'' Ottaal'' (English: ''The Trap'') is a 2015 Indian
Malayalam film directed by
Jayaraj
Jayarajan Rajasekharan Nair, professionally credited as Jayaraj, is an Indian filmmaker, who predominantly works in Malayalam film industry.
He has won many awards, including Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Golden ...
, an adaptation of the short story
"Vanka" by Russian author
Anton Chekhov.
This film stars Ashanth K Sha and Kumarakom Vasudevan, as well as actors
Shine Tom Chacko, Sabitha Jayaraj and Thomas G. Kannampuzha.
It became the first movie in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
to be released online on the same day as its theatrical release. The film made history, becoming the first ever Malayalam movie to have swept all the top awards in the 20-year history of the
International Film Festival of Kerala
The International Film Festival of Kerala (abbreviated as IFFK) is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. This film festival started in 1996 and is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy ...
.
The film was one of four
Malayalam films selected to be a part of the ''Indian Panorama'' at the
International Film Festival of India in
Goa in November 2015.
Plot
This film tells the story of a young boy (Ashanth K Sha) and his relationship with his grandfather (Kumarakom Vasudevan), his only living relative in the world. Actor Kumarakom Vasudevan is a fisherman in real life, whom Director Jayaraj found during his hunt for actors to play the role. Shine Tom Chacko’s character, Mesthri, also has a pivotal role in the story.
''Ottaal'' is an adaptation of one of Anton Chekhov’s timeless works, Vanka. A story of the 18th century, but one that has travelled the time and space to be retold in the present day at a small village in the South of India.
Cast
* Master Ashanth K Sha as Kuttappai
* Kumarakaom Vasudevan as Vallyappachayi
*
Shine Tom Chacko as Mesthri
* Thomas J Kannampuzha as Betty
* Sabitha Jayaraj as Moly
* Master Hafis Muhammed as Tinku
* Vavachan as Outha
Soundtrack
The film has one song, "Aa Manathilirrunnu",
composed by Padma Bhushan
Kavalam Narayana Panicker
Kavalam Narayana Panicker (1 May 1928 – 26 June 2016) was an Indian dramatist, theatre director, and poet. He has written over 26 Malayalam plays, many adapted from classical Sanskrit drama and Shakespeare, notably Kalidasa's ''Vikramorvasiy ...
.
The background score composed by
Sreevalsan J. Menon
Sreevalsan J. Menon is an Indian Carnatic vocalist and a music composer from Kerala.
Biography
After initial training under Rajalakshmi Krishnan (disciple of Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar) and violinist T.V. Ramani at Thrissur, Menon had mu ...
was praised by the jury when the film won the
Crystal Bear at the
Berlinale
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
2016.
Release and reception
The film was released in theaters in
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
on 6 November 2015 and online on the same day through
Reelmonk, making it the first Indian film to be released simultaneously in theaters and on the internet.
Accolades
References
External links
*
{{Jayaraj
2015 films
Films directed by Jayaraj
Films scored by Kavalam Narayana Panicker
Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay National Film Award
Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation National Film Award winners
Films about child labour
2010s Malayalam-language films