‘I completed writing that scene while crying’: Blessy recalls emotional scene from Thanmathra

KOCHI: Director Blessy has revealed that he completed writing one of the most emotional scenes in the Mohanlal-starrer Thanmathra while in tears. Blessy was speaking after inaugurating the newly launched Advanced Memory Clinic at Rajagiri Hospital. Recalling a scene from the film, he spoke about the moment when Mohanlal’s character’s son runs to him excitedly to share that he has cleared the IAS examination. However, having lost his memory and the ability to recognise even his loved ones, the character looks at his son and asks, “Who are you?” Blessy said he completed writing the scene while crying.

He added that the impact of Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss on human life continues to be a painful reality for society. Thanmathra was one of the films that brought memory loss and dementia to the big screen. It was in this context that Blessy shared his experience of writing the screenplay.

Rajagiri Executive Director Fr Johnson Vazhappilly said the main aim of the new clinic is to prevent dementia patients from reaching an advanced stage of the disease, where they may become completely bedridden and unable to recognise even their loved ones. The hospital has equipped the clinic with advanced treatment facilities. Patients will have access to CSF biomarker tests, advanced PET scans for the accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, and monoclonal antibody treatment for dementia.

Released in 2005, Thanmathra was written and directed by Blessy and was based on Ormma, a short story by writer-director Padmarajan. Starring Mohanlal, Meera Vasudevan and Arjun Lal in the lead roles, the film explored the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on a family. The film featured one of the most acclaimed performances of Mohanlal’s career and ran in theatres for around 150 days.