Kunjali Marakkar IV, Mohanlal, Mammootty, Priyadarshan
Priyadarshan drops Mohanlal's project on Kunjali Marakkar to avoid clash with Mammootty's film?Facebook

What happens when two big stars of an industry decide to portray the same character
for their upcoming movies? It will definitely result in fan indulging in fights on who would perform better.

When megastar Mammootty's next project Kunjali Marakkar IV was officially announced recently, movie-goers in Kerala were curious to know if superstar Mohanlal too would come up with his rumoured project on the same historical character.

Both Mammootty and Mohanlal to portray the character Kunjali Marakkar in their next projects?

Earlier, unconfirmed reports hinted on director Priyadarshan making a movie with Mohanlal based on the life of Zamorin's (Samoothiri) naval chief, who were the Muslim marine merchants responsible for protecting the Indian coast against the Portuguese during the 16th century.

However, it is understood that the hitmaker has dropped the project to avoid a clash with Mammootty's flick.

"Anyone can make films based on historic characters like Kunjali Marakkar, Kaayamkulam Kochunni etc and if Mammookka and his team is already on for the movie, I won't do my version. Because there is no meaning if two superstars in an industry are making films on the same character and Mollywood is one of those industries where the artist, crew and others share a great rapport and healthy relationships. I will be coming up with another good subject in Malayalam like Oppam very soon," Priyadarshan told the team of Forumkeralam.

Meanwhile, Mammootty's Kunjali Marakkar IV is being directed by Santosh Sivan and the big budget entertainer is the production venture of August Cinema, co-owned by Santosh, Arya and Shaji Nadesan.