Special gift from Tourism Dept for Mammootty's birthday, Dulquer shares reason for not having pictures with Vappachi

On the occasion of Malayalam cinema megastar Mammootty's 73rd birthday, Kerala Tourism Minister Mohammad Riaz extended his heartfelt wishes and announced a special birthday gift for the actor. In a Facebook post, the minister revealed that the Tourism Department has decided to transform Mammootty’s hometown, Chempu, into a model tourism village.

Chempu, a scenic village in the Kottayam district, is one of the 14 panchayats in Kerala selected for the Women Friendly Tourism Scheme under the state's Responsible Tourism Mission. Recognizing its rich potential for rural and backwater tourism, the Tourism Department has been working on initiatives to showcase Chempu’s natural beauty and cultural heritage.

As part of the efforts, the Responsible Tourism Mission is developing village life experience tour packages to attract visitors to Chempu. Local residents have been given necessary training to participate in tourism-related activities, ensuring community involvement in the project.

Minister Riaz's post, accompanied by a picture with Mammootty, celebrated both the actor's legacy and Chempu’s growing prominence as a tourism destination.

Dulquer has also wished Mammootty. Sharing a photo with Vappachi, Dulquer shared a heart-touching note. 'Best friends, I realized late that there are no photos together. The moments together are too precious and fun to even think about wasting time posing or taking selfies. Every year we take photos to post on Vappachi's birthday. Neither of our phones seem to have pictures of just us. But now I understand why. Happy birthday to my bestie, my hero, my Vappachi.'- Dulquer wrote.