''Mookilla Rajyathu'' () is a 1991 Indian

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

-language

slapstick comedy Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...

film directed by the Ashokan-

Thaha Thaha is an Indian film director and writer, known primarily for his slapstick comedy movies. Career Earlier Thaha worked as an assistant director in films including ''Rajavinte Makan'', ''Bhoomiyile Rajakkanmar'', ''Kakkothikkavile Appooppa ...

duo and written by B. Jayachandran. It stars

Mukesh Mukesh is an epithet for the Hindu god Shiva, and literally means "conqueror of the Muka demon". It is commonly used as a male given name in India. People with the name Mukesh include: * Mukesh (singer) (1923–1976), Indian playback singer from ...

Thilakan Palappurathu Keshavan Surendranatha Thilakan (15 July 1935 – 24 September 2012) was an Indian film and stage actor who appeared in over 200 Malayalam films. Thilakan was known for his elaborate method acting, realistic and spontaneous appeara ...

Jagathy Sreekumar Sreekumar Achary (born 5 January 1951), better known by his stage name Jagathy Sreekumar or simply Jagathy, is an Indian actor, director and playback singer, who has appeared in over 1500 Malayalam films in a career spanning almost four deca ...

, Siddique, and

Vinaya Prasad Vinaya Prakash ( Bhat), (22 November 1967) also credited as Vinaya Prasad, is an Indian actress known for her work in Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu films, as well as television serials. Career Vinaya Prasad hails from Udupi district of Karna ...

. The film features music composed by

Ouseppachan Mechery Louis Ouseppachan (born 13 September 1955), known mononymously as Ouseppachan, is an Indian film composer and singer who primarily works in Malayalam films. He is a recipient of National Film Award, Filmfare Award and Kerala State Fil ...

. The plot revolves around four patients escaped from a

mental asylum The lunatic asylum, insane asylum or mental asylum was an institution where people with mental illness were confined. It was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital. Modern psychiatric hospitals evolved from and eventually replace ...

and the troubles they cause in their attempts to start a new life in a sane society. Thilakan's performance was widely appreciated and it is considered one of his best performances in a comical role. The film is a classic of the

golden age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...

of Malayalam comedy film (the comedy era started around 1983-1985 and went into decline in the late 1990s).

Plot

The film starts by displaying an antic of Keshavan who is an inmate of the

Kakkanad Kakkanad is a region in Kochi, Kerala, located east of the city centre. The term is used to refer to an area covering Thrikkakara municipality and the built-up areas in the western parts of the adjoining Kunnathunad grama panchayat. Kakkanad i ...

Mental Hospital A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe mental disorders. These institutions cater to patients with ...

. Two other inmates are Benny and Krishnankutty. By profession Benny is an artist, Krishnankutty is an auto-mechanic and Keshavan has retired from military service. The trio chance to come across a newspaper report that the

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

film star

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.* * * * * With a cinemati ...

is visiting

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...

city for a film shooting, which is close to where they stay. They are soon joined by a new inmate Venu, who takes him to the mental hospital. Venu is a good singer but suffers from a compulsive obsession to singing. All the four share a passion for Amitabh Bachchan. Driven by a desire to see Amitabh Bachchan the four manage to escape from the mental hospital that night by outsmarting the cell warden Ameen. They reach Ernakulam city in a bus but are disappointed to learn that Amitabh Bachchan had gone back after the film shooting which was a month ago and that they had in fact seen an old newspaper report. When they wake up the next morning, they find Venu missing. They go searching for him alone. Benny meets his former college mate and lover Leena in the city. Keshavan goes to a politician's rally and undresses in support of the

Swadeshi movement The Swadeshi movement was a self-sufficiency movement that was part of the Indian independence movement and contributed to the development of Indian nationalism. Before the BML Government's decision for the partition of Bengal was made public i ...

, only to be saved by Benny. Krishnankutty drinks at a bar, but finds that he does not have money to pay for it, and is assaulted. Finally, they find Venu having found employment as a singer, and he is chased by Balan, his older brother and Ameen. They decide to live by finding suitable employments. They find shelter in a rented house owned by a young dance teacher, whom Leena mistakes as Benny's new lover. Benny becomes a painter, Krishnankutty a mechanic, and Keshavan a security guard. Leena's father is unwilling to give his daughter in marriage to Benny because of his insanity, and even unsuccessfully hires a

goonda "Goonda" is a term used in the Indian subcontinent for hired criminals and gangsters. It is both a colloquial term and defined and used in laws, generally referred to as Goonda Acts. Etymology The word possibly comes from the Hindi word ''gu� ...

Bheem Singh to assault him. Two conmen Vasu and Abdullah who use the pseudonyms Sundaran Pillai and Gireesh Puri, are in the disguise of a TV serial producer and director, respectively. Their intention is to rob a bank near the house rented by the four by making a tunnel through their house while they are busy. They hire the four under the pretext of their TV serial and send them to learn various skills like

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...

, tree climbing and

break dance Breakdancing or breaking, also called b-boying (when performed by men) or b-girling (women), is a style of street dance originated by African Americans and Puerto Ricans in The Bronx borough of New York City. Breakdancing consists mainly of ...

among other things. They manage to keep them away from the house during daytime while the excavation is going on under the supervision of another gang member Bruno. However, a police officer is tracking their activities. In the end, their vicious scheme is busted up by the police officer, assisted by the four who wake up to the reality. The bank robbers end up in police custody.

Cast

Music

The soundtrack was composed by

. It features three songs which were sung by M. G. Sreekumar and

K. S. Chithra Krishnan Nair Shantakumari Chithra (born 27 July 1963) is an Indian playback singer and Carnatic musician. In a career spanning around five decades, she has recorded over 25,000 Songs in various Indian languages languages such as Tamil, Kann ...

. The lyrics were written by

Kaithapram Damodaran Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri, popularly known as Kaithapram, is a Malayalam lyricist, poet, music director, actor, singer, screenwriter, music therapist and performer of Carnatic music. He debuted with the movie Ennennum Kannettante in 19 ...

and

Poovachal Khader Poovachal Khader (25 December 1948 – 22 June 2021) was a Malayalam lyricist from Kerala who worked mainly in Malayalam film industry. His first movie as a lyricist was ''Kaattuvithachavan'' (1973) but his first released movie was ''Chuzhi'' (1 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mookilla Rajyathu (1991 Film) 1990s Indian films 1990s Malayalam-language films 1991 comedy films 1991 comedy-drama films 1991 crime drama films 1991 films Cultural depictions of Amitabh Bachchan Fictional portrayals of the Kerala Police Fictional quartets Films about Bollywood Films about disability in India Films about filmmaking Films about mental disorders Films about psychiatry Films scored by Ouseppachan Films set in Kerala Films set in psychiatric hospitals Films shot in Ernakulam Films shot in Kochi Indian comedy films Indian crime comedy-drama films Indian dance films Indian psychological drama films Indian psychological films Indian slapstick comedy films Malayalam films remade in other languages

Plot

Cast

Music

See also

References

External links