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Iruttinte Athmavu
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| Iruttinte Athmavu | |
|---|---|
| File:Iruttinte Athmavu2.jpg | |
| Directed by | P. Bhaskaran |
| Produced by | P. I. Muhammed Kasim |
| Written by | M. T. Vasudevan Nair |
| Starring | Prem Nazir, Sharada, Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair, P. J. Antony, Ushakumari/Vennira Aadai Nirmala, Kozhikode Shantha Devi, Baby Rajani |
| Music by | M. S. Baburaj |
| Cinematography | E. N. Balakrishnan |
| Edited by | G. Venkitaraman , Das |
Production company | Sony Pictures |
| Distributed by | Bharath Pictures |
Release date |
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| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
Iruttinte Athmavu (Malayalam: ഇരുട്ടിന്റെ ആത്മാവ്, English: The soul of Darkness) is a 1967 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by P. Bhaskaran and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair based on his own short story of the same name.[1] It stars Prem Nazir, Sharada, Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair, P. J. Antony, Ushakumari, Kozhikode Shantha Devi and Baby Rajani in important roles, and features music by M. S. Baburaj, cinematography by E. N. Balakrishnan and editing by G. Venkitaraman and Das.
The film is about a mentally retarded youth born into a matriarchal family who is forced to live as a mad man in chains and who is misunderstood and ill-treated by everyone except his uncle's daughter.[2] Prem Nazir played the mentally challenged Bhranthan Velayudhan, widely accepted to be an extraordinary performance and one of the best in his career.[3][4][5] Nazir himself rated his role of Velayudhan in Iruttinte Athmavu and as the swashbuckling folk hero Thampan in Padayottam as his best.[6] Also, its script is regarded as one of the finest by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. A major landmark in Malayalam cinema, the film provided Malayalam cinema with a new direction; that of the low-budget film. The film has earned a dedicated cult following. It won the National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues.[7][8] It missed the Best Film and Best Actor (Prem Nazir) award only narrowly.[9] Despite all the acclaim, the film was a box office failure.[10]
The film was part of MT's trilogy of political melodramas – the other two being Murappennu (1965) and Asuravithu (1968), both directed by A. Vincent.[11] Major indoor parts of the film were shot in Satya Studios in Madras and outdoor parts from the premises of Bharathapuzha at Shoranur.
Plot[edit]
Velayudan's existence posed a problem to all the members of the joint family. Velayudhan is a twenty-one-year-old man, but he has the intelligence of a child. The head of the joint family thinks Velayudan symbolizes the curse which hangs heavy over the house. To his mother, he is the source of constant sorrow. His uncle's daughter is his would-be bride. He is attached to her. She is very kind to him and refuses to treat him as a mad man. Velayudan triggers problems one after the other and every new lapse help only to put fresh chains. He refuses to feel he is mad. In the end, Ammukutty is given away in marriage to an old widower. Velayudhan surrenders himself and yells "Chain me, I am mad!"
Cast[edit]
- Prem Nazir as Bhranthan Velayudhan
- Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair as Madhavan Nair (Karanavar)
- P. J. Antony as Gopalan Nair
- M. S. Nampoothiri as Muthachan (grandfather)[12]
- T. S. Muthaiah as Rajan
- K. Balaji as Chandran
- Sankaradi as Achuthan Nair (house servant)[12]
- Adoor Bhasi as Guru Kunhichathu
- Kaduvakulam Antony as Jyotsyan (astrologist)
- Baby Rajani as Unni
- Sharada as Ammukutty[8][13]
- Ushakumari/Vennira Aadai Nirmala as Prema
- Kozhikode Shantha Devi as Parukkutty Amma (Velayudhan's mother)[14]
- Philomina as Meenakshi Amma
- Padmini as Nani
- Shobha as Malini
- Seleena as Neeli
- Rugmini as Karthi
Soundtrack[edit]
The music was composed by M. S. Baburaj and the lyrics were written by P. Bhaskaran.[15][16] All songs in the film were sung by S. Janaki, which is a landmark.
| No. | Song | Singers | Lyrics | Length (m:ss) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Ambaadikannanu Mampazham" | S. Janaki | P. Bhaskaran | |
| 2 | "Eeranuduthukondambaram" | S. Janaki | P. Bhaskaran | |
| 3 | "Irukanneerthullikal" | S. Janaki | P. Bhaskaran | |
| 4 | "Vaakachaarthu Kazhinjoru" | S. Janaki | P. Bhaskaran |
Writing[edit]
The film is scripted by M. T. Vasudevan Nair based on his own a short story with the same name. The screenplay is regarded as one of the finest by the noted writer.[17] One could see a lot of the pre-occupations of the scenarist, who carried the touches of human relationships through all of his subsequent films whether as screenplay writer or director.[17] A part of the screenplay of Iruttinte Athmavu is being taught in school classes while the complete screenplay is being taught at degree level.[18][19]
Legacy[edit]
The film provided Malayalam cinema with a new direction; that of the low-budget film.[20] In spite of its large number of studio shots and overall theatricality, the film was so culturally rich that many of the episodes would become archetypes for future Malayalam film makers dealing with family drama.[17]
References[edit]
- ↑ The Illustrated weekly of India. Vol. Volume 91. 1970. p. 19.
{{cite book}}:|volume=has extra text (help) - ↑ Indian review of books. Acme Books. 1995. p. 30.
- ↑ P.K. Ajith Kumar (16 January 2009). "The evergreen hero". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 April 2009. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
- ↑ Indian newsmagazine. Vol. Volume 14. Link. 1972. p. 36.
{{cite book}}:|volume=has extra text (help) - ↑ "A stalwart on the Malayalam screen" (PDF). The Hindu. 5 February 1989. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ↑ India Today. Vol. Volume 14. Living Media India Pvt. Ltd. 1989. p. 46.
{{cite book}}:|volume=has extra text (help) - ↑ T. M. Ramachandran (1971). Film world. Vol. 7. p. 106.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Hameeduddin Mahmood (1974). The kaleidoscope of Indian cinema. Affiliated East-West Press. pp. 106, 146.
- ↑ Malayalam literary survey. Kerala Sahitya Akademi. 1982. p. 121.
- ↑ Amaresh Datta (2006). The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature. p. 752.
- ↑ B. Vijayakumar (21 April 2013). "ASURAVITHU 1968". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Indian newsmagazine. Vol. Volume 9. Link. 1967. p. 38.
{{cite book}}:|volume=has extra text (help) - ↑ India today. Vol. Volume 14. Living Media India Pvt. Ltd. 1989. p. 82.
{{cite book}}:|volume=has extra text (help) - ↑ "Natural actor". The Hindu. 6 August 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
- ↑ "Iruttinte Aathmaavu". www.malayalachalachithram.com. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
- ↑ "Iruttinte Aathmaavu". malayalasangeetham.info. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 K.V.Ramankutty. "Collaborative Cinema of the Sixties". Keralahistory.ac.in. Archived from the original on 11 July 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
- ↑ "Secondary Curriculam Initial Pages final". Central Board of Secondary Education. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
- ↑ "The Department of Oriental Languages". Aquinas College, Edacochin. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
- ↑ "Sixties: Collective Cinema". Public Relation Department, Government of Kerala. Archived from the original on 10 July 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.