Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja (film)
| Pazhassi Raja | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Hariharan |
| Produced by | Gokulam Gopalan |
| Written by | M. T. Vasudevan Nair |
| Starring |
Mammootty Manoj K Jayan Kanika Subramaniam Sarath Kumar Padmapriya Thilakan Jagathi Sreekumar Suresh Krishna Suman Linda Arsenio |
| Narrated by |
Mohanlal (Malayalam) Kamal Haasan (Tamil) Shahrukh Khan (Hindi) |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
| Cinematography | Ramanath Shetty |
| Edited by | A. Sreekar Prasad |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Sree Gokulam Release |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 200 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Budget | ₹27 crore[2] |
Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja is a 2009 Indian Malayalam-language epic historical drama film based on the life of Pazhassi Raja, a Hindu king who fought against the British in the 18th century. The film was directed by Hariharan, written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair and produced by Gokulam Gopalan. It stars an ensemble cast consisting of Mammootty, Manoj K. Jayan, Kanika Subramaniam, Sarath Kumar, Padmapriya, Thilakan, Peter Handley Evans, Harry Key, Linda Arsenio and Jagathi Sreekumar. The music score and soundtrack were created by Ilaiyaraaja, while its sound design is by Resul Pookutty. The political situation of the time is portrayed from an Indian viewpoint in the film, and the locals are treated sympathetically.
The film won National Film Award for Best Background Score, Best Audiography and Special Jury Award (for Padmapriya). It received numerous other accolades including eight Kerala State Film Awards and seven Filmfare Awards South.
Pazhassi Raja was produced at a cost of ₹27 crore, making it the costliest film made in Malayalam until then.[3] Originally filmed in Malayalam, Pazhassi Raja was dubbed in Tamil as well as Hindi. The film released on 16 October 2009 across Kerala with 150 prints.[4][5]
Plot
The film starts in 1796, four years after the occupation of Malabar by the English East India Company and towards the end of the First Pazhassi Revolt (1793–1797). The revolt is led by Kerala Varma (Mammootty), the Raja of Pazassi Palace, of Kottayam house. The exploitation of the native Indian resources by the Company had culminated in popular revolts against its authority across the district. With the help of Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja's uncle Kurumbranadu ruler Veeravarma (Thilakan), who is jealous of Pazhassi Raja for his success and influence, and Raja's old companion Pazhayamveedan Chandhu (Suman), the Company act against Pazhassi Raja. This forces Pazhassi Raja to escape to the forests of Wayanad. The tribal force led by Neeli captures Assistant Collector Thomas Hervey Baber (Harry Key) and his fiancée Dora (Linda Arsenio) in the jungle, in spite of his commander's objection. The Raja treats Thomas Baber and Dora as his guest and releases them.
From there he begins a guerrilla battles against the Company. He is supported by his army chief Edachena Kunkan (Sarathkumar) and his brother-in-law Kaitheri Ambu (Suresh Krishna). In the guerrilla battle-front, Pazhassi Raja uses the expertise of Thalakkal Chandu (Manoj K. Jayan), a Kurichya soldier, and Chandu's fiancée Neeli (Padmapriya).
During the initial phases of the battle, the Company lose lots of men and money. This compels them to make a peace treaty with Pazhassi Raja. Raja agrees, hoping that this move will bring peace to the area and his people. However, the conditions of the treaty are never observed by the Company. This prompts Raja to start the battle again. Similarly, Dora leaves Thomas Baber for England, having learned the betrayal done by the Company to the Raja and despite her objection to the hanging of a father and son, who refused to reveal the location of the Raja to the Company. He forms useful alliances with many rulers and powerful families in the nearby places like Unni Mootha (Captain Raju) and his men.
Pazhassi Raja and his army successfully start the battle again. But the Company use heavily armed forces against him and succeed in luring many tribal leaders. This leads to the capture and subsequent hanging of Thalakkal Chandu as he was cheated by a tribal head (Nedumudi Venu).
The Company start hunting for Pazhassi and his army chief Edachena Kunkan. In a bloody fight, Edachena Kunkan kills Pazhayamveedan Chandhu. But he is surrounded by the Company. Instead of surrendering before them, he commits suicide. This makes Raja's army weaker. But Pazhassi Raja, even though knowing that he is going to die, goes for a last fight against the Company. After a glorious fight Pazhassi Raja is killed by the Company. The film ends with the assistant collector Thomas Baber placing the body of the Raja in a litter and his famous words: "He was our enemy. But he was a great warrior, a great man and we honour him." The Company officers respond by saluting the corpse of the Raja and acting as Pall-bearers.
