NOTE: Most of these films can be bought or ordered online at these sites:
Maebag, Moserbaer Home Video, Saina Videos, Harmony Videos
If you've got a favourites list of your own or any comments to make do leave them in the comment box down below!
Nadodikattu (1987)(The Wandering Wind)
Director: Sathyan Anthikad
Story/Script: Sreenivasan
Cast: Mohanlal, Sreenivasan, Shobhana, Thilakan, KPAC Lalitha, Innocent
Synopsis: Roommates and close friends - Dasan (Mohanlal) & Vijayan (Sreenivasan) are small time peons who lose their jobs following an altercation with their company’s new Managing Director. The duo then get lured into a get rich quick scheme of cow rearing, but when they can no longer repay their bank loan, the two decide to escape to Dubai by boat! Gaffoorka (Mamukoya) a small time racketeer promises to take them to Dubai – and instead lands them in the waters of neighbouring Tamil Nadu. Dasan and Vijayan take some time to realize that they are actually in Madras and not Dubai. What follows is a hilarious mix up with a gang of smugglers who mistake the two for undercover CID officers. In the end after struggling with joblessness and dodging a notorious hired killer, the bumbling duo succeed in trapping the smugglers and actually get selected to the State Police team.
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My Take: The main characters of‘Nadokikattu’- Dasan and Vijayan became cult comic characters after the release of the film. Mohanlal and Sreenivasan reprised their roles as the bumbling CID officers in two more films ‘Pattanapravesham’ and ‘Akkare Akkare Akkare’. What really kept the series going was the unbeatable, natural and effortless chemistry between the two. Dasan played by Mohanlal always picks on Vijayan (Sreenivasan) for being less educated 
and not as good looking as him. Vijayan tries to unsuccessfully exert his authority at times but eventually alwasy ends up as the guy who has to do all the dirty work - getting groceries, cooking food and basically playing second fiddle when on a mission. There are talks of the adventures of Dasan and Vijayan continuing in animation with voices of Mohanlal and Sreenivasan... but theres nothing official on it yet.Watch a hilarious scene from the film below. One of the rare times when Vijayan tries to sideline Dasan. In the scene Dasan is making polite conversation with his neighbours – the pretty Shobhana and her mother. Vijayan keeps interjecting their conversation by ordering Dasan to go into the kitchen and wash rice for lunch. An embarrassed Dasan tries to change the subject and later reprimands Vijayan for ordering him around in front of others.
Sandesham (1991)
(The Message)
Director: Sathyan Anthikad
Story/Script: Sreenivasan
Cast: Jayaram, Sreenivasan, Thilakan, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Mathu, Siddique
Synopsis: Raghavan Nair (Thilakan) retires as station master from a small town in Tamil Nadu and returns home to his family in Kerala. Having spent almost 40 years in government service he’s looking for a peaceful and relaxed ever after. Back home his two sons Prabhakaran (Sreenivasan) and Prakash (Jayaram) are arch rivals - being party workers owing loyalty to two opposing political parties. While Prabhakaran is a local party worker for the Republican Party of India (Communist leanings), Prakash is a proactive member of the Indian National Socialist Party (something like the Congress). Prabhakaran and Prakash squabble over everything from domestic political issues to international policies in Nicaragua and Poland and bring their ideologically diverse political opinions to the dinner table. At first their father is impressed with their passionate debates and knowledge of world affairs… but slowly he realizes that his sons do not take any responsibilities at home and are willingly exploited by their local leaders for the party’s benefit. Neither of them contribute to the family’s income and take their parents for granted. Things come to a head when Raghavan is arrested for unknowingly giving shelter to a wanted naxalite and both his sons don’t turn up to help him. Raghavan then takes it upon himself to bring his irresponsible sons back on track.
