Mammootty becomes the latest ‘Victim’ to ‘Handshake Curse’: Watch the playful video!

A curious and humorous trend dubbed the ‘Handshake Curse’ seems to be brewing in the Malayalam film industry, much to the amusement of fans and netizens. What started as an awkward yet funny incident involving Tovino Thomas and Basil Joseph has now escalated into a viral phenomenon, with even legendary actor Mammootty becoming part of the trend.

The most recent incident occurred when Mammootty, during a lighthearted interaction, extended his hand for a handshake with a small child. In a playful twist, the child failed to notice Mammootty’s gesture and instead moved on to greet someone else. Though the situation was quickly resolved as the child later shook hands with Mammootty, the video capturing the adorable moment has gone viral on social media. The caption jokingly referred to it as “The Basil-Tovino Curse”, adding fuel to the ongoing banter.


This amusing trend traces back to an award ceremony for the Super League Kerala Football Tournament, where director-actor Basil Joseph found himself in a similar predicament. As Basil extended his hand to shake hands with a Forca Kochi football player, the player unintentionally skipped over him and greeted actor Prithviraj Sukumaran instead. Basil’s subtle withdrawal of his hand, followed by his sheepish reaction, quickly became a viral moment and a popular meme.

Adding to the hilarity, actor Tovino Thomas also became part of the ‘curse’ during the Marana Mass pooja ceremony. A priest extending the aarti accidentally missed Tovino’s outstretched hand, prompting laughter from Basil, who witnessed the moment.

Most recently, actress Grace Antony also joined the list of funny handshake mishaps when she missed Suraj Venjaramoodu’s handshake during an event. Grace playfully borrowed a dialogue from Suraj’s own movie, quipping, “Idu angane onum allada” (this is not like that!). Suraj humorously added, “It’s not just me; Tovino was also there,” continuing the running gag. Tovino later jokingly remarked, “After the Basil incident, I don’t shake hands with anyone.”

While these moments are entirely lighthearted, the so-called ‘Handshake Curse’ has provided ample entertainment for netizens.

Meanwhile, Mammootty’s previous outing was ‘Turbo’. ETimes review for the movie reads, “The film also has all the elements of a mass entertainer in place with amazingly choreographed fights, backed by perfect cinematography and edits. Phoenix Prabu, Vishnu Sharma and Shameer Muhammed can take a bow. Christo Xavier’s music keeps the tempo of the action high. The acting is all-round excellent. Raj B Shetty underplays his villainy, but still conveys that there is nothing redeeming about him. Anjana has done a superb job. Auto Billa (Telugu comedian Sunil), Dileesh Pothen’s Andrew, Kabir Duhan Singh’s Vincent are all smaller, but well-played memorable characters. Mammootty, like Malayalam cinema, is at an energetic high. There is a clue about a part two and this is a sequel that audiences will be waiting for.”
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