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{{about|the [[Malayalam cinema|Malayalam film]]|the 2000 [[Telugu film]]|Chitram}}
{{short description|1988 Malayalam film by Priyadarshan}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2017}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Chithram
| image = Chithram poster.jpg
| caption =
| alt =
| director = [[Priyadarshan]]
| producer = [[P. K. R. Pillai]]
| screenplay = Priyadarshan
| starring = {{plainlist|
* [[Mohanlal]]
* [[Ranjini (actress)|Ranjini]]
* [[Nedumudi Venu]]
* [[Poornam Vishwanathan]]
* [[Lissy]]
}}
| music = [[Kannur Rajan]] [[Johnson (composer)|Johnson]] {{small|(Score)}}
| cinematography = [[S. Kumar (cinematographer)|S. Kumar]]
| editing = N. Gopalakrishnan
| studio = Shirdi Sai Creations
| distributor = Shirdi Sai Release
| released = {{Film date|df=y|1988|12|23|[[Kerala]]}}
| runtime = 160 minutes
| country = India
| language = Malayalam
| budget = {{INR}}44 lakh<ref name="film"/>
| gross = {{INR}}3.5 crore<ref name="film"/>
}}

'''''Chithram''''' ({{Translation|Picture}}) is a 1988 Indian [[Malayalam]]-language [[screwball comedy]] film written and directed by [[Priyadarshan]]. The film was produced by [[P. K. R. Pillai]] under his production house Shirdi Sai Creations, and stars [[Mohanlal]], [[Ranjini (actress)|Ranjini]], [[Nedumudi Venu]], [[Poornam Vishwanathan]], [[Sreenivasan]], [[M. G. Soman]], [[Sukumari]], [[Lizy (actress)|Lizy]], [[Maniyanpilla Raju]], and [[Shanavas]], while [[Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair]] makes a cameo appearance. The songs were composed by [[Kannur Rajan]] and [[film score]] by [[Johnson (composer)|Johnson]]. [[Mohanlal]] won the [[Kerala State Film Award - Special Jury Award]] for his performance in this film.

Kalyani (Ranjini) decides to marry her boyfriend Ravi (Shanavas) against her father Ramachandra Menon's (Vishwanathan) wishes. But Ravi breaks up when he comes to know that she would be disinherited. Kalyani's father, who stays in the [[United States]], is unaware of the break up and comes home in [[Kerala]] to spend time with his daughter and son-in-law. This prompts family friend and [[Advocate]] Kaimal (Venu) to hire a thief, Vishnu (Mohanlal) to act as Kalyani's husband during Menon's vacation stay.

''Chithram'' was released during a [[Christmas]] weekend on 23 December 1988. Made on a budget of {{INR}}44 lakh, the film grossed {{INR}}3.5 crore at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing Malayalam film at its time. .<ref name="film"/>

==Plot==
Kalyani ([[Ranjini (actress)|Ranjini]]) is the daughter of a wealthy [[Non-resident Indian|NRI]] Ramachandran Menon ([[Poornam Vishwanathan]]) who resides in the [[United States]]. Kalyani, brought up in [[Madras]] by her father's friend Purushothaman Kaimal ([[Nedumudi Venu]]), falls in love with another man and decides to marry against the wishes of her father. When her boyfriend finds out that she will be disinherited, he ditches her at the altar.Then her father wrote a letter that he decides to approve her husband and wanted to spend a fortnight's vacation with his daughter and son-in-law in his estate near a tribal community where Menon is the chief.As her father is already ill and because this may be his last vacation, Kalyani and Kaimal want to make it as happy for him as possible. They decide to hide the fact that her boyfriend dumped her.

Vishnu ([[Mohanlal]]) comes into the picture who played a trick on a foreigner by telling lie to him that his brother cannot swim. Then the foreigner jumps into the river and Vishnu then runs off with his clothes. The foreigner questions and asks Kaimal about his clothes, with Kaimal getting slapped. Kaimal then goes to Vishnu and confronts him for stealing the clothes. Vishnu states his urgent need for money and Kaimal hires Vishnu to play the part of the husband for 14 days. Meanwhile, Kalyani's cousin Bhaskaran Nambiar ([[Sreenivasan]]) who is the caretaker of the estate was expected to inherit Menon's estate and property when Kalyani was disinherited, is determined not to let go without a fight. He knows that Vishnu is not Kalyani's husband and makes various botched attempts to prove this.

Initially Vishnu and Kalyani do not get along and keep bickering. But as time passes, Kalyani sees Vishnu's heart as he tied the mangalasutra around her neck, just in time before her father came (Bhaskaran informed him that she didn't have the mangalasutra around her neck). Kalyani eventually develops an affection towards Vishnu and hopes to marry him for real. A couple of days after they have a mysterious visitor ([[M. G. Soman|Soman]]) who claims to be a relative of Vishnu.

