When Jayaram recalled Pradeep Rawat’s hilarious ‘Oppidu’ dialogue mix-up; Dileep burst into laughter; Mohanlal stayed in character
Veteran actor Pradeep Rawat who passed away on August 4, 2026, at the age of 74 after battling blood cancer, was known for portraying memorable villains across Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam cinema.Malayalam audiences will remember his powerful performance as the antagonist in Mohanlal’s China Town. While he impressed viewers with his on-screen villainy, he also left behind some hilarious off-screen memories. Jayaram shared one such amusing incident from the film’s shoot on a comedy show.
The ‘Oppidu’ dialogue that went wrong
During an earlier appearance on a Manorama show, Jayaram recalled a prison sequence from ‘China Town’. The scene required Pradeep Rawat to deliver just one simple Malayalam dialogue after a long stretch of action and rehearsals.The line was “oppidu” (meaning “sign it”). However, when the cameras rolled, Pradeep Rawat accidentally pronounced it differently in different takes. Instead of ‘Oppideda’, Pradeep said, “Thuppidra”.Jayaram recalled that the unexpected delivery completely broke everyone’s concentration on the set.According to him, Dileep burst into laughter and fell to the floor, while Jayaram himself had to walk away because he could not control his laughter. Mohanlal, however, remained composed and somehow completed the shot without breaking character.
Mohanlal became an unusual cue card
Jayaram also remembered another sequence involving Pradeep Rawat that took place while Mohanlal was reportedly running a fever. The scene required Pradeep Rawat to deliver a lengthy dialogue, which proved difficult to memorise.Initially the crew tried using cue cards and even had an assistant prompt the lines from below the frame. However the final close-up required Pradeep Rawat to maintain eye contact with Mohanlal, making those methods impractical.The team eventually found a creative solution. They pasted the dialogue on different parts of Mohanlal’s forehead, cheeks and chest so Pradeep Rawat could read the lines while looking directly at him. Mohanlal reportedly stayed perfectly still throughout the take so the papers would not become visible on camera.Jayaram said he and Dileep found it extremely difficult to keep straight faces, and their shoulders could still be seen shaking with suppressed laughter in the finished film.
A memory Jayaram connected to another film
The veteran actor later revealed in an interview with Club FM that the unusual trick reminded him of another experience years later during the shooting of ‘Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo’. Jayaram said a similar approach was used when he had to deliver Telugu dialogues.According to him, Allu Arjun helped him by placing the written dialogue where he could easily read it during the scene, making the performance much easier to execute.
Pradeep Rawat’s remarkable journey in cinema
Born as Pradeep Ram Singh Rawat in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, the actor built a successful career spanning more than 150 films.His Malayalam debut came with ‘China Town’, where he portrayed the antagonist Gowda alongside Mohanlal, Jayaram and Dileep.Pradeep Rawat remained active in cinema into the 2020s, including appearances in Nepali films. He is survived by his wife, Kalyani Rawat, and their son. Go to Source
