Messi fan? Jude Anthany reveals why the dog in ‘Thudakkam’ is named after the football legend
Jude Anthany Joseph’s latest film ‘Thudakkam’ has been receiving praise for the performances of its lead actors. But one of the film’s most memorable characters has four legs. A labrador named Messi plays the pet dog of Meenu, portrayed by Vismaya Mohanlal. The name may seem like an unusual choice for a dog, especially given its association with football legend Lionel Messi. However, Jude reveals to Onmanorama that the name wasn’t chosen by the filmmakers at all. Messi is, in fact, the dog’s real name.
“There is a misconception about the dog’s name. We didn’t name him Messi. His name was Harry as per the script, but he never responded when we called him that. He would, however, look at us whenever we called him Messi. So, we decided to go with Messi,” Jude says. The director recalls someone telling him that they felt sad about a dog being named after a world-class footballer. But Jude sees it differently.
“Dog lovers are deeply attached to their pets. Isn’t it wonderful to name a dog you love after someone you admire? The person who named this dog Messi must be a fan of the footballer. In a way, naming his dog Messi was also an expression of his admiration and love for the real Messi,” he says.
Jude was also aware that the use of the name Messi, as well as the Liverpool logo seen in the film, could spark questions among viewers. He says that the choices were part of the characters’ identities and were never intended to offend anyone. “The villain is a Liverpool fan. But everyone has their own preferences, even if they are a villain. If a villain in a film happens to be a fan of Sachin Tendulkar, would you start hating Sachin? There is no point in saying, ‘His fan is a villain.’”
“I personally like the name Messi. Since that was the dog’s real name, we used it in the film. Had it been different, we might have chosen another name. The dog would respond only to its real name. We can’t explain a scene to an animal the way we explain it to actors. It would run, react or do something only when it felt like it,” Jude adds.
Working with the labrador came with its own set of challenges. The team often had to wait for hours to capture the right reaction, sometimes from morning until noon. There were also occasions when Jude had to abandon a scene and reschedule it for another day. “I already knew these things could happen. A lot of unexpected things can happen during a shoot, and we just have to accept them and move on. There was never any intention to insult anyone. Besides, these things happen in films,” he says.
Jude also points out that many of the dog’s moments in the film were not as carefully choreographed as viewers might assume. “You might have noticed in the song sequence where Maya picks up the ball and the dog follows her. The dog never reacts exactly according to our instructions. Whatever you see in the film has very little to do with what we had planned for him. It was almost like divine intervention that made everything come together so well.”
There was another interesting detail about Messi that made the shoot even more amusing. His father looks almost identical to him, with the same size and markings. As a result, the older dog often steps in for Messi during shoots. “I even playfully teased him for sending his old father to work!” Jude recalls.
The director also shares a hilarious incident from the sets. During one scene, he had instructed Maya not to move because Messi was supposed to walk in front of her. While Maya got her part right in one take, the dog failed to cooperate, leaving Jude frustrated. “I got angry and shouted at him. Maya then calmed me down, saying, ‘Chetta, leave it. He’s a poor thing.’ I was like…but what about me?” Jude says with a laugh.
Meanwhile, Jude also opened up about working with newcomers Vismaya Mohanlal and Aashish in ‘Thudakkam’. He praised their performances and also highlighted actor Bobby Kurian’s dedication, particularly during the film’s demanding martial arts sequences.