Thalappavu
Thalappavu | |
---|---|
Alagappan N | |
Edited by | Don Max |
Music by | Alex Paul Shyam Dharman |
Distributed by | Lal Release |
Release date |
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Country | India |
Language | Malayalam |
Thalappavu (literal meaning: turban or headgear, which is a symbol of power, status and protection
The film released on 12 September 2008 (Onam) to critical acclaim. However, in the box-office it failed to recover the cost of production.[2] The film got Kerala State Film Awards for Best Actor (Lal) and Best Debut Director (Madhupal), Kerala Film Critics Awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Script writer, Amateur Little Theatre Award for Best Debutant Director, Sohan Antony Memorial Film Award for Best Director. The film was screened at the 13th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) 2008 and Indian Habitat Film Festival 2009.
Plot
The movie is based on a real-life confession of a police constable (P. Ramachandran Nair) about gunning down a Naxalite (Arikkad Varghese) in a fake encounter as per the order of his superiors in 1970. The screenplay by
- P. Ramachandran Nair's confession was in Nov. 1998 to a magazine, whereas in the film the it takes place in the late 2000s to a television channel.
Cast
- Lal as Constable S. Raveendran Pillai (P. Ramachandran Nair)
- Balu Varghese as young Raveendran Pillai
- Prithviraj Sukumaran as Comrade Joseph
- Atul Kulkarni as Krishnadeva Saivar (Vasudeva Adiga)
- Dhanya Mary Varghese as Saramma
- Rohini as Karthyayani, Pillai's wife
- Sudheer Karamana as Nalinakshan
- Maniyanpilla Raju as Shivan Pillai
- Sreejith Ravi as Karunan
- Jagathy Sreekumar as Govinda Pillai
- Geetha Vijayan as Rosamma
- Saranya Sasi as S. Raveendran Pillai's daughter
- Renjusha Menon
- Santha Devi as trader women
Production
His dream project Thalappavu was always there at the back of his mind, says Madhupal. "I was moved by the story of Varghese, a man who lived for others. More than his politics or his background, what attracted me was his willingness to help the most oppressed sections in society."[3] Babu Janardhanan who wrote the script said he had carried out extensive research on the life of Naxal Arikkad Varghese before capturing it on paper. "The spark for the script came from the revelation made by Ramachandran Nair (the police constable) through television channels that he was forced to kill Varghese,” said Janardhanan. "The revelation struck me and I started to think about the mental agony he had to endure by suppressing the fact for nearly 30 years," he said.[4] Janardhanan, the script writer, and Madhupal sketched the whole film, shot by shot. Madhupal says his stint with Rajiv Anchal in Hollywood, Los Angeles helped him polish the quality of the sound track of Thalappavu. "For them, natural sound is of utmost importance. They also use it as transitions. Sound will appear before the cut to lead you to the next scene. We have also used sound to enhance cuts and dissolves. Travelling sound also contributed in smoothening the transitions."[5]
Parts of the film were shot in
The film was praised for its script (Babu Janardhanan), flawless treatment, acting (Lal) and cinematography (Azhagappan).
Soundtrack
Music: Alex Paul, Shyam Darman, Lyrics: O. N. V. Kurup
- "Kanninu Kuliraam" - K. S. Chitra
- "Vananeelimayil" - Ramesh Babu
References
- ^ a b "Killing fields". The Hindu. 19 October 2007. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ "Kerala Box Office (Sep 19 – 21)". Sify. Archived from the original on 18 June 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Crowning glory". The Hindu. 13 December 2008. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ a b "'Thalappavu' a wake up call, says Madhupal". The Hindu. 22 September 2008. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ "Promising debut". The Hindu. 26 September 2008. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ "Promising debut". The Hindu. 25 September 2008.