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<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{short description|1954 Malayalam film}}<br />
{{About|the film|malayalam television series|Neelakkuyil (TV series)}}<br />
{{About|the Malayalam film Neelakuyil|the Tamil Film|Neela Kuyil}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}<br />
{{Infobox film<br />
| name = Neelakuyil<br />
| image = Neelakuyil.jpg<br />
| caption =<br />
| director = [[P. Bhaskaran]]<br/>[[Ramu Kariat]]<br />
| producer = T. K. Pareekutty<ref name="P.Bhaskaran"/><ref name="milestone"/><br />
| story = Uroob<br />
| screenplay = [[Uroob]]<br/>P. Bhaskaran<ref name="P.Bhaskaran"/><br />
| starring = [[Sathyaneshan Nadar|Sathyan]]<br/>[[Miss Kumari]]<br/>P. Bhaskaran<br/>[[Prema Menon]]<br/>Master Vipin<br/> [[Manavalan Joseph]]<br>Abin VC<br />
| music = [[K. Raghavan]]<br />
| cinematography = [[A. Vincent]]<br />
| editing = T. R. Sreenivasalu<br />
| studio = Chandrathara Productions<br />
| distributor = Chandrathara Pictures<br />
| released = {{Film date|1954|10|22|df=y}}<br />
| runtime = 171 minutes<br />
| country = India<br />
| language = Malayalam<br />
| budget = {{INRConvert|1|l|year=1954}}<ref name="P.Bhaskaran"/><br />
| gross =<br />
}}<br />
'''''Neelakuyil''''' ({{lang-en|The Blue Cuckoo}}; {{lang-ml|നീലക്കുയിൽ}}) is a 1954 [[Malayalam]] film jointly directed by [[P. Bhaskaran]] and [[Ramu Kariat]]. It is a [[Neorealism (art)|neo-realistic]] [[melodrama]] and was based on a story written by [[Uroob]] who co-wrote the screenplay and dialogues along with P. Bhaskaran.<ref name="P.Bhaskaran">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/lf/2004/04/21/stories/2004042101020200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108151348/http://www.hindu.com/lf/2004/04/21/stories/2004042101020200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 November 2012|title=A man and two milestones |author=Saraswathy Nagarajan |newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=21 April 2004|access-date=2010-12-28}}</ref> ''Neelakuyil'' tells the story of the love affair of a [[Dalit]] girl and an educated, high caste school teacher. It stars [[Sathyaneshan Nadar|Sathyan]], [[Miss Kumari]], Prema, P. Bhaskaran and Master Vipin. Many of the actors debuted through this film.<br />
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''Neelakuyil'' was a landmark film in Malayalam cinema history that paved a new path for Malayalam cinema by breaking away from the earlier tradition of adapting plots from Hindi films for making Malayalam films, of which the story or the characters could never be identified with the culture of Kerala.<ref>[http://www.cinemaofmalayalam.net/neelakuyil.html "Neelakuyil - The Blue Cuckoo (1954)"]. Cinemaofmalayalam.net. Undated. Retrieved 2010-12-28.</ref><ref name="The Hindu">{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/neelakuyil-1954/article1427604.ece|title=Neelakuyil 1954|author=B. Vijayakumar|work=The Hindu|date=25 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161016055336/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/neelakuyil-1954/article1427604.ece|archive-date=16 October 2016}}</ref> Based on a story by famous Malayalam writer Uroob, ''Neelakuyil'' had dialogues with local accent, and the script’s hard-hitting dialogues flay social evils such as untouchability, feudalism, and injustice towards women.<ref name="The Hindu"/> It features an acclaimed cinematography by [[A. Vincent]] and a successful musical score by [[K. Raghavan]].<ref name="The Hindu"/> It won the [[Discontinued and Intermittent National Film Awards#All India Certificate of Merit|All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film]], and the [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam]], thus becoming the first nationally recognized Malayalam film.<ref name="milestone">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2004/11/26/stories/2004112602680500.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050114074516/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2004/11/26/stories/2004112602680500.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 January 2005|title=A milestone movie|date=26 November 2004|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=2010-12-28}}</ref> The lead performances and the narrative style was also noted.<br />
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Most of its shooting was done outdoors and it captured images of the rural, agrarian Kerala, its vast paddy fields, the life of the peasants and the feudal society.<ref name="P.Bhaskaran"/><br />
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==Plot==<br />
The plot revolves around rustic life in a small village. Neeli (Miss Kumari), a Dalit peasant girl, falls in love with Sreedharan Nair (Sathyan), a school teacher. Neeli becomes pregnant. Sreedharan Nair refuses to marry Neeli as he fears being ostracized by a conservative society. Neeli becomes an outcaste and dies in child birth. Sankaran Nair (P.Bhaskaran), the village postman, adopts the child ignoring the protests of society. Sreedharan Nair marries Nalini (Prema), a member of an aristocratic family. Neeli’s son Mohan (Master Vipin) is brought up by the postman. The film ends with Sreedharan Nair and Nalini accepting the boy as their own child.<ref name="The Hindu"/><br />
