Spadikam

It took two to three years of preparation for the film, the screenplay was rewritten a few times.[6] Producer R. Mohan wanted to name the film Aadu Thoma which he felt was more appealing to the public. But Bhadran wanted to name it Spadikam. The character Thomas Chacko / Aadu Thoma was based on three real-life ruffians who lived around Pala, one of them was known by the nickname Irattachankan (the man with two hearts), another one used to remove his mundu to wrap his opponent's head for hitting, and the third one had a downfall during his peaks period. The character Chacko Mash was based on four real-life characters Bhadran knew from his life, one was his own father who used to compare him with other kids, and the other three were his school teachers. In an interview, Bhadran said that Spadikam was inspired by his own life, but not that the character Aadu Thoma is him, but the film draws inspiration from his parents, village, priest, teachers, and disabilities of the education system at that time.[7]

Bhadran said he considered Mohanlal the best choice for the role because the character of Aadu Thoma as he was not only an alpha male but also had innocence and had self pity, he could emote all these characteristics perfectly. Shobana was first offered the role of Thulasi, but she could not sign the film as she had to leave for the United States for a dance program she already committed. Urvashi was cast in the role. Later Bhadran said that after watching the film he realized Urvashi was in fact the right choice for the role.[8]

Bhadran wanted Thilakan to play the role of Chacko, but it was difficult to hire him as they were not in good terms after their last film Idanazhiyil Oru Kaalocha (1987), since the two had a verbal dispute during the film's dubbing process, as Bhadran recalls, they came close to hitting each other. Spadikam was written three to four years after this incident. There were suggestions from the film crew to cast Nedumudi Venu for the role (who was later cast in another role). According to Bhadran, Thilakan acknowledged that it was a mistake on his part and they reconciled, thus he was able to cast him.[8] Thilakan's son Shammi Thilakan later said that he was instrumental in Thilakan's casting, Bhadran used to make unsuccessful visits to see Thilakan while he was in the hospital, but was not permitted by Thilakan. Shammi then acted as an agent for Bhadran to present him the story of Spadikam while he was in a good mood.[9]

Nassar was originally fixed in the role of S.I Kuttikkadan, but he was unable to reach on schedule due to the unexpected extension of the schedule of another film he was filming. Bhadran found Spadikam George for the role accidentally when he saw him in front of a hotel he was staying. Impressed by his physique, Bhadran offered him the role, only then he realized George had already acted in a few films, he immediately agreed. Roopesh Peethambaran, who portrayed Thomas Chacko's childhood, himself asked for a role in the film when Bhadran visited their home, his father Peethambaran was Bhadran's friend. The man who played a goon named Thorappan Bastin hired to finish off Aadu Thoma was originally a cop.[10] Santosh Sivan and Sabu Cyril were initially considered as cinematographer and art director respectively. However, they both unexpectedly left without citing a reason. This delayed shooting plans by a month and a half [11]

The film was extensively shot in and around the town of Changanassery in Kottayam district. The house named Thekkedathu Mana was used as the house of Aadu Thoma and Chacko Mash. It was situated in Kudamaloor, Kottayam.[12] The house was former Kerala chief minister E. M. S. Namboodiripad's mother's tharavadu.[10] The scene in which Kuttikkadan arrest Thoma and Laila was filmed in Changanassery market.[13] The climax scene was filmed in a quarry in Chennai. George was injured while performing a stunt scene where he jumps in front of a moving jeep driven by Mohanlal. Due to his weight, he could not roll away from the vehicle as expected and the tyre ran over his leg. The injury was not serious and he recuperated in a few days.[7]

The film's digital remastering and restoration work was announced in March 2020. The original plan was to re-release the film in 4K Dolby Atmos in at least 100 theatres in Kerala during Onam 2020, but was halted after the COVID-19 pandemic.[16] The remastering costed around ₹2 crore to complete and was done in Prasad Corporation in Chennai and S. P. Venktesh worked on the re-recording of the film, except for the portions where music comes along with dialogues as they could not dub the film again. In an interview Bhadran said that they will try to answer the doubt of audience that what happens to Aadu Thoma at the climax of the film. He also said that the remastered version will be three times better than the original in terms of audio-visual experience.[17] The remastered version is 8.5 minutes longer than the original film as a few additional shots and also a scene introducing the character of Aadu Thoma. The new scene will feature 500 goats instead of the original 40.[18] The film was distributed by newly formed company Geometrics. The remastering was done in Four Frames studio in Chennai. It is also notable that the hit song “ezhimalapoonchola” was re-recorded with KS Chithra and Mohanlal. The expenses for the re-release was around ₹2 cr.[19]

On 29 November 2022, Mohanlal announced through social media that the remastered version of Spadikam will finally hit on theatres on 9 February 2023.[4] The remastered version's trailer was released on 6 February 2023 on the Matinee Now YouTube channel.[4] Several of the film's key actors had passed away at the time of the film's re-release, namely: Thilakan, K. P. A. C Lalitha, Silk Smitha, Nedumudi Venu, Rajan P. Dev, N. F. Varghese, Sankaradi, Karamana Janardanan Nair, Paravoor Bharathan and Bahadoor.[20]

On February 9, 2023, a digitally remastered version of the film with 4K resolution and Dolby Atmos sound was re-released on 150 theatres in Kerala and around 500 theatres world wide. The film received an overwhelming response from the audience resulting in a collection of ₹77 lakhs on the first day, setting new record for any re-release of an Indian film.[21][19]

Sajesh Mohan of Onmanorama wrote "What makes Aadu Thoma irresistible is the superlative performance of Mohanlal. In Spadikam, Mohanlal is at his entertaining best as the unruly son who returns home after 14 years of self-imposed exile. Bhadran and R Mohan understood the pulse of the audience then. And their concoction has only aged perfectly, proves the response inside the theatre. However, At a time when political correctness is the buzzword, the viewers would find themselves at a tug of war while rewatching some of the Malayalam runaway hits and cult classics of yesteryears. It is the same for Spadikam.[22]

Anna M. M. Vetticad of Firstpost wrote, "As I watched Spadikam this morning in a theatre in Delhi, I could not view it through a prism of nostalgia though. For as much as the storyline is gripping and substantial, the film is/was also committed to exaggeration and over-statement in the writing of situations and  characters, and the acting by several members of the cast (Indrans’ over-acting in a supporting role, for one, is embarrassing to say the least); and the writer-director’s mindset regarding women characters other than Jancy and Mary was appalling."[23]

It was a major commercial success.[15] According to an article by Deepika in 1995, Spadikam was a blockbuster, grossing over ₹8 crore (US$1.0 million), becoming one the highest grossing film of the year.[2] However, a later trade analysis by Nana cited The King (1995) as the highest grosser.[24][25] Over the years, the film has achieved a cult following.[16] Aadu Thoma has since then become one of the iconic characters in Malayalam cinema.[17] The digitally remastered 4K Dolby Atmos version released on 9 February 2023 grossed approximately ₹4.85 crore at the box office with ₹3.05 crore from Kerala alone.[26]

In 2018, Fahir Maithutty of The News Minute wrote, "There are mass action entertainers. There are beautiful family dramas. And then there is Spadikam."[27] In 2023, while reviewing the digitally remastered version, Anna M. M. Vetticad of Firstpost wrote, "The unflagging energy of the narrative, its pace, the script’s push to leave children unfettered so that they may follow their dreams, the songs, the charismatic cast and a career-elevating performance by Mohanlal are what make this film memorable."[23]

At the Kerala State Film Awards, Mohanlal won the Best Actor.[28] The film won three awards at the Filmfare Awards South[29]