Finally it is revealed that Vishnu is actually an escaped convict from jail who is sentenced to death and the visitor turns out to be the [[Corrections officer|prison warden]]. Vishnu's past is shown in flashback and he was a freelance photographer who was married to a woman named Revathy ([[Lizy Priyadarshan]]), a mute dancer. They also had a child. Vishnu discovers that a man was visiting his wife when he was not around and begins to suspect her. Coming home one day he finds the man there and tries to attack him. Revathy dies in the scuffle, Vishnu discovers that the man is actually her brother who is a [[naxalite]]. He tells Kalyani that he escaped prison to make money for the surgery of his child.

On the last night of Vishnu's stay at the house, he asks Jail Warden, is it possible for him to live, as he started to like life again. The warden does not reply to this question, as he is helpless regarding this. After a happy fortnight, Kalyani's father returns to the US. The final scene shows the warden taking Vishnu to jail, with Kalyani watching him leave, where his execution awaits him. This film ends with Vishnu and Kalyani waving goodbye.

==Cast==
* [[Mohanlal]] as Vishnu
* [[Ranjini (actress)|Ranjini]] as Kalyani
* [[Nedumudi Venu]] as Adv.Purushothama Kaimal
* [[Poornam Vishwanathan]] as Ramachandra Menon
* [[Lizy (actress)|Lissy]] as Revathy
* [[Sreenivasan]] as Bhaskaran Nambiar
* [[Jagadish]] as Vishnu's Friend (Classical Dancer)
* [[Maniyanpilla Raju]] as Murugan
* [[K. B. Ganesh Kumar]] as Revathy's Brother
* [[M. G. Soman]] as Jail Superintendent
* [[Sukumari]] as Ramachandra Menon's Sister and Bhaskaran Nambiar's Mother
* [[Unni Mary]] as Bhaskaran Nambiar's Sister
* [[Shanavas (actor)|Shanavas]] as Ravi
* Chandraji as Kattumooppan
* [[Soorya (actress)|Soorya]] as Mooppan's daughter
* [[Bobby Kottarakkara]] as Marriage Broker
* [[Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair]] as Revathy's Father (Cameo Appearance)
* [[Innocent(actor)|Innocent]] as Money Lender (Cameo Appearance)

==Soundtrack==
The film's songs were composed by [[Kannur Rajan]] and lyrics penned by [[Shibu Chakravarthy]]. [[M. G. Sreekumar]] sang most of the songs in the film. [[Carnatic music]] singer [[Neyyattinkara Vasudevan]] was a guest singer. The classical Krithis like "Nagumo" and "Swaminatha" featured in the film gained a mass popularity. Playback singer [[Sujatha Mohan]] also sang in the film, marking her return after years of sabbatical. [[Mohanlal]] sang two songs "Kaadumi Naadumellam" and "Aey Monnu".

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! No. !! Title !! Singer(s) !! Notes
|-
| 1 || "Eeran Megham" || [[M. G. Sreekumar]] || [[Raga]]: [[Madhyamavati]]
|-
| 2 || "Paadam Pootha Kaalam" || M. G. Sreekumar ||
|-
| 3 || "Nagumo" || [[Neyyattinkara Vasudevan]], M. G. Sreekumar || Traditional Keerthanam by [[Tyagaraja]] Raga: [[Abheri]]
|-
| 4 || "Doore Kizhakkudikkum" || M. G. Sreekumar, [[Sujatha Mohan|Sujatha]] ||
|-
| 5 || "Aey Moonnu" || [[Mohanlal]] || Traditional Folk
|-
| 6 || "Paadam Koyyum Munpe" || Sujatha ||
|-
| 7 || "Swaminaatha" || M. G. Sreekumar || Traditional Keerthanam by [[Muthuswami Dikshitar]] Raga: Nattai
|-
| 8 || "Kaadumi Naadumellam" || Mohanlal, Sujatha, [[Choir|Chorus]] ||
|-
| 9 || "Paadam Pootha Kaalam (Sad)" || M. G. Sreekumar ||
|}