Cast
- Mammootty as Pazhassi Raja
- Sarathkumar as Edachena Kunkan
- Manoj K. Jayan as Thalakkal Chandu
- Suresh Krishna as Kaitheri Ambu
- Kanika Subramaniam as Kaitheri Makkam
- Padmapriya Janakiraman as Neeli
- Harry Key as Thomas Hervey Baber
- Linda Arsenio as Dora Baber
- Peter Handley Evans as Major James Gordon
- Suman as Pazhayamveedan Chandhu
- Thilakan as Kurumbranaadu Raja Vira Varma
- Jagathy Sreekumar as Kanara Menon
- Nedumudi Venu as Moopan
- Devan as Kannavathu Nambiar
- Lalu Alex as Emman Nair
- Captain Raju as Unni Mootha
- Jagadeesh as Bhandari
- Mamukkoya as Athan Gurukkal
- Murali Mohan as Chirakkal Raja
- Ajay Rathnam as Subeidhar Cheran
- Susheel Kumar as Sekaran Warrier
- Urmila Unni as Chirakkal Thamburatty
- Valsala Menon as Kaitheri Thamburatty
- Yamini as Unniamma
- Ross Elliot as Colonel Robert Bowles
- Tommy Donelly as Governor Jonathan Duncan
- Robin Pratt as Lieutenant Maxwell
- Simon Hewitt as Captain Dickinson
- Gary Richardson as Major Clapham
- Glen David Short as Major Murray
- J. Brandon Hill as Major Stephen
Production
Development
M. T. Vasudevan Nair, Hariharan and Mammootty are working together after two decades; their previous association was Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, which turned out into a landmark film in Malayalam. It was about Chanthu, a legendary warrior in the Northern Ballads. Through Pazhassi Raja, they made another biopic, on the life of Pazhassi Raja. Gokulam Gopalan was the film's producer. The total budget of the film is about ₹27 crores, which makes it the most expensive Malayalam film ever made.[6] The sounds in the battle scenes of the film were recreated under Academy Award winner Resul Pookutty as he joined in the project only after its completion.
The Kerala High Court ordered the producers of the film to avail the benefit of entertainment tax concession for viewers of Pazhassi Raja.[7]
Casting
Mammootty plays the title role of Pazhassi Raja. There are three heroines: Padmapriya appearing as a tribal girl, Kanika as Pazhassi's wife and Linda Arsenio as Dora Baber, fiancée of Assistant Collector Thomas Baber.[8] Linda is a theatre artist in New York who also acted in the film Kabul Express.[9]
Through this film, Sarath Kumar makes his debut in Malayalam cinema. He portrays Edachena Kunkan, the chief lieutenant to Pazhashi Raja.[10] Suresh Gopi was originally cast for the role, however he refused to accept. Later, he clarified that he couldn't act in the film due to personal reasons and it would always be a loss for him.[11] Suman plays Pazhayamveedan Chandu.[12] Biju Menon was originally cast for the role but he opted out after a few days of shooting, citing physical difficulties in shooting fight scenes.
Filming
The filming began on February 2007 from Palakkad.[13] The filming lasted for two and a half years and was completed in August 2009.[14] Sound mixer Resul Pookutty recreated all location scenes to ensure perfection.[14] About the delay in making, Hariharan said: "The film's shoot took two years to complete, when it should have been completed in eight months. The delay was not because of me. Neither was it because my producer, Gokulam Gopalan, was short of money; I must really thank my producer, without whom a film like Pazhassi Raja would never have been made. The delay was because some of the stars were not willing to allot the extra time that was required for the film. They probably didn't realise this film would become a milestone in their careers. Making Pazhassi Raja was a great challenge for me. Directing Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha was a cakewalk, compared to this."[15]
Music
The film features six original songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The original background score was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, conducted by László Kovács and performed by the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra in Budapest.[16] It took three months for Ilaiyaraaja to complete the background score.[17] On 25 September, Think Music released a soundtrack album, featuring only the songs.[18] The songs received mixed to negative critical reviews and "did not go the way that it was expected".[19] Following the setback of the soundtrack album, Ilaiyaraaja stated that he was not satisfied with the lyrics of poet O. N. V. Kurup, who penned two songs for the film. Ilaiyaraaja won the National Film Award for Best Background Score [20]
Track listing
- Original version
All lyrics written by O. N. V. Kurup, Gireesh Puthenchery and Kanesh Punoor; all music composed by Ilaiyaraaja.
