''Desadanam'' ( en, Journey to wisdom) is a 1996 Indian

Malayalam language Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

feature 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 ...

. It won the

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of sev ...

Plot

The plot revolves around the personal turmoil faced by the parents of a child who is to be inducted into priesthood by a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

. The pain of imminent separation from their only child has been beautifully portrayed by the characters played by

Vijayaraghavan Vijayaraghavan (born 20 December 1951) is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He is popular for his character roles. He is the son of popular drama and cinema artist N. N. Pillai. He got his break by playing the iconi ...

and Mini Nair. The boy who led a carefree life until now has been identified as having a deep understanding of religious philosophy and

scriptures Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual pra ...

at a very young age by the priests of a holy

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...

. They request the family to induct the boy into priesthood to which the grandfather of the boy readily agrees to; for, he himself had aspirations of joining the shrine in the past. The parents, though not keen on parting with their child are compelled to give in on the basis of the word given by the elders of the family.

Cast

as Sankaran, Pachu's Father * Master Kumar as Parameswaran /Pachu * Mini Nair as Pachu's mother * Satyabhama Pisharasyar as Muttassi * Unnikrishnan Namboothiri as Sankaran's father * V. K. Sriraman as Madhavan *

Madampu Kunjukuttan Madampu Sankaran Namboothiri (23 June 1941 − 11 May 2021), popularly known as Madampu Kunjukuttan, was a Malayalam actor, author and screenplay writer. Background and personal life Kunjukuttan was born in Kiralur village of Thrissur Dist ...

as Shastrikal *

Kaithapram Damodaran Padma Shri 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 Kannet ...

as Krishnan * Soumya Unnikrishnan as Theethikutty

Soundtrack

All the songs in the movie were well received. The music was composed by

Kaithapram Padma Shri 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 K ...

who himself wrote the lyrics, had a role in the movie too.

Box office

The film became commercial success.

Awards

;

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

* Best Feature Film in Malayalam * Best Child Artist - Master Kumar * Best Audiography - T. Krishnanunni ;

Kerala State Film Awards The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Ch ...

* Best Director-

* Second Best Actress - Mini Nair * Best Child Artist - Master Kumar * Best Male Playback Singer - K. J. Yesudas * Best Cinematography - M. J. Radhakrishnan * Best Sound Recordist - T. Krishnanunni * Best Dubbing Artist - Venmani Vishnu

References

{{Jayaraj 1997 films 1990s Malayalam-language films Films that won the Best Audiography National Film Award Best Malayalam Feature Film National Film Award winners Films shot in Thrissur Films scored by Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri