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{{Short description|1989 Indian film}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name          = Mrugaya  
| name          = Mrugaya
| image          = mrigayafilm90.png
| image          = Mrugaya (1989 film).png
| alt            =  
| alt            =  
| caption        = Poster designed by [[Gayathri Ashokan]]
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| native_name     =  
| native_name   =  
| director      = [[I. V. Sasi]]
| director      = [[I. V. Sasi]]
| producer      = KRG
| producer      = KRG
| writer        =
| writer        = [[A. K. Lohithadas]]
| screenplay    = [[A. K. Lohithadas]]
| screenplay    =
| story          = AK Lohithadas
| story          =  
| based_on      =
| based_on      =  
| starring      = [[Mammootty]]<br/>[[Sunitha (actress)|Sunitha]]<br/>[[Thilakan]]<br/>[[Jagathy Sreekumar]]<br/>[[Urvashi (actress)|Urvashi]]
| starring      = [[Mammootty]]<br />[[Thilakan]]<br />[[Sunitha (actress)|Sunitha]]<br />[[Jagathy Sreekumar]]<br />[[Urvashi (actress)|Urvashi]]
| narrator      =  
| narrator      =  
| music          = [[Shankar–Ganesh]]
| music          = [[Shankar–Ganesh]]
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| country        = India
| country        = India
| language      = Malayalam
| language      = Malayalam
| image_size    =
| border        =
}}
}}
'''''Mrugaya''''' (English: ''The Hunt'') is a 1989 Indian [[Malayalam]]-language [[thriller drama film]] written by [[A. K. Lohithadas]] and directed by [[I. V. Sasi]]. The film stars [[Mammootty]] and [[Sunitha (actress)|Sunitha]] in the lead role, with [[Thilakan]], [[Jagathy Sreekumar]], [[Lalu Alex]], and [[Urvashi (actress)|Urvashi]] in supporting roles. It tells the story of Varunni (Mammootty), the uncultured and drunkard hunter, who arrives in the village to kill a man-eating leopard. The film won two [[Kerala State Film Award]]s.<ref>Roshith, Sivalakshmi. (2013-04-30) [https://web.archive.org/web/20130514031315/http://newindianexpress.com/entertainment/malayalam/Cinema-is-a-serious-business-after-all-says-I-V-Sasi/2013/04/30/article1567713.ece Cinema is a serious business, after all, says I V Sasi]. The New Indian Express. Retrieved on 2014-05-18.</ref> The leopard, used in a number of scenes in the film, was lent by animal trainer Govindarajan Naidu. Sasi had said that the climax fight scene with the leopard was done by Mammootty himself without dupes.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://onlookersmedia.in/latestnews/mammootty-leopard-dupes-mrugaya-iv-sasi/ | title=Mammootty faced the leopard without dupes in Mrugaya : IV Sasi | date=11 October 2016 }}</ref>


'''''Mrugaya''''' (English: ''The Hunt'') is a 1989 [[Malayalam]] drama film written by [[A. K. Lohithadas]] and directed by [[I. V. Sasi]]. The film stars [[Mammootty]] and [[Sunitha (actress)|Sunitha]] in the lead role, with [[Thilakan]], [[Jagathy Sreekumar]], [[Lalu Alex]] and [[Urvashi (actress)|Urvashi]] in supporting roles. It tells the story of Varunni (Mammootty), the uncultured and drunkard hunter who arrives in the village to kill a man-eating leopard. The film won two [[Kerala State Film Award]]s.<ref>Roshith, Sivalakshmi. (2013-04-30) [http://newindianexpress.com/entertainment/malayalam/Cinema-is-a-serious-business-after-all-says-I-V-Sasi/2013/04/30/article1567713.ece Cinema is a serious business, after all, says I V Sasi]. The New Indian Express. Retrieved on 2014-05-18.</ref> The leopard, used in a number of scenes in the film, was lent by animal trainer Govindarajan Naidu.<ref>[http://mathrubhumi.com/movies/web_special/234054/ ഇന്ത്യന്‍ സിനിമയില്‍ ഇനി ഈ 'പുലിക്കുട്ടി'യുണ്ടാകില്ല , Web Special – Mathrubhumi Movies] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224102111/http://mathrubhumi.com/movies/web_special/234054/ |date=24 December 2013 }}. Mathrubhumi.com (2011-12-02). Retrieved on 2014-05-18.</ref>
The film was a commercial success and the character of Varunni attained cult status. Mammootty's different look and natural acting helped in the movie's success.<ref>[http://mathrubhumi.com/movies/web_special/234054/ ഇന്ത്യന്‍ സിനിമയില്‍ ഇനി ഈ 'പുലിക്കുട്ടി'യുണ്ടാകില്ല, Web Special – Mathrubhumi.comMovies] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224102111/http://mathrubhumi.com/movies/web_special/234054/ |date=24 December 2013 }}. Mathrubhumi.com (2011-12-02). Retrieved on 2014-05-18.</ref>


