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{{short description|1997 Indian Malayalam-language comedy film by Priyadarshan}}
{{About|the 1997 Malayalam film|other uses|Chandralekha (disambiguation)}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2014}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Chandralekha
| image = Chandralekha 1997 poster.jpg
| caption = Poster
| director = [[Priyadarshan]]
| writer = Priyadarshan
| producer = [[Fazil (director)|Fazil]]
| starring = [[Mohanlal]] [[Sukanya (actress)|Sukanya]] [[Pooja Batra]] [[Nedumudi Venu]] [[Sreenivasan]]
| music = [[Berny Ignatius]] [[S. P. Venkatesh]] (Score)
| cinematography = [[Jeeva (director)|Jeeva]] [[K. V. Anand]]
| editing = N. Gopalakrishnan
| studio = Fazils
| distributor = [[Swargachitra Appachan|Swargachitra]]
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|1997|09|04}}
| runtime = 173 minutes
| country = India
| language = Malayalam
| budget = ₹ 75 lakh 
| gross = ₹ 6 crore 
}}

'''''Chandralekha''''' is a 1997 Indian [[Malayalam]]-language [[comedy film]] written and directed by [[Priyadarshan]] and produced by [[Fazil (director)|Fazil]]. It stars [[Mohanlal]], [[Sukanya (actress)|Sukanya]], [[Pooja Batra]], [[Sreenivasan]], [[Nedumudi Venu]], and [[Innocent (actor)|Innocent]]. The film's title is a portmanteau of the two female lead characters' names—Chandra and Lekha. [[Berny Ignatius]] composed the songs, while the [[film score]] was composed by [[S. P. Venkatesh]]. The film was the highest-grossing Malayalam film at the time of its release and inspired the Bollywood film ''[[Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega]]''. The film's core plot was borrowed from the 1995 Hollywood film ''[[While You Were Sleeping (film)|While You Were Sleeping]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Maithutty |first1=Fahir |title=20 years since Priyadharshan's 'Chandralekha': A textbook on how to adapt a film |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/20-years-priyadharshans-chandralekha-textbook-how-adapt-film-68029 |access-date=12 March 2021 |work=The News Minute |date=7 September 2017 |language=en}}</ref>

== Plot ==
Appukuttan Nair (Appu) is a struggling unemployed youth who arrives in [[Mumbai]] to meet his sister and brother-in-law. His father has been falsely implicated in a [[bank fraud]] and wants to sell his ancestral property to pay towards the litigation. For that he needs his sister's approval, but is abused and turned away by his brother-in-law.

Disappointed, Appu seeks out his old pal Nooruddin (Noor), who is working in a fruit juice vending shop in [[Goa]]. Noor himself is a hapless uneducated youth working for his uncle Beeran, who is a treacherous money lender, with a hope to marry his daughter Maimoona. They plan to open a paint shop but need ₹1.25 [[lakh]] to rent a shop as prerequisite to get a bank loan. With no other way in sight, they swindle Beeran out of ₹1.25 lakh. Appukuttan then tries to get the loan sanctioned but he is rebuffed by a new Bank Manager Varghese who had taken charge by then.

In a turn of events, Appukuttan happens to rescue a woman named Chandrika Varma (Chandra) after a car accident, hospitalising her. Chandra is the daughter of a wealthy businessman, Udhaya Varma. Appukuttan is mistaken by the hospital staff to be her husband, Alfred Fernandes (Alfie). Soon her relatives including her father arrive and they too mistake him for Chandra's husband, because Chandra had eloped with Alfie, and no one among them had ever seen or talked to Alfie. Also it happened to be that Chandra was a major client of Appukuttan's Bank Manager Varghese, who too mistook Appukkuttan for Chandra's husband, and was now eager to oblige him with the loan. Appukuttan decides to masquerade as Alfie till he gets loan approval from the Bank Manager. Chandra lay bedridden paralysed unable to react, but with her cognition intact was able to witness all the commotions around her.