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mathangananamabjavasa" (Lyrics: Traditional Sanskrit Sloka) | K. J. Yesudas | 1:16 |
| 2. | "Kunnathe Konnaykum" (Lyrics: O. N. V. Kurup) | K. S. Chithra | 5:12 |
| 3. | "Aadiushassandhya Poothathivide" (Lyrics: O. N. V. Kurup) | K. J. Yesudas, M. G. Sreekumar, Chandra Sekharan, Vidhu Prathap | 5:29 |
| 4. | "Ambum Kombum Komban Kattum" (Lyrics: Gireesh Puthenchery) | Ilaiyaraaja, Manjari, Kuttappan | 4:59 |
| 5. | "Odathandil Thalam Kottum Kattil" (Lyrics: Gireesh Puthenchery) | Chandra Sekharan, Sangeetha | 5:07 |
| 6. | "Aalamadankala Mythavanalle" (Lyrics: Kanesh Punoor) | M. G. Sreekumar, Vidhu Prathap, Ashraf Thayineri, Edavanna Gafoor, Faisal Elettil, Krishnanunni | 4:47 |
- Tamil version (Dubbed)[21]
All lyrics written by Vaali; all music composed by Ilaiyaraaja.
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mathangananamabjavasa" (Lyrics: Traditional Sanskrit Sloka) | K. J. Yesudas | 1:16 |
| 2. | "Kundrathu" | K. S. Chithra | 5:12 |
| 3. | "Aadi Mudhal" | Madhu Balakrishnan, Rahul Nambiar, Roshini | 5:29 |
| 4. | "Agilamellam" | Murali | 4:59 |
| 5. | "Moongil Thanni" | Karthik, Roshini | 5:07 |
| 6. | "Ambum Kombum" | Rahul Nambiar, Priya | 4:47 |
Hindi version (Dubbed)
All lyrics written by Manoj Santoshi and Manisha Korde; all music composed by Ilaiyaraaja.
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pritam Dil" | Shreya Ghoshal | 5:01 |
| 2. | "Yaar Hai Badle" | Shaan, Kunal Ganjawala | 4:42 |
| 3. | "Yeh Dharti Bhi" | Shaan, Kunal Ganjawala | 5:16 |
Release
The film was released on 16 October as a Diwali release with 130 prints in the original Malayalam version and later on 17 November with 150 prints in Tamil.[2] Later, on 27 September 2013, Goldmines Telefilms launched the trailer of the Hindi dubbed version of the film, at their YouTube channel.[22] The full Hindi version of the film was digitally released on YouTube on 11 October 2013.[23]
Home video
Moser Baer Home Entertainment released the film on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, SuperDVD and VCD in India. The home video rights was bought by Moser Baer for a record sum of ₹ 62 lakhs. Pazhassi Raja was the first regional language film to be released in the Blu-ray format.[24] The DVD version of the film was released on 1 May 2010 as a two-DVD set.[25] It is available in 16:9 Anamorphic widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, progressive 24 FPS, widescreen and NTSC format. Within two days of its release, Pazhassi Raja broke all existing records in Malayalam home video sales by selling over two lakh units.[26]
Reception
Critical response
Nowrunning comments that the film is an "exotic chronicle that stuns us with its fascinating tale", and that "this is the stuff that tours de force are made of".[27] Rediff gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5, praising the script and the technical brilliance of the film.[28] Sify described the film as one "that will be treasured for years to come".[29]
However, Rediff also stated that "sentimentalism bogs down the pace [of the film]" at several occasions of the story.[28] Ilayaraja's music also received criticism and the critics further accused the film of taking some cinematic liberties on history.[29] The Hindu said, "the host of people who play English Lords and East India Company chiefs appears theatrical. Even Linda Arsenio, the English Lady Dora Baber, isn't spontaneous" and "while on editing, certain parts seem to have been trimmed in haste and hence hang without relevance. Strangely, despite an action-oriented story and mind-boggling stunts, the film sags at points."[30] Other critics pointed the sloppy fight scenes and the English accent of Padmapriya who has dubbed for herself in the film.[31]
Box office
Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja collected around ₹82 lakh from first day over the 125 releasing centres. The film had a record opening, collecting ₹2.72 crore in its first weekend, which was the highest ever weekend recorded for a film in Kerala, at the time it was released.[32][33] By the sixth week (42 days) of release, the film had collected ₹13 crore in Kerala.[5] The film grossed ₹18 crore (US$2.7 million) in 70 days run in Kerala.[34][35]
Accolades
References
- ↑ "Pazhassi Raja – Sify report". Sify.