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My Take: Arguably one of Sathyan Anthikad’s best films, ‘Sandesham’ plays out at two levels – on the one hand it’s an engaging story entertainingly told and on the other it hits below the belt as a satire about the hollow ideological values our political parties and leaders claim they stand for. The film ably rests on the shoulders of it’s three main actors – Thilakan, Sreenivasan and Jayaram and the director confidently unfolds the story keeping the pace consistent, 
never once letting go off the main thread of the story which binds all the characters together. While Sandesham tickles your funny bone for most part of the film, the climax might just leave you teary eyed.Like in most films by Anthikad – the character actors are splendid adding their own little ‘magic’ to the narrative. Innocent makes a short but memorable appearance as a North Indian Hindi speaking national leader Yashwant Sahay.
Watch a scene below – where INSP party leader Yashwant Sahay makes a stop over for lunch while on his election campaign. He demands ‘nariyal paani’ (coconut water), but none of the local Malayalam speaking party workers can figure out what exactly he wants, someone even suggests that since ‘nari’ means woman… the leader might be requesting for an escort!
Kireedam (1987)
(The Crown)
Director: Sibi Malayil
Story/Script: AK Lohithadas
Cast: Mohanlal, Thilakan, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Parvathi
Synopsis: Senior police constable Achudanan (Thilakan) dreams of retiring only after saluting his son Sethu (Mohanlal), who he hopes will take charge as a police inspector after successfully entering a course at the Police Training Academy. Sethu a shy, god-fearing young man is in complete awe of his father – a man of principles who hasn’t earned a single paisa through bribes. However their lives change forever after Achudanan slaps the son of local MLA for breaking the law; and when the upright tough cop refuses to apologize for his act, he is given a punishment transfer to Ramapuram, one of the most dreaded and notorious towns in Kerala.
One day while on duty Achudanan gets into a tussle with Keerikadan Jose, the most feared goon in Ramapuram; on seeing his father get beaten up Sethu intervenes and in the heat of the moment strikes a near fatal blow on Keerikadan Jose. With the gang in hospital, the town rejoices and makes Sethu an unwilling hero. Unwanted elements now begin to exert power on the locals by using Sethu’s name, unaware Sethu himself gets accidentally involved in a brawl at a bar. Soon Sethu’s family begins to believe that Sethu is regressing into a ‘goonda’ himself. His father now desperately just wants Sethu to enter the Police Academy so that he can leave all this behind him. After a few months, the injured Keerikadan Jose is now back on his feet and searching for Sethu, who goes into hiding out of fear. But soon tired of just hiding, a desperate Sethu confronts Keerikadan Jose and stabs him to death. When the police arrives, Sethu is like a man possessed - no policeman wants to go near him… finally constable Achudanan - Sethu’s father pleads with him to surrender. While in jail, a letter from the Police Academy arrives asking for a character certificate recommending Sethu’s name for police training. A heart broken Achudanan recommends that his son is not a ‘suitable’ candidate.
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My Take: Filmmaker Sibi Malayil and actor Mohanlal’s best collaboration, ’Kireedam’ absolutely grips you from beginning till end. At this point I must say that if asked to name the one single actor who I consider the best, and I mean it across the likes of De Niro, Pacino, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mohanlal and Naseeruddin Shah – I would name Thilakan. The man has to be seen to be believed – his face can convey a million emotions – an actor you can watch on mute and still make out what he is feeling. Coming back to the film, it begins on a light note 
exploring the father son relationship between Thilakan and Mohanlal and then the narrative keeps climbing… the graph of angst, anxiety and frustration keeps adding up till the end. I have yet to see a better onscreen portrayal of a father-son relationship, the way in which the dynamics of their relationship keeps changing with the circumstances is well constructed. Jagathy does an absolutely delightful cameo as Thilakan’s good for nothing son-in-law who lives off his relatives. ‘Kireedam’ was awfully remade in Hindi as ‘Gardish’ with Amrish Puri and Jackie Shroff, it completely lacked the conviction and soul of the original in all departments.
Watch the climax of the film below – where in a frustrated Mohanlal finally gathers enough courage to take on Keerikadan Jose at the local market place. When the police arrives on the scene Mohanlal repeatedly stabs Jose - catch the range of emotions that pass through Mohanlal’s face as his father pleads with him to drop the knife he is holding and surrender himself.