Some of the relatives of Chandra were never convinced about Appukuttan from the outset. Beeran is also hot on Appukuttan's trail to retrieve his money. To make matters worse for Appukuttan, Chandra's close friend Lekha, a medical graduate comes to visit her father Iravi, who is Udhaya Varma's assistant. She had talked to Alfie on the phone previously and is immediately suspicious about Appukkuttan. The relatives join with Lekha to find out the truth. Lekha and others play cat and mouse with Appukuttan trying to uncover his veracity, with Appukuttan staying ahead of the game for a while. Finally Lekha fortuitously comes to know the real story of Appukuttan and she is moved by his plight and enamored by his openhearted nature.

In the meantime, Chandra revives from her paralysis and she too forgives Appukuttan for everything; she also developed a liking for him. One of the jealous relatives of Chandra manages to expose Appukkuttan before everyone. Then Chandra admits all the truth to everyone. Hers was not in fact a car accident but was a suicide attempt after her fiancé, the real Alfie, had betrayed her, and their marriage had never commenced. Chandra recovers fully under the loving care of Appu and Lekha. Chandra falls in love with Appukuttan and hopes to marry him. However, she discovers that Lekha was already in love with Appukuttan, and had in fact given way for her as a favour to Chandra's father, to whom Lekha was like a second daughter. Chandra gracefully withdraws from her planned marriage with Appukuttan, and Appukuttan and Lekha are united together with everyone's hearty blessings.

== Cast ==
* [[Mohanlal]] as Appukuttan "Appu" Nair or Alfred "Alfie" Fernandez
* [[Sukanya (actress)|Sukanya]] as Chandrika Varma aka "Chandra"
* [[Pooja Batra]] as Lekha Pillai aka "Lekha"
* [[Sreenivasan]] as Nooruddin/Alfred "Alfie" Fernandez, Appukuttan's friend
* [[Nedumudi Venu]] as Udhaya Varma, Chandra's father
* [[Innocent (actor)|Innocent]] as Iravi Kutti Pillai, Lekha's father, Varma's driver, assistant, and an integral part of his family
* [[M. G. Soman]] as Doctor Menon
* [[Sukumari]] as Appachi, Udhaya Varma's elder sister
* [[Cochin Haneefa]] as DSP Sathyapalan, Appachi's elder son and Udhaya Varma's nephew
* [[T. P. Madhavan]] as Doctor
* [[Reena (actress)|Reena]] as Shobha, Sathyapalan's wife
* [[Augustine (actor)|Augustine]] as Ravindran Nair, Appu's brother-in-law and Varma's manager
* [[Sadiq (actor)|Sadiq]] as Advocate Venu, Appachi's son-in law
* [[Mamukkoya]] as Beeran, Nooruddin's uncle
* [[Kuthiravattam Pappu]] as Sankara Kurup, Udhaya Varma's accountant
* [[Maniyanpilla Raju]] as Bank manager Varghese
* Chandni Shaju as Maimuna, Beeran's daughter and Noor's love interest
* Mini Arun as Indu, Appachi's younger daughter and Venu's wife
* [[Antony Perumbavoor]] as Staff at office
* [[Anil Kapoor]] as another 'Alfie' Patient escaped from mental asylum ([[Cameo appearance]])
* [[Vahini]]
* [[Mink Brar]] as Lead dancer ([[cameo appearance]]) in the song "Maanathe Chandiranothoru"

== Production ==
''Chandralekha'' brought back after a couple of years the successful comedy combo of [[Mohanlal]] and [[Sreenivasan]], which was popular in the late-1980s and early-1990s. The name "Chandralekha" is a portmanteau of the names of the two female lead characters in the story—Chandra and Lekha. [[Bollywood]] actor [[Anil Kapoor]] plays a cameo role in the film. He appears as a lunatic, whom Appukuttan misunderstands as the original Alfie. [[Manju Warrier]] was offered a role but she could not sign the film.<ref>{{cite news|author=Express News Service|title=Marakkar a dream come true: Manju Warrier|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/malayalam/2020/feb/14/marakkar--a-dream-come-true-manju-warrier-2103249.html|access-date=17 February 2020|work=[[The New Indian Express]]|date=14 February 2020}}</ref>

== Soundtrack ==
The blockbuster songs of this film were written by lyricist [[Gireesh Puthenchery]]. The songs are composed by the music director duo [[Berny Ignatius]]. The [[background score]] of the film was composed by [[S. P. Venkatesh]].

