''Murappennu'' is a 1965

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 ...

-language

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

film directed by A. Vincent and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. The film stars Prem Nazir in the lead role with an ensemble supporting cast including Sharada, Madhu, Jyothilakshmi,

K. P. Ummer Kachinamthoduka Puthiyapurayil Ummer known as K. P. Ummer (Malayalam: കെ.പി. ഉമ്മർ) was an Indian actor from Thekkepuram quarter of Kozhikode, Kerala, India. He was active in the Malayalam cinema from early sixties until late ...

P. J. Antony P. J. Antony (1 January 1925 – 14 March 1979) was an Indian stage and film actor. He received the National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in '' Nirmalyam'' in 1974. He was also the first actor working in Malayalam cinema to rece ...

, Jyothilakshmi and

Adoor Bhasi K. Bhaskaran Nair (1 March 1929 – 29 March 1990), known by his stage name Adoor Bhasi, was an Indian actor and film director from Kerala. Adoor Bhasi was almost always cast as the man who stands next to the hero. His hilarious actions and role ...

playing the pivotal roles. The film revolves around a joint family and the romantic relationships between the cousins of the family. The film explores the Indian custom of marriage between cousins. The film was produced and distributed by Shobhana Parameswaran Nair under the banner of Roopavani Films. It marked the debut of M. T. Vasudevan Nair, the noted Malayalam

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...

Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, '' Elippathaya ...

. The film's story is based on ''Snehathinte Mukhangal'', a short story by Nair himself. He wrote the screenplay, at the behest of the producer. ''Murappennu'' became the first Malayalam film to be shot predominantly outdoors; Malayalam films were primarily filmed in

Satya ''Satya'' (Sanskrit: सत्य; IAST: ''satya)'' is a Sanskrit word loosely translated as truth, essence. A. A. Macdonell, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Asian Educational Services, , pp. 330–331 It also refers to a virtue in Indian relig ...

Udaya Studios Udaya Studios was one of the oldest film studios in the Malayalam film industry of India. It was established in 1947 by director-producer Kunchacko (1912–1976) and film distributor K. V. Koshy in Pathirappally, Alappuzha in Kerala. The stud ...

. Its soundtrack album and background score were composed by Chidambaranath, with cinematography by A. Venkat. ''Murappennu'' was released on 24 December 1965, during the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

holiday period. The film was released to high expectations, the film received critical praise for Nair's script, Chidambaranath's music and the performances of Nazir, Madhu and Sharada. It was also commercially successful, with a 175-day theatrical run, becoming a silver jubilee hit. It won the Certificate of Merit for the Third Best Feature Film at the

13th National Film Awards The 13th National Film Awards, then known as State Awards for Films, presented by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in 1965. Starting with 13th National Film Awards, a new award ...

. The film was the first part of Nair's trilogy of political melodramas – the other two being P. Bhaskaran's ''

Iruttinte Athmavu ''Iruttinte Athmavu'' () is a 1967 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by P. Bhaskaran and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair based on his own short story of the same name. It stars Prem Nazir and Sharada in lead roles with Thikkurissy Sukum ...

'' (1967) and

Vincent Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer''). People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor *Vincent van Gogh ...

's '' Asuravithu'' (1968).

Cast

Prem Nazir Prem Nazir (born Abdul Khader; 7 April 1926 – 16 January 1989) was an Indian actor known as one of Malayalam cinema's definitive leading men of his generation. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential actors in the history of India ...

as Balan *

as Aniyan * Madhu as Kesavankutty * Sharada as Bhagirathi *

Jyothi Lakshmi Jyothi Lakshmi (2 November 1948 – 9 August 2016) was an Indian actress who appeared in more than 130 movies. In the early 1970s, she was well noted for her leading roles and songs in movies. She also acted in female-oriented movies and was a ...

as Kochammini *

as Kunjikrishna Menon *

Sukumari Sukumari Amma (6 October 1940 – 26 March 2013) was an Indian actress best known for her works in Malayalam and Tamil films. In a career spanning more than five decades, She has appeared in more than 2500 films predominantly in Malayalam, Tam ...

as Mrs.Menon *

Shanta Devi Damayanthi (1927 – 20 November 2010), better known by her stage name Kozhikode Santha Devi, was an Indian Malayalam film and stage actress. In a career spanning about sixty years, she acted in more than 1000 plays and about 480 films. Biog ...

as Madhavi Amma *

Kunjandi Kunjandi ( ml, കുഞ്ഞാണ്ടി; 1919–2002) was an Indian actor in Malayalam cinema. He has acted in more than 50 films. He handled character roles as well as supporting roles. Background Kunjandi was born at Calicut. His first ...

as Kuttappa Menon *

*Murali as Chandran *

S. P. Pillai S. P. Pillai (28 November 1913 – 12 June 1985) was an Indian film and stage actor, best known for his comic roles in Malayalam films. Biography S. Pankajakshan Pillai alias S. P. Pillai was born in 1913 in the temple town of Ettumanoor in ...