Dasharatham (1989)
Director: Sibi Malayil
Story/Script: AK Lohithadas
Cast: Mohanlal, Murali, Rekha, Karamana Janardanan Nair, Nedumudi Venu, KPAC Lalitha
Synopsis: Born into riches, Rajiv Menon (Mohanlal) is an alcoholic womanizer with absolutely no aim in life. With no parents to guide him and with the family business being run by a trusted manager Pillai (Karamana Janardanan Nair), Rajiv is free to waste his life and money on drinks and debauchery. A close friend Scariah (Nedumudi Venu) with his wife and children come over to stay at Rajiv’s palatial house for a week. Soon Rajiv gets attached to one of Scariah's children and decides that he wants to have a child of his own, but neither does he want to get married nor does he want to adopt a baby. Good friend, guide and philospher Dr. Hameed (Sukumaran) advises Rajiv to rent a womb. They come across a former football player Chandradas (Murali) who is in dire need of money for an operation, his wife Annie (Rekha) agrees to give birth to Rajiv’s child through artificial insemination. Both Charandas and Annie aren’t happy about the decision – it’s clearly a desperate solution to their financial needs.
At first Annie just wants to get over with the 9 month pregnancy period, handover the baby and move on with life. The usually rash and immature Rajiv is now a changed man, reading up books on pregnancy, child birth and making sure that Annie stays in an atmosphere that is cheerful, beautiful and is taken care of by nurses, provided with the best diet and so on to ensure the birth of a healthy and happy baby. He is completely taken up by the thought of having a child, the thought of finally having someone he can call his own. But by the time of the child’s birth Annie gets emotionally attached to the life that’s taking shape in her womb and refuses to part with the baby. How the two ultimately resolve their conflicting interests forms the climax of the film.
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My Take: Another touching story from the Sibi Malayil -
AK Lohithadas - Mohanlal team. I saw ‘Dasharatham’ again recently and it still left a deep impact. Viewers may find the pacing a tad slow today, but that’s usually how most of Sibi Malayil’s films unfolded in those days. Mohanlal again does a brilliant act as the spoilt, brash playboy who turns into an obsessive father to be. The scenes where he raves, rants, begs, repeatedly requests for the custody of his son are really heart breaking. For it’s time (1989) the whole 
concept of a hero going in for ‘artificial insemination’ would have been shocking to the audience. The film probably got an ‘Adults Only’ certificate for this.
Which brings me to a scene in the first half where the doctor hands Mohanlal a small container and asks him to collect his semen – Mohanlal’s sheepish and embarrassed look as he heads to a room to ‘do the deed’ is to die for. Unfortunately that bit hasn’t been uploaded by anyone as yet, but take a look at the scene below (with brief subtitles) where Rajeev/Mohanlal asks his good friend Scariah/Nedumudi Venu (whose little son he has grown attached to) if he can adopt his son. Scariah politely refuses saying that it’s something that no father would do, their conversation ends with Scariah telling Rajeev that he wouldn’t understand emotional connections since he doesn’t know what relationships are.
Sasneham (1990)(With Love)
Director: Sathyan Anthikad
Story/Script: AK Lohithadas
Cast: Balachandra Menon, Shobhana, Innocent, KPAC Lalitha, Oduvil Unnikrishnan
Synopsis: Thomas Kurien (Balachandra Menon) and Sarasvati (Shobhana) are primary school teachers; they are also an unusual couple for the rather conservative Malayali society. Thomas is a Christian is married to Sarasvati – a Hindu Brahmin, their families have cut off all ties with them after their love marriage. Thomas and Sarasvati live happily, adjusting to each others beliefs, likes and dislikes. When Sarasvati gets pregnant, the word spreads and both their families are now eager to re-establish ties with them to welcome the newborn into the family. Sarasvati’s loud and domineering maternal aunt Meenakshi Ammal (Sukumari) comes to stay with them and so does Thomas’ mother Eliyamma and elder sister Rosy. Both sides of the family now try to establish their authority and religious identity over the couple and their house. When Meenakshi Ammal hangs pictures of Hindu gods in a room and starts saying her prayers, Eliyamma and Rosy retaliate by singing Christian hymns aloud in the adjoining room. Soon after this, Thomas’ family starts cooking non-vegetarian food in the kitchen without Sarasvati’s family’s consent. A series of such incidents slowly begins to create friction between the couple. Thomas’ father convinces him to baptize the new born and bring the child up as a Christian. After constant fights and irreconcilable differences– Sarasvati leaves home. In the end love triumphs over petty religious differences; the couple reunites after learning from their mistakes and decide to politely keep their respective families at a distance.