{| class="wikitable"
!Track
!Song
!Singers
|-
|1
|"Appukutta Thoppikkara"
|[[M. G. Sreekumar]], [[K. S. Chithra]]
|-
|2
|"Ammoommakkili"
|K. S. Chithra
|-
|3
|"Maanathe Chandiranothoru"
|M. G. Sreekumar, [[Malgudi Subha]], [[Choir|Chorus]]
|-
|4
|"Innale Mayangunna"
|[[Sujatha Mohan|Sujatha]]
|-
|5
|"Thamarapoovil"
|M. G. Sreekumar
|-
|6
|"Sa Pa Ma Pa"
|Chorus
|}

== Box office ==
''Chandralekha'' collected ₹ 6 crore at the box office. <ref>{{cite AV media |last1=Ashokan |first1=Gayathri |author-link1=Gayathri Ashokan |title=GAYATHRI ASHOK 09 {{!}} Charithram Enniloode 1579 {{!}} SafariTV |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do2JyY1VYX0 |publisher=[[Safari TV]] |access-date=11 July 2020 |language=ml |date=26 November 2019| time=22:08 - 22:20}}</ref> <ref name="flashback">{{cite web | url=http://www.reelax.in/moviemagazine/2014/08/26/%E0%B4%9A%E0%B4%A8%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%A6%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B0%E0%B4%B2%E0%B5%87%E0%B4%96-%E0%B4%92%E0%B4%B0%E0%B5%81-%E0%B4%AA%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B0%E0%B5%87%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B7%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%A8/ | title=Chandralekha – A Flashback | publisher=reelax.in | access-date=26 August 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140827053749/http://www.reelax.in/moviemagazine/2014/08/26/%E0%B4%9A%E0%B4%A8%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%A6%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B0%E0%B4%B2%E0%B5%87%E0%B4%96-%E0%B4%92%E0%B4%B0%E0%B5%81-%E0%B4%AA%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B0%E0%B5%87%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B7%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%A8/ | archive-date=27 August 2014 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Awards ==
[[Mohanlal]] won the [[Star Screen Awards|Screen Awards South]] for [[Screen Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] for his performance in the film.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/section/entertainment/|title=Entertainment News: Latest Hollywood & Bollywood News, Movies Releases & Reviews|website=The Indian Express|access-date=2 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thecompleteactor.com/awards-and-recognitions.html | title=Mohanlal – Awards and Recognitions | publisher=TheCompleteActor.com | access-date=26 August 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009093320/http://www.thecompleteactor.com/awards-and-recognitions.html | archive-date=9 October 2014 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Remakes ==
''Chandralekha'' was remade into [[Telugu cinema|Telugu]] in [[Chandralekha (1998 film)|the same name]] in 1998, with [[Akkineni Nagarjuna]] reprising the role of Mohanlal. In 2000, it was remade in [[Hindi]] as ''[[Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega]]'' starring [[Salman Khan]], directed by [[Raj Kanwar]]. It was remade in Kannada as ''Hey Sarasu'' starring Ramesh Aravind.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://kannadamoviesinfo.wordpress.com/2016/11/24/hey-sarasu-2010/ |title = Hey Sarasu – ಹೇ ಸರಸು (2010/೨೦೧೦) |date=24 November 2016 |access-date=15 April 2021}}</ref> The story has been adapted into [[Tamil cinema|Tamil]] as ''[[Summa Nachunu Irukku]]'' directed by [[A. Venkatesh (director)|A. Venkatesh]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cinema.dinamalar.com/tamil-news/34110/cinema/Kollywood/Mohanlal-movies-and-their-remakes.htm | title=மோகன்லாலும், பின்னே தமிழ் ரீமேக்கும் |access-date=15 April 2021 |website=cinema.dinamalar.com|date=5 July 2015}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|0289893|Chandralekha}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140827062600/http://www.thecompleteactor.com/movie/225/ Chandralekha] at the [http://www.thecompleteactor.com/ Mohanlal's Official Website]

{{Priyadarshan}}
{{Fazil (director)}}

[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:1990s Malayalam-language films]]
[[Category:1997 comedy films]]
[[Category:1997 films]]
[[Category:Malayalam films remade in other languages]]
[[Category:Indian comedy films]]

Chandralekha (1997 film) - Revision history

>SammoHunk: /* Box office */ I shortened the redundant sentence.