| Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jibu Jacob |
| Screenplay by | M. Sindhuraj |
| Based on | Pranayopanishath by V. J. James |
| Produced by | Sophia Paul |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Pramod K. Pillai |
| Edited by | Sooraj E. S. |
| Music by | Bijibal M. Jayachandran |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Weekend Blockbusters |
Release date |
|
Running time | 155 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Box office | ₹50 crores [1] |
Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol (transl. When the grapevines sprout) is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language domestic drama film directed by Jibu Jacob and written by M. Sindhuraj. It is loosely based on the Malayalam short story "Pranayopanishath" by V. J. James. Produced and distributed by Sophia Paul through Weekend Blockbusters, the film stars Mohanlal and Meena as panchayat secretary Ulahannan and his wife Annyamma. The soundtrack features songs composed by Bijibal and M. Jayachandran, and a film score by Bijibal. The film is about Ulahannan, a man having a midlife crisis, who rediscovers himself and overcomes boredom in his routine life.
Sindhuraj obtained the rights to adapt "Pranayopanishath" from James after it was first published in a Malayalam weekly. He developed a new story by setting it in a different background and adding additional characters, and by incorporating his own novelette Schoolilekku Poya Penkutty. In 2015, Paul was looking for a story for a film she was planning with Mohanlal in the lead role, and greenlit Sindhuraj's story. He began writing the screenplay that year and, Jacob was later hired to direct the film. Principal photography began on 15 July 2016 in Kozhikode, Kerala, where over eighty percent of the film was shot. Additional scenes were filmed at locations in Alappuzha; filming ended in Shimla in October.
Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol was scheduled to be released in India on 22 December 2016 during Christmas. Its release was delayed due to a strike in the Malayalam film industry, which halted the screening of Malayalam films in Kerala. The film's opening date was rescheduled, and it was released in India on 20 January 2017. It was well received at the box office, and Mohanlal received the National Film Award – Special Jury Award for his performance in the film.