==Box office==
''Chithram'' was released during a [[Christmas]] weekend on 23 December 1988. Upon release, it broke all existing records in [[Malayalam cinema]] until then.<ref>{{cite web|title=Malayalam-DVD-Chithram-Mohanlal|url=https://www.amazon.in/CHITHRAM/dp/B07NQ5J9WK}}</ref> It had a theatrical run of 405 days in Little Shenoys ([[Ernakulam]]).<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 May 2005 |title=Milestones in Mohanlal's career |url=https://www.sify.com/movies/milestones-in-mohanlal-s-career-news-malayalam-kkfv4xbabjgsi.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719113015/https://www.sify.com/movies/milestones-in-mohanlal-s-career-news-malayalam-kkfv4xbabjgsi.html |archive-date=19 July 2019 |url-status=dead |website=[[Sify]]}}</ref> It completed 366 days run with regular shows in two theatres—Little Shenoys (Ernakulam) and Sreekumar ([[Trivandrum]]),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chithram 366 days report |url=https://i.postimg.cc/vHr1rKyW/Chithram-366-days-report.jpg |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719113019/https://i.postimg.cc/vHr1rKyW/Chithram-366-days-report.jpg |archive-date=19 July 2019 |publisher=[[Vellinakshatram (magazine)|Vellinakshatram]] |language=ml}}</ref> and 200 days in four theatres—Little Shenoys (Ernakulam), Ajantha (Trivandrum), Asha ([[Kottayam]]), and Priya ([[Palakkad]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chithram 200 days report |url=https://i.postimg.cc/gcDF3y5x/Chithram-200-days-report.jpg |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719113011/https://i.postimg.cc/gcDF3y5x/Chithram-200-days-report.jpg |archive-date=19 July 2019 |publisher=[[Vellinakshatram (magazine)|Vellinakshatram]] |language=ml}}</ref> Made on a budget of {{INR}}44 [[lakh]], the film grossed {{INR}}3.5 crores at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever. It became the highest-grossing Malayalam film of its time.<ref name="film">{{cite news|title='Chitram' still a mystery for Mani Ratnam|url=http://www.mangalam.com/en-news/detail/61305-entertainment-chitram-still-a-mystery-for-mani-ratnam.html|access-date=17 November 2018|work=[[Mangalam Publications]]|date=16 December 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117121620/http://www.mangalam.com/en-news/detail/61305-entertainment-chitram-still-a-mystery-for-mani-ratnam.html|archivedate=17 November 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Trivia==
* P. K. R. Pillai of Shirdi Sai Creations started 2 films together, ''Chithram'' and ''[[Nair Saab]]'', but as he faced financial issues, he sold ''Nair Saab'' to Basheer of Liberty Productions and completed ''Chithram''.
* Initially, [[Ambika (actress)|Ambika]] was offered the role of the lead actress, but she could not do it due to her busy schedule.<ref>{{cite news|title=അംബികയുടെ മനസ്സിലെ വലിയ നൊമ്പരമാണ് പഞ്ചാഗ്നിയും ചിത്രവും|url=https://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies-music/news/actress-ambika-chithram-priyadarshan-mohanlal-1.2031484|access-date=16 July 2019|work=[[Mathrubhumi]]|date=21 June 2017|language=ml}}</ref> Revathy was also offered the role.

==Remakes==
{| class="wikitable"
!''Chithram'' (1988) [[Malayalam]]
!''[[Alludugaru]]'' (1990) [[Telugu language|Telugu]]
!''[[Pyar Hua Chori Chori]]'' (1991) [[Hindi]]
!''[[Rayaru Bandaru Mavana Manege]]'' (1993) [[Kannada]]
!''[[Engirundho Vandhan]]'' (1995) [[Tamil language|Tamil]]
|-
|[[Mohanlal]] (Vishnu)
|[[Mohan Babu]] (Vishnu)
|[[Mithun Chakraborty]] (Vijay Kumar)
|[[Vishnuvardhan (actor)|Vishnuvardhan]] (Vishnu)
|[[Sathyaraj]] (Kannan)
|-
|[[Ranjini (actress)|Ranjini]] (Kalyani)
|[[Shobana]] (Kalyani)
|[[Gautami]] (Radha)
|[[Dolly Minhas|Dolly]] (Suma)
|[[Roja (actress)|Roja]] (Radha)
|-
|[[Nedumudi Venu]] (Kaimal)
|[[Chandra Mohan (Telugu actor)|Chandra Mohan]] Anand
|[[Anupam Kher]] (Jhun Jhunwala)
|[[Dwarakish]] (Shyam)
|[[Janagaraj]] (Manikandan)
|-
|[[Poornam Vishwanathan]] (Ramachandra Menon)
|[[Kongara Jaggaiah]] (Ramachandra Prasad)
|[[Shafi Inamdar]] (Raja Saab)
|[[C. R. Simha]] (Ramachandra Rayaru)
|[[Kalyan Kumar]] (Viswanathan)
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0214585}}

{{Priyadarshan}}

[[Category:1988 films]]
[[Category:1980s Malayalam-language films]]
[[Category:1980s romantic comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:1980s musical comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:1980s screwball comedy films]]
[[Category:Malayalam films remade in other languages]]
[[Category:Films directed by Priyadarshan]]
[[Category:Indian romantic comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Indian screwball comedy films]]
[[Category:1988 comedy films]]
[[Category:Indian musical comedy-drama films]]

Chithram - Revision history

Musicalkd: improve content

>GYMNU: Include Lissy Name