"Real life Pazhassiraja was entirely different from reel-life Pazhassi; He was dark and short"

Pazhassiraja is amongst the biggest hits in Malayala Cinema. The historical cinema with Mammootty in the lead role garnered rave reviews. The moviegoers opined that the role was tailor made for Mammootty and no other actor is more suited for the role. However, a book written by Dr. Kuttamath Kunniyur Narayana Kurup reveals that history was twisted for the movie.

Pazhassiraja is portrayed as a feudal lord in the movie. The Pazhassiraja in the movie rides horse, reads musical instrument and kills opponents in combat. In an interview to a prominent media, Dr. Kuttamath Kunniyur Narayana Kurup said that he prepared his book on Pazhassiraja after an extensive study on history. Documents regarding the visit of a French President who visited Rajah Pazhassi was used for collecting information, he said.

“French President visited Pazhassiraja when he was 55 years old. The Rajah had a long beard and wore a crown with red dots. Unlike in the movies, he wasn’t a feudal lord. Being a short guy, he was not able to mount horse. In the documents, it is said that the Rajah cried for the possible deaths that may occur if another war breaks out”, Narayana Kurup said.

He added that Pazhassi killed himself using his gun. “Several departments had a dispute regarding the money for betraying him. The movie didn’t show any of these”, he said.

In a council of historians held at Chennai, it was decided that the information found by historians shouldn’t be twisted. Narayana Kurup said that there were no debates regarding the twisting of history in the movies.