== Plot ==
== Plot ==
The story takes place in a Highrange village, terrorised by the frequent attacks of a man eating [[leopard]]. Tired of waiting for help from the authorities, the villagers under Reverend Father Panangodan ([[Thilakan]]) and Philipose Muthalali ([[Jagannatha Varma]]) decide to hire a hunter. The hunter whom they wanted had recently died, so his son Varunni ([[Mammootty]]) is summoned to the village. The uncultured life of Varunni soon became a headache for the village. The villagers try to avoid the drunkard hunter.
The story takes place in a Highrange village, terrorised by the frequent attacks of a man-eating [[leopard]]. Tired of waiting for help from the authorities, the villagers under Reverend Father Panangodan and Philipose Muthalali decide to hire a hunter. The hunter whom they wanted had recently died. Hence, his son, Varunni, is summoned to the village. The uncultured life of Varunni soon became a headache for the village. The villagers try to avoid Varunni who is a drunkard.


However, a woman named Bhagyalakshmi ([[Sunitha (actress)|Sunitha]]) (whose mother was killed by the leopard) befriends Varunni. This relation makes Thomaskutty (Mahesh), who is in love with Bhagyalakshmi, jealous. Seeing Varunni talking to Bhagyalakshmi, Thomaskutty gets angry and starts fighting with the hunter. In the fight, Thomaskutty accidentally slips and falls from the top of the cliff. Varunni feels responsible for the death of Thomaskutty and confesses secretly to Reverend Father Panangodan. Father Panangodan realises the big heart inside the hunter. He decides to protect Varunni despite the objections from the villagers and arranges a livelihood for him. Varunni gradually starts to help the villagers and the family of Thomaskutty. The villagers also develop a soft corner for the hunter. Meanwhile, the leopard again comes to the village and Varunni fails to kill it. The leopard escapes with a wound.
However, a woman named Bhagyalakshmi (whose mother was killed by the leopard) befriends Varunni. This relation makes Thomaskutty, who is in love with Bhagyalakshmi, jealous. Seeing Varunni talking to Bhagyalakshmi, Thomaskutty gets angry and starts fighting with Varunni. In the fight, Thomaskutty accidentally slips and falls from the top of the cliff. Varunni feels responsible for the death of Thomaskutty and confesses secretly to Father Panangodan. Father Panangodan realises the big heart inside Varunni. He decides to protect Varunni despite the objections from the villagers and arranges a livelihood for him. Varunni gradually starts to help the villagers and the family of Thomaskutty. The villagers also develop a soft corner for Varunni. Meanwhile, the leopard again comes to the village, and Varunni fails to kill it after Philipose's son-in-law Antony and his friend Kunjachan cheats them and tries to kill him. The leopard escapes with a wound. Soon, Kunjachan dies after suffering from [[rabies]].


The preparations of the betrothal of Thomaskutty's sister Annamma ([[Urvashi (actress)|Urvashi]]) is going on. But the groom fails to show up at the function. At the directions of Father Panangodan, Varunni decides to marry Annamma. This makes Bhagyalakshmi, who was in love with Varunni, jealous. On the eve of the wedding, she informs Annamma that Varunni had killed her brother Thomaskutty. Varunni gets exposed on the wedding day and flees to his hut. On reaching the hut, Varunni finds his dog barking alarmingly. He concludes that the dog has [[rabies]] and kills it. Soon he spots the leopard at the top of his hut and realizes that his dog was actually signalling about the leopard. He manages to kill the leopard with an axe. The villagers celebrate the death of the leopard. However, the police soon arrive and arrest Varunni for murdering Thomaskutty.
The preparations for the betrothal of Thomaskutty's sister, Annamma, go on but the groom fails to show up at the function. At the directions of Father Panangodan, Varunni decides to marry Annamma. This makes Bhagyalakshmi, who was in love with Varunni, jealous. On the eve of the wedding, she informs Annamma that Varunni had killed Thomaskutty. Varunni gets exposed on the wedding day and flees to his hut. On reaching the hut, Varunni finds his dog barking alarmingly. He concludes that the dog has [[rabies]] and kills it. Soon he spots the leopard at the top of his hut and realizes that his dog was actually warning him about the leopard. Though injured, Varunni manages to kill the leopard with an axe. The villagers celebrate the death of the leopard. However, the police soon arrive and arrest Varunni for murdering Thomaskutty. He confesses to Annamma that he accidentally killed Thomaskutty.