- 1 2 Nandini Sivakumar, P.K.Krishnakumar (17 November 2009). "Tamil Pazhassiraja to hit screens this Friday". The Economic Times. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
- ↑ "Pazhassi Raja: Costliest Malayalam film". Business Standard. The Times of India. 2009-10-15. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
- ↑ "'Pazhassi Raja' hits 130 theatres in Kerala". Chennai, India. 16 October 2009.
- 1 2 "Kerala Box Office (Oct 21-Nov 30, 2009)". Sify. 2011-08-31. Archived from the original on 15 April 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
- ↑ Iyer, Radhika (2009-10-15). "Pazhassi Raja: Costliest Malayalam film". NDTV. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
- ↑ "Pazhassi Raja: Viewers to get tax benefit". Archived from the original on 16 January 2010. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
- ↑ "Three heroines for Pazhassi Raj". Indiaglitz. Retrieved 2 May 2007. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ "American actress in Malayalam movie". Apun Ka Choice. Retrieved 2 May 2007. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ "Sarath Kumar speaks Malayalam". IndiaGlitz. Retrieved 17 February 2008. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ "'Pazhassi Raja' would always be a loss for me: Suresh Gopi". Nowrunning. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
- ↑ "Suman in Malayalam". Sify Malayalam. Retrieved 24 January 2008. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ P. K. Ajith Kumar. Tribute to Pazhassi Raja. The Hindu. 19 January 2009
- 1 2 History in the making: Pazhassi Raja film. Press Trust of India. Times of India. 4 September 2009
- ↑ P. K. Ajith Kumar. ‘Pazhassi Raja' reigns supreme. The Hindu. 9 April 2010.
- ↑ "Royal rebellion". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 2 October 2009.
- ↑ Mammootty starrer 'Pazhassi Raja' ready for release. Deccan Herald. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ↑ 'Pazhassiraja' had a big audio launch. TNN. Times of India. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
- ↑ "Ilayaraja unhappy with ONV's lyrics". Retrieved 2009-10-23.
- ↑ P Sangeetha. 'I think music, not awards'. TNN. Times of India Retrieved 17 September 2010
- ↑ "Pazhassi Raja (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) - EP". iTunes. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ↑ "Pazhassi Raja Hindi Dubbed Official Theatrical Trailer". Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- ↑ "Pazhassi Raja (Hindi) Full Movie". Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- ↑ "പഴശ്ശിരാജ ബ്ലൂറേ ഫോര്മാറ്റ് ഡിസ്ക് വിപണിയില്". (in Malayalam). Janayugam. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
- ↑ Buy Hindi Movies Online | Buy Hindi Movies VCD, DVD Online | Online Store for Hindi Movies
- ↑ "Indian Entertainment News, Movie News, Movie Features - Bollywood - Tamil - Telugu - Malayalam - Kannada Movies". Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ↑ "A breathtaking film that demands repeated screenings!". 2009-10-16. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
- 1 2 "Pazhassi Raja is brilliant". Rediff. 2009-10-16. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
- 1 2 Sify review. Sify. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- ↑ "Majestic multitude – Pazhassi Raja". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 27 November 2009.
- ↑ Aiyappan, Arya (2009-10-17). "Pazhassi Raja – Review | – Oneindia Entertainment". Entertainment.oneindia.in. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
- ↑ "Kerala Box Office - Sep 28 to Oct 20". Sify. 21 October 2009.
- ↑ "10 Mammootty films to watch before you die". Times of India. 24 May 2016.
- ↑ Moviebuzz (2 January 2010). "2009- A Flashback!". Sify.com. Archived from the original on 26 November 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- ↑ "Pazhassi completes 100 days". Indiaglitz.com. 25 January 2010.
- ↑ "Best Feature Film Award: Kutty Srank". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 16 September 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
- ↑ 'Pazhassi Raja' reigns supreme. The Hindu. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
- ↑ "Filmfare Awards Winners". Times of India. 9 August 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
- ↑ "Amma Awards 2009".
- ↑ Surya TV film awards announced. The Hindu. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
- ↑ Vanitha film awards 2009 announced. Keral TV. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
- ↑ കലാകേരള അവാര്ഡുകള്; മികച്ച ചിത്രം പഴശ്ശിരാജ. Veekshanam. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
- ↑ . Thaindian. Retrieved 8 September 2010.