysfunctional home, and how they ultimately stand up for each other as a family. Upon its release, Kumbalangi Nights received universal critical acclaim and is now known to be one of the best Malayalam films of the decade. The film went on to receive various accolades and gained cult status. The character Shammi, who was played by Fahadh Faasil, also developed a cult following with many of his dialogues becoming a part of pop culture.
During a recent promotional interview for Fahadh's upcoming film Malayankunju, he revealed that his role was written originally for actor Dhanush. He said, "In Kumbalangi Nights, my role was initially worked on for Dhanush. But at that point, we could not afford him in Malayalam cinema". The movie garnered large amounts of extremely positive reviews from both the critic and the audience.
Insights: Shammi from Kumbalangi Nights (Malayalam) was actually written for #Dhanush, due to budget reasons it did not work out. #FahadhFaasil pic.twitter.com/jLHD26A5Vv
— Heytamilcinema (@heytamilcinema) July 19, 2022
To think that if Dhanush had been roped in to play the role, Kumbalangi Nights would still have been a massive success along but would have the name of a big South Indian actor under it as well which would have helped boosted its impact on the public.
