Chithram
| Chithram | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Priyadarshan |
| Screenplay by | Priyadarshan |
| Produced by | P. K. R. Pillai |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | S. Kumar |
| Edited by | N. Gopalakrishnan |
| Music by | Kannur Rajan Johnson (Score) |
Production company | Shirdi Sai Creations |
| Distributed by | Shirdi Sai Release |
Release date |
|
Running time | 160 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Budget | ₹0.44 Crore[1] |
| Box office | ₹3.9 Crore[1] |
Chithram (transl. Picture) is a 1988 Indian
Chithram was released during a Christmas weekend on 23 December 1988. Made on a budget of ₹44 lakh, the film grossed ₹3.5 crores at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing Malayalam film at its time.[1]
Plot
Kalyani is the daughter of a wealthy
Kaimal then sees Vishnu who played a trick on a foreigner by telling a lie to him that his brother cannot swim. When the foreigner jumps into the river, Vishnu runs off with his clothes. The foreigner questions and asks Kaimal about his clothes, and Kaimal gets 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 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 later, they have a mysterious visitor 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
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, where his execution awaits him, with Kalyani watching him leave. This film ends with Vishnu and Kalyani waving goodbye.
Cast
- Mohanlal as Vishnu[2]
- Ranjini as Kalyani[2]
- Nedumudi Venu as Adv. Purushothama Kaimal[2]
- Lissyas Revathy
- Poornam Viswanathan as Ramachandra Menon (voice by Narendra Prasad[2]
- Sreenivasan as Bhaskaran Nambiar[2]
- Jagadish as Jayan, Vishnu's friend
- Maniyanpilla Raju as Murugan[2]
- K. B. Ganesh Kumar as Kannappan, Revathy's Brother
- M. G. Soman as Jail Superintendent Sathyanathan[2]
- Sukumari as Lathika, Ramachandra Menon's sister and Bhaskaran Nambiar's mother
- Unni Mary as Ammini, Bhaskaran Nambiar's sister
- Shanavasas Ravi
- Chandraji as Kattumooppan
- Sooryaas Mooppan's daughter
- Bobby Kottarakkara as Sugunan, Marriage Broker
- Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair as Shivakumar, Revathy's father
- Innocent as a money lender
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".
| 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 | |
| 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, Chorus | |
| 9 | "Paadam Pootha Kaalam (Sad)" | M. G. Sreekumar |
Reception
Chithram was released during a
Remakes
| Alludugaru (1990) Telugu |
Pyar Hua Chori Chori (1991) Hindi |
Rayaru Bandaru Mavana Manege (1993) Kannada |
Engirundho Vandhan (1995) Tamil |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohan Babu (Vishnu) |
Mithun Chakraborty (Vijay Kumar) |
Vishnuvardhan (Vishnu) |
Sathyaraj (Kannan) |
| Shobana (Kalyani) |
Gautami (Radha) |
Dolly (Suma) |
Roja (Radha) |
| Chandra Mohan (Anand) |
Anupam Kher (Jhun Jhunwala) |
Dwarakish (Shyam) |
Janagaraj (Manikandan) |
| Jaggayya (Ramachandra Prasad) |
Shafi Inamdar (Raja Saab) |
C. R. Simha (Ramachandra Rayaru) |
Kalyan Kumar (Viswanathan) |
References
- ^ a b c d "'Chitram' still a mystery for Mani Ratnam". Mangalam Publications. 16 December 2016. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g Rajan, Silpa (12 November 2021). "#FilmyFriday: Chithram: Vishnu's golden rule to life is 'living in the moment'". The Times of India. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ^ "Malayalam-DVD-Chithram-Mohanlal".
- ^ "'ചിത്രം' എന്ന ബോക്സ്ഓഫിസ് വിസ്മയത്തിന് 31 വയസ്സ്". ManoramaOnline (in Malayalam). Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ "Milestones in Mohanlal's career". Sify. 21 May 2005. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019.
- ^ "Chithram 366 days report" (Document) (in Malayalam). Vellinakshatram.
- ^ "Chithram 200 days report" (in Malayalam). Vellinakshatram. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019.
- ^ "10 Mollywood films that ran for the longest time". The Times of India.
- ^ "Thamizh Talkies: Union of stars". The New Indian Express. 23 September 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
External links
- Chithram at IMDb
