Adoor Gopalakrishnan does not repeat his heroes, and Mammootty is the only actor for whom he has broken that rule. Padayaatra, their fourth film together, is now getting ready for theatres, the director said in an interview published on October 18. On October 21, Mammootty Kampany announced that the film opens in cinemas on December 4, 2026.
Film: Padayaatra (Malayalam)
Director: Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Writers: Adoor Gopalakrishnan and K.V. Mohankumar
Production: Mammootty Kampany (eighth production)
Cast: Mammootty, Grace Antony, Indrans, Janardhanan
Cinematography: Shehnad Jalal
Music: Mujeeb Majeed
Editing: Praveen Prabhakar
Release: In theatres from December 4, 2026
Waiting for the call
Adoor said the long gap never felt like one, because the two kept in touch over the phone. Whenever he called, Mammootty would laugh and say he was waiting for the call, Adoor recalled. The film took time only because a story that suited the actor took time to come to him.
When Padayaatra had roughly taken shape, Adoor spoke to Mammootty, who offered to produce the film as well as play the lead. Padayaatra is the eighth film from Mammootty Kampany, which has since started its ninth, Mela.
Two roles that broke the star image
Mammootty first worked with Adoor as Dr Balu in Anantaram (1987). The two films that followed gave audiences a Mammootty they had not seen before, as Mathrubhumi's feature puts it: the writer Vaikom Muhammad Basheer in Mathilukal (1989) and the tyrannical landlord Bhaskara Pattelar in Vidheyan (1994).
Both roles won him the National Award for Best Actor, shared with Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha for 1989 and with Ponthan Mada for 1993. He won a third for Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and a fourth for Bramayugam at the 72nd National Film Awards this year. Shehnad Jalal, who shot Bramayugam and won Best Cinematography for that film at the same awards, is Padayaatra's cinematographer.
Basheer at the first show
Adoor also recalled the first screening of Mathilukal at Sangam theatre in Kozhikode, with Basheer in the audience. When the film ended, Basheer stayed in his seat for a while, moved and with wet eyes. His first comment was "Not a dull moment", and at a press meet afterwards he announced that Adoor could film any of his works free of charge.
A doctor in a tribal area
Padayaatra brings the pair together 32 years after Vidheyan, and the film is Adoor's first release since Pinneyum (2016). The official trailer, released by Mammootty Kampany on September 12, shows Mammootty as a doctor working in a tribal area. It also hints at a suspected Maoist attack and a police case that reaches the doctor.
Grace Antony plays the heroine, with Indrans and Janardhanan in the cast. The film was shot in Wayanad, Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram, and Dulquer Salmaan's Wayfarer Films will release the film in Kerala.
Mammootty also has a Tamil release lined up: OM, with Dhanush, on November 20.
Also read: Director Kamal on Azhakiya Ravanan, 30 years on: why he cast Mammootty, not Mohanlal