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
* [[Mammootty]] as Varunni
* [[Mammootty]] as Varunni
* [[Thilakan]] as Father Panangodan
* [[Sunitha (actress)|Sunitha]] as Bhagyalakshmi
* [[Sunitha (actress)|Sunitha]] as Bhagyalakshmi
* [[Thilakan]] as Reverend Father Panangodan
* [[Urvashi (actress)|Urvashi]] as Annamma
* [[Urvashi (actress)|Uravashi]] as Annamma
* [[Jagathy Sreekumar]] as [[Advocate]] Ramankutty
* [[Jagathy Sreekumar]] as lawyer Ramankutty
* [[Lalu Alex]] as Anthony
* [[Lalu Alex]] as Anthony
* [[Sankaradi]] as Shankunni
* [[Sankaradi]] as Shankunni
* [[Kuthiravattom Pappu]] as Kunjabdullah
* [[Kuthiravattom Pappu]] as Kunju Abdullah
* [[Jagannatha Varma]] as Philipose Muthalali
* [[Jagannatha Varma]] as Philipose Muthalali
* [[Bheeman Raghu]] as Kunjachan
* [[Bheeman Raghu]] as Kunjachan
* [[Paravoor Bharathan]] as Pillai
* [[Paravoor Bharathan]] as Pillai
* [[Mahesh (actor)|Mahesh]] as Thomaskutty
* [[Mahesh (Malayalam actor)|Mahesh]] as Thomaskutty
* [[Kunjandi]] as Kuriachan
* [[Kunjandi]] as Kuriachan
* [[Shari (actress)|Shari]] as Selina
* [[Shari (actress)|Shari]] as Selina
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===Box office===
===Box office===
The film was both commercial and critical success.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/iv-sasi-malayalam-cinemas-trailblazer-and-king-box-office-70523?amp|title=IV Sasi, Malayalam cinema's trailblazer and king of the box office|work=[[The News Minute]]|date=25 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=C S Venkiteswaran|title=Trendsetting titan|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/other/obituary/trendsetting-titan/article9947168.ece/amp/|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=8 November 2017|language=en-IN}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/i-v-sasi-has-been-a-trendsetter-in-the-film-industry/article19924652.ece|title=The End of an Epoch|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=26 October 2017}}</ref>
The film was both commercially blockbuster and critically acclaimed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/iv-sasi-malayalam-cinemas-trailblazer-and-king-box-office-70523?amp|title=IV Sasi, Malayalam cinema's trailblazer and king of the box office|work=[[The News Minute]]|date=25 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=C S Venkiteswaran|title=Trendsetting titan|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/other/obituary/trendsetting-titan/article9947168.ece/|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=8 November 2017|language=en-IN}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/i-v-sasi-has-been-a-trendsetter-in-the-film-industry/article19924652.ece|title=The End of an Epoch|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=26 October 2017}}</ref>


==Music==
==Music==
Lyrics for this movie was written by [[Sreekumaran Thampi]] and music was composed by [[Shankar–Ganesh]].
The lyrics for this movie were written by [[Sreekumaran Thampi]] and the music was composed by [[Shankar–Ganesh]].


===Tracks===
===Tracks===
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== References ==
== References ==
<references />
{{reflist}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
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{{I. V. Sasi}}
{{I. V. Sasi}}
{{A. K. Lohithadas}}


[[Category:1989 films]]
[[Category:1989 films]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:1989 Malayalam-language films]]
[[Category:1980s Malayalam-language films]]
[[Category:Indian drama films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Shankar–Ganesh]]
[[Category:Films scored by Shankar–Ganesh]]
[[Category:Films about hunters]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by A. K. Lohithadas]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by A. K. Lohithadas]]
[[Category:Films shot in Palakkad]]
[[Category:Films directed by I. V. Sasi]]
[[Category:Films directed by I. V. Sasi]]
[[Category:Films about animal hunting]]

Latest revision as of 02:35, 4 March 2026


Mrugaya
Theatrical release poster
Directed byI. V. Sasi
Produced byKRG
Written byA. K. Lohithadas
StarringMammootty
Thilakan
Sunitha
Jagathy Sreekumar
Urvashi
Music byShankar–Ganesh
CinematographyV. Jayaram
Edited byK. Narayanan
Production
company
KRG Enterprises
Distributed byKRG Release
Release date
  • 23 December 1989 (1989-12-23)
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam

