Thiruvananthapuram, May 30

They were on-screen rivals for long, but now off-screen it appears they have buried the hatchet as a promo of Mohanlal's newest film "Spirits" will feature Mammootty, boosting the marketing fortunes of the film.

The film, which was scheduled for release in the first week of June, is now delayed by 10 days to accommodate the promo shoot, a source close to director Renjith told IANS.

"This delay is because Mammootty is currently holidaying in Europe and is expected to be back here, early next month. Once he returns, he will do the promo to promote this Mohanlal film, which fights the use of alcohol," said the source, who didn't wish to be named.

Renjith and Mohanlal have come together for a movie after 2007 film "Rock N' Roll", which bombed at the box office.

Initially, Renjith had zeroed in on Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and state Excise Minister K.Babu to do the promo, but later he decided to go for Mammootty, for obvious marketing reasons.

Moreover, Mammootty, who made a 40-second film "Say No to Drinks; Say No to Drugs" as part of a campaign by the excise department last year, has gone on record saying that he would try to avoid doing film scenes intended to promote the use of liquor and drugs.

Mammootty and Renjith have earlier worked together in films like "Pranchiyetan and The Saint" (2010) and "Palerimanikyam Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha" (2009), which have kept Mammootty's flag flying high.