Nellikode Bhaskaran Nellikode Bhaskaran (21 April 1924 – 11 August 1988) was an Indian actor in Malayalam movies. His real name was Bhaskara Menon. He mostly played character roles and supporting roles. Awards Kerala State Film Awards The Kerala St ...

as Veerankutty *Nilambur Balan as Chathan *Baby Vrinda as Minikkutty, Menon's grand daughter

Soundtrack

The songs became popular and is regarded as one of the best works by Chidambaranath. Three of its songs, "Karayunno Puzha Chirikkunno" (by K. J. Yesudas), "Kaliyaakki Enne Kaliyaakki" (by

S. Janaki Sistla Janaki (born 23 April 1938) is an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer from Andhra Pradesh. She is referred to respectfully as "Janaki Amma" and Nightingale of South India. She is one of the best-known playback singers in ...

) and "Kadavathu Thoniyadukkumbol" (by S. Janaki and Santha P. Nair) became evergreen hits. "Kadavathu Thoniyadukkumbol" was inspired by "Janoo Janoo Ri Kaahe Khanke Tora Kangana" (composer:

S D Burman Sachin Dev Burman (1 October 1906 – 31 October 1975) was an Indian music director and singer. A member of the Tripura royal family, he started his career with Bengali films in 1937. He later began composing for Hindi movies and became one ...

, singers:

Geeta Dutt Geeta Dutt (born Geeta Ghosh Roy Chowdhuri; 23 November 1930 – 20 July 1972) was an Indian playback singer and a famous Hindi and Bengali classical artist, born in Faridpur before the Partition of India. She found particular prominence as a ...

Asha Bhonsle Asha Bhosle (; Mangeshkar; born 8 September 1933) is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur and occasional actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian Cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in the ...

, film: '' Insan Jaag Utha'' (1959), which itself was based on a "chhed chhaad" style folk song. The song "Karayunno Puzha Chirikkunno" was described by ''The Hindu'' as one of the greatest melodies of all time in Malayalam cinema.

Release

''Murappennu'' was released on 24 December 1965. The film was a major commercial success, with a theatrical run of over 175 days. In 2009, B. Vijayakumar of ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the sec ...

'' wrote, "The film stood out for some superb acting by Prem Nazir, P. J. Antony, newcomer Jyothilakhsmi and Sharada." Further writing, "The scenes presented by Adoor Bhasi, S. P. Pillai and Kunjava provided comic relief. Other than aiming at the box office there was no justification in the inclusion of these scenes and characters in an otherwise serious film. These characters did not connect with the main storyline." He then, praised the script's use of the Valluvanadan dialect throughout the film. The film's soundtrack was also successful. On 2009, P. K. Ajithkumar wrote, "Nazir has often been dismissed, sometimes too easily, as just a star and not an actor. But even his harshest critics could not have ignored his powerful performance in ''Murappennu.''"

Legacy

'' described ''Murappennu'' as "a well-made film with a compelling plot" and as "one of the most significant films in the history of Malayalam cinema".P. K. Ajith Kumar (June 2, 2016)
"Murappennu, MT's first screenplay, turns 50"
''The Hindu''. Retrieved June 30, 2016. This was seen as M. T. Vasudevan Nair's breakthrough in Malayalam cinema and is accepted to be one of the finest of M. T. Vasudevan Nair's works. Writing for ''The Hindu'', B. Vijayakumar, wrote "M. T. Vasudevan Nair and A. Vincent went on to create some of the memorable films in Malayalam film history." Jaycey Foundation chairman and film producer J.J. Kuttikkattu had conducted an event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the film.

References

External links

* {{National Film Award Best Feature Film Malayalam 1960s Malayalam-language films 1965 films 1960s romance films Indian romance films Films with screenplays by M. T. Vasudevan Nair Films directed by A. Vincent