Mrugaya (English: The Hunt) is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language thriller drama film written by A. K. Lohithadas and directed by I. V. Sasi. The film stars Mammootty and Sunitha in the lead role, with Thilakan, Jagathy Sreekumar, Lalu Alex, and Urvashi in supporting roles. It tells the story of Varunni (Mammootty), the uncultured and drunkard hunter, who arrives in the village to kill a man-eating leopard. The film won two Kerala State Film Awards.[1] The leopard, used in a number of scenes in the film, was lent by animal trainer Govindarajan Naidu. Sasi had said that the climax fight scene with the leopard was done by Mammootty himself without dupes.[2]

The film was a commercial success and the character of Varunni attained cult status. Mammootty's different look and natural acting helped in the movie's success.[3]

Plot[edit | edit source]

The story takes place in a Highrange village, terrorised by the frequent attacks of a man-eating leopard. Tired of waiting for help from the authorities, the villagers under Reverend Father Panangodan and Philipose Muthalali decide to hire a hunter. The hunter whom they wanted had recently died. Hence, his son, Varunni, is summoned to the village. The uncultured life of Varunni soon became a headache for the village. The villagers try to avoid Varunni who is a drunkard.

However, a woman named Bhagyalakshmi (whose mother was killed by the leopard) befriends Varunni. This relation makes Thomaskutty, who is in love with Bhagyalakshmi, jealous. Seeing Varunni talking to Bhagyalakshmi, Thomaskutty gets angry and starts fighting with Varunni. In the fight, Thomaskutty accidentally slips and falls from the top of the cliff. Varunni feels responsible for the death of Thomaskutty and confesses secretly to Father Panangodan. Father Panangodan realises the big heart inside Varunni. He decides to protect Varunni despite the objections from the villagers and arranges a livelihood for him. Varunni gradually starts to help the villagers and the family of Thomaskutty. The villagers also develop a soft corner for Varunni. Meanwhile, the leopard again comes to the village, and Varunni fails to kill it after Philipose's son-in-law Antony and his friend Kunjachan cheats them and tries to kill him. The leopard escapes with a wound. Soon, Kunjachan dies after suffering from rabies.

The preparations for the betrothal of Thomaskutty's sister, Annamma, go on but the groom fails to show up at the function. At the directions of Father Panangodan, Varunni decides to marry Annamma. This makes Bhagyalakshmi, who was in love with Varunni, jealous. On the eve of the wedding, she informs Annamma that Varunni had killed Thomaskutty. Varunni gets exposed on the wedding day and flees to his hut. On reaching the hut, Varunni finds his dog barking alarmingly. He concludes that the dog has rabies and kills it. Soon he spots the leopard at the top of his hut and realizes that his dog was actually warning him about the leopard. Though injured, Varunni manages to kill the leopard with an axe. The villagers celebrate the death of the leopard. However, the police soon arrive and arrest Varunni for murdering Thomaskutty. He confesses to Annamma that he accidentally killed Thomaskutty.

Cast[edit | edit source]

Release[edit | edit source]

The film was released on 23 December 1989.

Box office[edit | edit source]

The film was both commercially blockbuster and critically acclaimed.[4][5][6]

Music[edit | edit source]

The lyrics for this movie were written by Sreekumaran Thampi and the music was composed by Shankar–Ganesh.

Tracks[edit | edit source]

Accolades[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Roshith, Sivalakshmi. (2013-04-30) Cinema is a serious business, after all, says I V Sasi. The New Indian Express. Retrieved on 2014-05-18.
  2. "Mammootty faced the leopard without dupes in Mrugaya : IV Sasi". 11 October 2016.
  3. ഇന്ത്യന്‍ സിനിമയില്‍ ഇനി ഈ 'പുലിക്കുട്ടി'യുണ്ടാകില്ല, Web Special – Mathrubhumi.comMovies Archived 24 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Mathrubhumi.com (2011-12-02). Retrieved on 2014-05-18.
  4. "IV Sasi, Malayalam cinema's trailblazer and king of the box office". The News Minute. 25 October 2017.
  5. C S Venkiteswaran (8 November 2017). "Trendsetting titan". The Hindu.
  6. "The End of an Epoch". The Hindu. 26 October 2017.

External links[edit | edit source]

Template:A. K. Lohithadas