My Take: One of the most delightful romantic comedies I’ve seen, ‘Sasneham’ starts where most romantic films end – after the marriage of the lead pair. There is great chemistry between Balachandra Menon and Shobhana – as the couple who sort of stumbles through and copes with their unusual love marriage. Balachandra Menon’s character especially is a complex one as he 
transforms from the open minded, rebellious loving husband to the chauvinist, egoist male once their families clash. Again it’s the completely realistic setting and dynamics of relationships that make this film accessible and endearing. Like in all Anthikad’s films the character actors here – Sankaradi as the couple’s landlord, Innocent as the wise brother-in-law, Philomina as the fussy gluttonous house maid – add so much more life to the narrative. Unfortunately Sasneham is not available on VCD or DVD under any label and so you won’t find many film clips online either. I luckily managed to get a VHS of the film transferred to VCD, so a rare print of the film lives with me!
You can watch a song from the film below, which again is a VHS transfer, hence the bad video quality. ‘Sasneham’ does come on the Malayalam channel Asianet, if anyone does want to catch it.
Chitram (1988)
(The Picture)
Director: Priyadarshan
Story/Script: Sreenivasan, Priyadarshan
Cast: Mohanlal, Renjini, Nedumudi Venu, Sreenivasan, Sukumari
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My Take: One of the first comedies that really got me hooked to Malayalam films, 'Chitram' was for a long time the most successful Malayalam film ever. Reportedly made within a budget of 27 lakhs – ‘Chitram’ ran continuously for over a year at several theatres in Kerala. The film had one of those really rare narratives which made viewers both laugh and cry without trying too hard. The clever screenplay is laden with trademark Priyadarshan comic gags but it’s 
the twist in the end which comes as a complete surprise. ‘Chitram’ was remade by K Bapaiah in Hindi as ‘Pyar Hua Chori Chori’ with Mithun Chakravarthy and Gautami (yikes!)… going by the title and cast you can well imagine how that one turned out. Surprisingly despite being such a cult film down south, you still can’t get a DVD of ‘Chitram’ in India, though VCDs of the film are available, I had to get a DVD for myself all the way from the US through a friend. Watch the interesting clip (with subtitles) below from the film, where Vishnu and Kalyani pretending to be husband and wife have to partake in some inane tribal rituals in their hometown – both of them try to give eachother grief while at it. Also in the clip Vishnu tries to outsmart Kalyani and her Kaimal uncle by directly taking money from his ‘father in law’ under some pretext, but is unable to get away. I love the way Mohanlal and Nedumudi Venu try to out do each other without letting their ‘husband-on-hire' arrangement out in this particular scene.
Innale (1989) Cast: Shobhana, Jayaram, Suresh Gopi, Srividya, Innocent, KPAC Lalitha
My Take: For me ‘Innale’ was like a romantic thriller, I saw the film when I was in high school and somehow I felt that for the first time I was watching a film that really intrigued me, I constantly kept wanting to know what would happen next. Even though there have been films which are more or less similar in storyline (‘Henna’ for e.g.) ‘Innale’ taught me how the ‘telling’ of a story makes all the difference. The part where Narendran is introduced and the audience realizes that Maya is already married came with a sledgehammer impact when I first saw the film. And from then it’s a continuous race to find out if Maya finally remembers her past. The late director P Padmarajan also a novelist is considered one of the greatest storytellers in Malayalam cinema. Infact ‘Innale’ is actually a short story by Tamil writer P Vasanthi and was adapted to the screen by Padmarajan.
