''Pathram'' () is a 1999 Indian

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

political thriller A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle, high stakes and suspense is the core of the story. The genre often forces the audiences to consider and understand the importance of politics. The st ...

film written by

Renji Panicker Renji Panicker (born 23 September 1960) is an Indian actor, scriptwriter, director, film producer, and journalist best known for his Malayalam films. He made his debut as a director with '' Bharatchandran IPS'' in 2005. Early life He did hi ...

and directed by

Joshi Joshi is a surname used by the Brahmin (caste) in India and Nepal. Joshi is also sometimes spelled as Jyoshi. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word ''Jyotishi'' meaning "astrologer" or a person who practices ''jyotisha''. ''Jyotisha'' refers ...

, starring

Suresh Gopi Suresh Gopi (born 26 June 1958) is an Indian actor, politician, playback singer and television presenter. He works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and has also appeared in some Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bollywood films. Suresh made his acti ...

Manju Warrier Manju Warrier (; born 10 September 1978) is an Indian actress, producer, classical dancer and playback singer who primarily appears in Malayalam language films. She is the recipient of several awards including one National Film Award, one Kera ...

, Murali,

N. F. Varghese Nadakkaparambil Francis Varghese (6 January 1950 – 19 June 2002) was an Indian actor who worked in Malayalam film industry. He began his career as a mimicry artist in Kalabhavan, acting in minor roles, but later he turned to strong villain r ...

Biju Menon Biju Menon (born 9 September 1970) is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam films, and also has a few Tamil and Telugu film credits. He made his debut in the 1994 Malayalam film ''Puthran''. In a career spanning over two decades ...

, Abhirami.

Plot

Nandagopal, an

associate editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

with one of the leading newspapers ''Kerala Reshmi'', is an aggressive and daring journalist who enjoys a reputation among the media circle, and is the son of Venugopal, an iconic journalist who was killed by the textile mafia for being a staunch supporter of

trade unions A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

. In

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of ...

, Nandan meets Shekaran, an old naxalite and his father's friend, who is running ''Jagratha'', a newspaper which is feared by the hypocritical political class. Shekaran's outspoken and belligerent nature had earned him more enemies than friends, and is constantly fighting Vishwanathan, an estranged ideological disciple of Shekaran who rules the city with his money and power. Vishwanathan holds a large share in ''Kerala Reshmi'' (acquired through deceit) and enjoys a huge political clout at state and central levels. C.I Haridas, a close friend of Shekaran, informs him about a vital source to collect evidences against Vishwanathan. Shekaran decides to expose Vishwanathan's role in the murder of Vincent Peter and numerous other crimes, by publishing the confessions made by a henchman of Vishwanathan. The plan is revealed to Vishwanathan by a key journalist in ''Jagratha'' effectively double crossing Shekaran. A bomb explosion orchestrated by Vishwanathan eliminates Shekaran and C.I Haridas. ''Jagratha'', the newspaper run by Shekaran is inherited by Devika Shekar, the only daughter of Shekaran, who is a fiery journalist like her father. Nandan, who was very close to Sekharan, manages to ensure that the case is investigated by an incorruptible investigating officer. Firoze Mohammed IPS, an old admirer of Nandan, who is gathering evidences against Vishwanathan. Nandan is arrested by the police in a fabricated case and sacked from ''Kerala Reshmi''. Meanwhile, Firoz decides to arrest Vishwanathan as he makes a drastic headway into the case. While arresting Vishwanathan, Firoz is killed by the latter and his henchmen. Nandan is released on bail and takes law into his hands, where he shoots down Vishwanathan and takes over as the new

chief editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of ''Jagratha''.

Cast

Reception

The film collected over 5.15 crore in 25 days at the box office. It became a

blockbuster Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to: *Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived. Corporations * Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain ** Bl ...

and was the second highest grossing film of 1999 behind ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Li ...

''. The film ran for over 250 days in theatres. The film was known for the controversies surrounding it when leading Malayalam dailies ''

Malayala Manorama ''Malayala Manorama'' is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew; it was first published as a weekly on 22 March 1888, and currently has ...

'' and ''

Mathrubhumi ''Mathrubhumi'' is a Malayalam newspaper that is published from Kerala, India. It was founded by K. P. Kesava Menon, an active volunteer in the Indian freedom struggle against the British. The word "Mathrubhumi" translates to 'mother land'. ...

'' boycotted the film for portraying them in bad light. Manju Warrier won the '' Asianet Film Award for Best Actress'' and her record setting fourth Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Malayalam for this film.

won the ''

Asianet Film Award for Best Supporting Actor Asianet may refer to: Disney Star channels * Asianet Communications, an Indian media company wholly owned by Disney Star **Asianet (TV channel), a Malayalam language general entertainment channel **Asianet Plus, a Malayalam language general enterta ...

'' for this film. The film's music and lyrics by S. P. Venkatesh and

Gireesh Puthenchery Girish Puthenchery (1961–2010) was a noted Malayalam Lyricist, Poet, Scriptwriter and Screenwriter. He was always referred to as the aristocratic lyricist of Malayalam who had a distinctive writing style of his own. He also served as the dire ...

, along with art direction By Sabu Pravadas and publicity designing by

Gayathri Ashokan Gayathri Ashokan is an Indian poster designer and screenwriter who works in Malayalam cinema. He is considered as a pioneer in poster designing art along with P. N. Menon in Malayalam film industry. His debut design was for director Padmaraj ...

. The location of the film were shot in

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation a ...

and surrounding places.

References

External links

* {{Joshiy 1999 films 1990s Malayalam-language films Films directed by Joshiy Journalism adapted into films Films shot in Kochi