'Before meeting with Lohithadas, Jasmine's daddy scolded me severely'

It was after 18 years of tirelessly doing all odd jobs behind the camera that Blessy earned the tag of director in the Malayalam industry. Blessy's oeuvre speaks volumes about his craft and there seems to be a separate cabinet in his house for keeping the copious state and national awards he earned throughout the years. His magnum opus ‘Aadujeevitham’ released in 2023, did a rout by taking away all prominent state awards for the year.

And now, Blessy takes time to tell interesting anecdotes from his film career.

Blessy:

“Soothradharan was my fifth film as an associate director. In most of Lohithadas’s films, it was my responsibility to travel and find the characters suited for the role. This character demanded a smart and beautiful teenage girl. It was at that time I saw Jasmine at a dental clinic in Thiruvalla. I felt she would suit the role but hesitated to talk to her.

I thought about her again when received a call from Lohithadas. Soon, she acted in an advertisement and later in KTDFC’s advertisement. This time, Lohithadas wanted to meet her and it was my responsibilty to take her to Shornur. But there came a roadblock and it was Jasmine’s father. He didn’t like the idea of films and scolded me severely.

After some convincing, I took her along with my wife on the train to Shornur. The audition went smoothly and later we returned in a local compartment. The train journey was unbearable and was jam-packed with people. At some point, we saw some movie posters through the window, and I told Jasmine, that it won't take long for her face to grace in those posters.

Then I gave her some advice which I felt was genuine. 'How is Goddess Lakshmi standing on top of a lotus-like flower? To do that, Lakshmi Devi should be in a weightless state. That's how life should be. This will also ensure prosperity and wealth in life.'

Soon after, the Jasmine got rechristened as Meera Jasmine and her posters started appearing not just in Kerala, but all over the country. Jasmine turned out to be on of the best finds in Malayalam film industry."