Jayaram and Shobhana are perfect in their roles, especially Shobhana since going by the script – the heroine doesn’t seem to have an active role in the narrative…but you really leave ‘Innale’ mostly with images of Shobhana in mind. Suresh Gopi who plays Narendran is one of Malayalam cinema’s popular ‘action’ heroes… and is also not considered an accomplished actor. But given the climax he has the toughest role in the film. Given a choice (though Suresh Gopi did a competent job of it) I would’ve rather seen another actor do the role.Watch a song from the film below – this comes when Maya is recuperating in the hospital and grows closer to Dr Sandhya and her son Sharath. Maya’s fears and the security she receives from the Dr Sandhya and her son is visually brought out in the song.
Oru Minnaminunginte Nurungu Vettam (1987)An old family friend turns up and requests the couple to allow his daughter Maya (Parvathi) to stay with them while she attends the local college in their area. Maya’s mother is no more and her father is an arrogant womanizer who doesn’t much care for her, she inevitably grows close to her new guardians and the three become like a small family. For the childless Ravunni and Saraswati – Maya fills a deep emotional void, she is like a daughter they never had. One day, a young man Ravi (Devan) turns up to ask for Parvathi’s hand in marriage, Ravi and Maya have known each other for some time and since he is soon going off to the US soon, they want to get married at the earliest. Convinced that Ravi is indeed the right man for Maya, Ravunni and Saraswathi help them get married, and after a week’s time Ravi leaves for the US alone, since it will still be a while before Maya’s passport and visa comes through.
Meanwhile Maya gets pregnant, Ravunni and Saraswathi are overjoyed by the news, both of them have no knowledge of bringing up children but are completely involved in supporting Maya’s pregnancy in every way that they can. On hearing about his wife’s pregnancy, Ravi too returns from the US for a few days in time for the delivery. Maya has a caesarian and delivers a baby boy, but due to complications she doesn’t survive the operation. Ravunni and Saraswathi volunteer to bring up Maya and Ravi’s child, while Ravi returns to the US.
As time flies by, the child is now an inextricable part of the old couple’s lives, their day begins and ends around the little boy. His little pranks, games and conversations are what bring joy to their isolated lives. 5 years later Ravunni receives a letter from the US, it’s Ravi – he is returning to Kerala for a few days and wants to take his son back with him. Heartbroken Ravunni and Saraswathi try to reason out as to why the child should continue to stay with them, but they realize that they cannot argue with the child’s father who has complete rights over him. Ravi finally arrives to take his child back to the US, Ravunni and Saraswathi cannot bear to see their little one being taken away and lock themselves up in a room. The little boy realizes that he is being taken away from his ‘grandparents’ and cries for them as he is put into a taxi. The child’s helpless cries bring the old couple out of their room, they rush out only to see the back of the taxi receding away.
2 comments:
Great list! Looking forward to more :)
Hi Suresh, great stuff. in dark times like these-- Harihar Nagar 2, Balram versus Tharadas, CBI Diary-- 5 and IG-- is a glimmer of hope from the glorious past that was. Malayalam TV channels have killed this middle cinema. I can suggest a few more titles:
1) Poochakku Oru Mookukutthi-- 1985. Years before Priyadarshan turned into serial plagiarist / popcorn manufacturist, he gave us one of the finest situational comedies of Indian cinema. i'd put it on par with Jaane bhi do yaaron. look at the sheer talent on display. from sukumari to srinivasan.
2) Sarvakalashala-- 1988 (?)-- dir by Venu Nagavalli. Mohanlal. one of my favourite lal films of all time.
3) Oru Vadakkan Veerakatha (1988) Mammootty. an interesting take on a much reviled character in Malayalam folklore. to give you an idea, a Hindi film would have to be made on 'Jaichand', betrayer of Prithviraj Chauhan or Mir Jafar who betrayed Sirajud Daulah to the British.
4) Thazvaram-- Mohanlal, Salim Ghouse, Sumalatha. this revenge drama could have been set anywhere-- in the Wild West, as a Kurosawa film. fascinating.
5) Varavelpu-- Sathyan Anthikad. Mohanlal, Revathy. A gulf returned NRI tries to set up a business in Kerala but is driven back. illustrates present day reality of Kerala.
6) Sanmanasaollovarukka Samadhanam-- Mohanlal, Karthika, Srinivasan.
7) Manichitra Thazhu-- of course.
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