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==Cast==<br />
* [[Sathyaneshan Nadar|Sathyan]] as Sreedharan Nair<br />
* [[Miss Kumari]] as Neeli<br />
* [[Prema Menon]] as Nalini<br />
* Master Vipin ([[Vipin Mohan]], who is now a popular cinematographer) as Mohan<br />
* [[P. Bhaskaran]] as Shankaran Nair, the postmaster<ref name="P.Bhaskaran"/><br />
* Ramankutty Menon as the feudal lord<ref name="P.Bhaskaran"/><br />
* [[Manavalan Joseph]]<br />
*Kochattil Balakrishna Menon<br />
*JAR Anand<br />
*Kochappan<br />
*Kodungalloor Amminiyamma<br />
*Ramankutty<br />
* [[Paravoor Bharathan]] (cameo role)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/05/22/stories/2009052251110100.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227115710/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/05/22/stories/2009052251110100.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 February 2011 |title=Indelible innings on the silver screen|author=K.Pradeep|date=22 May 2009|newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=2010-12-28}}</ref><br />
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==Awards==<br />
;[[National Film Awards]]<br />
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* [[2nd National Film Awards|1954]] - [[Discontinued and Intermittent National Film Awards#All India Certificate of Merit|All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film]]<ref name="2ndawardPDF">{{cite web|url=http://dff.nic.in/2011/2nd_nff_1955.pdf|title=2nd National Film Awards|publisher=[[Directorate of Film Festivals]]|access-date=August 23, 2011}}</ref><br />
* 1954 - [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam|President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Malayalam]]<br />
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==Songs==<br />
There are nine songs, scored by [[K. Raghavan]] and penned by [[P. Bhaskaran]], in a soundtrack regarded as a milestone in Malayalam film music history. Before ''Neelakuyil'', Malayalam film music was copied from Hindi and Tamil film songs. It was K. Raghavan, making his debut in the film, who introduced Malayali [[folk music]] into films.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/09/08/stories/2006090801160300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108151623/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/09/08/stories/2006090801160300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 November 2012|title=Cultural extravaganza |author=C. Jayakumar|date=8 September 2008|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=2010-12-28}}</ref> The musical genres utilised included Mappilappattu ([[Islamic music]]), Koyithupattu (a form of harvest singing), traditional prayers, romantic melodies, all of which emanated from the folk traditions of Kerala. The songs were choreographed by Guru Gopalakrishnan Kodungallur.<br />
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The popular songs from the film are "Ellarum Chollanu Ellarum Chollanu" Janamma David, "Kayalarikaathu Vala Erinjappol" (K. Raghavan), "Unarunaroo Unnikanna" (Shantha P. Nair), "Sarasa Sama Daana Bheda" (based on a [[Tyagaraja]] composition in [[Kapi (raga)|Kapi]] Narayani), "Kadalasu Vanchi Eri" (Kozhikode Pushpa), "Maanennum Vilikkilla" ([[Mehboob (singer)|Mehboob]]), "Kuyiline Thedi" (Janamma David) and "Engane Nee Marakkum Kuyile" ([[Kozhikode Abdul Kader]]).<br />
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The song "Kayalarikaathu Vala Erinjappol" was used in [[Deepan Sivaraman]]'s stage adaptation of [[O V Vijayan]]'s magnum opus, ''[[Khasakkinte Itihasam]]''.<ref>{{cite news|author=Vikram Phukan |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/theatre/vintage-character-modern-drama/article28102097.ece |title=Vintage Character, Modern Drama |work=‘’The Hindu’’ |date=22 June 2019 |access-date=22 June 2019 |location=Mumbai, India}}</ref><br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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==Further reading==<br />
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101127063447/http://madhyamam.com/news/13568 മലയാളഗാനങ്ങളെ മാറ്റിമറിച്ച നീലക്കുയില്]<br />
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==External links==<br />
*{{IMDb title|0155906}}<br />
*[http://www.malayalasangeetham.info/m.php?4647 ''Neelakuyil''] at the Malayalam Movie Database<br />
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{{All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film}}<br />
{{National Film Award Best Feature Film Malayalam}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Indian films]]<br />
[[Category:1954 drama films]]<br />
[[Category:1954 films]]<br />
[[Category:Indian black-and-white films]]<br />
[[Category:1950s Malayalam-language films]]<br />
[[Category:Films based on short fiction]]<br />
[[Category:Best Malayalam Feature Film National Film Award winners]]<br />
[[Category:Films directed by P. Bhaskaran]]<br />
[[Category:Films directed by Ramu Kariat]]</div>59.97.202.114