''Mathilukal'' (

Malayalam 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 ...

: മതിലുകൾ, meaning ''Walls'') is a

novel written by

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (21 January 1908 – 5 July 1994), popularly referred to as Beypore Sulthan, was a writer of Malayalam literature. He was a writer, humanist, freedom fighter, novelist and short story writer, noted for his path-breaking, ...

in 1965. It is one of the most cherished and well-known love stories in Malayalam. Its hero, Basheer himself, and heroine, Narayani, never meet, yet they love each other passionately. Despite being imprisoned and separated by a huge wall that divides their prisons, the two romance each other.P.K.Ajith Kumar
"Romantic interlude"
''The Hindu''. 14 May 2010.

Theme

The theme of the novel, focusses on the love between Basheer, a prisoner, and a female inmate of the prison, who remains unseen throughout the novel.K.Rajan

''The Hindu''. 14 March 2008 In ''Mathilukal'', though the broad frame is autobiographical and the narration is first person, the details seem to contain sprinkles of fantasy.P.M.Girish
"A Brief Examination of Three Widely-Acclaimed Malayalam Novels"
Languageinindia.com. 3 March 2008.

Plot summary

Basheer, who is jailed for writing against the ruling British, befriends his fellow-inmates and a considerate young jailor. One day, Basheer hears a woman's voice from the other side of the wall – the women's prison. Eventually the two jailbirds become lovebirds. They exchange gifts, and their hearts, without meeting each other. Narayani then comes up with a plan for a meeting: they decide to meet at the hospital a few days later. But before that, Basheer is released, unexpectedly. For once, he does not want the freedom he had craved for. The novel ends with Basheer standing outside the prison with a rose in his hand saying, "outside is an even bigger jail."

Translations

* ''Voices; The Walls''. Translated by V. Abdulla.

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

Orient Longman Orient Blackswan Pvt. Ltd. (formerly Orient Longman India, commonly referred to as Orient Longman), is an Indian publishing house headquartered in Hyderabad, Telangana. The company publishes academic, professional and general works as well as s ...

. 1976. * ''Walls''. Translated by Nivedita Menon.

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...

: ''Katha''. 1996. pp. 43–72.

Film adaptation

In 1989, a film adaptation of the novel was released, starring

Mammootty Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (; born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, H ...

and K.P.A.C Lalitha as Narayani (voice only), and directed by

Adoor Gopalakrishnan Adoor Gopalakrishnan (born 3 July 1941) is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer and is regarded as one of the most notable and renowned filmmakers in India. With the release of his first feature film '' Swayamvaram'' (1972), Go ...

. The film was a major critical success, and gained many awards at national and international levels. Mammootty won the

National Film Award for Best Actor The National Film Award for Best Actor, officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Actor (), is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India instituted since 1967 to actors who have delivered the best performanc ...

References

External links

Book review by Susan Mathen of Ingoodbooks.com
() Novels by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer Indian autobiographical novels Indian romance novels 1965 novels Indian novels adapted into films Malayalam novels Novels set in India Novels set in the 1940s DC Books books 1965 Indian novels {{1960s-romance-novel-stub