Mohanlal to play strongman 'The Great Gama' in Lijo's new film?
Speculation is rife over Mohanlal’s character in Lijo Pellissery’s upcoming directorial, ‘Malaikottai Valiban’. Even as fans are excited about the Malayalam superstar acting in a Pellissery helmed film, for which shooting has already begun in Jaisalmer, news reports are suggesting that Mohanlal will be essaying the role of the real-life pehlwani wrestler Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt, also known as ‘Great Gama’.
Who is The Great Gama?
For the untutored, Ghulam Muhammad Baksh Butt was a famous wrestling champion in British India, who was also known as the Rustam-e-Hind. Gama Pehlwan was the definition of a strongman – he did not lose a single bout in his five-decade old career. Though he was just five feet and seven inches tall, his strength was phenomenal. He supposedly did 5,000 squats and 3,000 pushups every single day and legend has it that he once fought off an entire mob.
Ghulam Mohammad Baksh was born on 22 May, 1878 in Amritsar, Punjab in a Punjabi speaking Kashmiri family of wrestlers.
He was first noticed at the age of ten, in 1888, when he entered a strongman competition held in Jodhpur. Nearly 400 wrestlers participated in this contest and Gama made it to the last fifteen. However, he was named as the winner by the Maharaja of Jodhpur because of his young age. Gama was subsequently taken into training by the Maharaja of Datia.
His career took off in his teens. He was hailed as a legend when he took on the Rustam-e-Hind (Indian champion) Raheem Baksh Sultaniwala. Gama was seen as no match for Sultaniwala, who was over seven feet tall but he managed to hold him for a draw. He remained undefeated throughout his career and found it tough to find opponents ready to fight with him.
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One of Gama’s most important feats was in 1902 when he lifted a stone weighing 1200 kg. According to reports, this stone is kept in the Baroda Museum. Bruce Lee is said to have been inspired by Gamma’s training methods.
There are reports that the Prince of Wales presented Gama with a silver mace in acknowledgement of his power. Gama died in 1960 after spending his last days in Lahore.
Shooting of ‘Malaikottai Valiban’
After the first schedule wrap in Jaisalmer, the makers of ‘Malaikottai Valiban’ kickstarted the shoot in Pokhran for a 20-day schedule. Reportedly, the team will be heading back to Jaisalmer after the shooting wrap-up in Pokhran. The script of this period-action drama movie is penned by the writer PS Rafeeque, who has worked with Pelissery for ‘Nayakan’ and ‘Amen’.
There were reports that ‘Malaikottai Valiban’ is a story set in the 1900s. The location pictures hint that the film is set during the British rule, which further proves that it is likely to be during the Great Gama’s time.
Apart from Mohanlal, ‘Malaikottai Vaaliban’ also features the actors Sonalee Kulkarni, Hareesh Peradi, Hariprashanth Varma, and Suchithra Nair in pivotal roles.
