''Karutha Rathrikal'' () is a 1967 Indian

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

-language

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

directed by

P. Subramaniam Padmanabha Subramaniam (19 February 1910 – 4 October 1979) was an Indian film producer, film director, distributor, theatre owner, and mayor. He is the founder of Merryland Studio (established in 1951), the second film studio in Kerala. Fr ...

under the name Mahesh. An adaptation of the 1886 novella ''

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is an 1886 Gothic horror novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between ...

'' by

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

, it was the first science fiction film in the history of

Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam, Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both th ...

Plot

Santhan, a medical practitioner, is in love with his cousin Vimala, with whom his marriage is fixed. Vimala's father, a banker, died under mysterious circumstances. Santhan develops a medicine, which transforms a person into a monstrous creature when consumed. He also invents the formula that reverts the person back to their original self. Santhan keeps this invention a secret. After reading his uncle's diary, Santhan realises that other voracious directors of the bank are responsible for his death. Santhan plans revenge on them by utilising his invention. Vimala's cousin Mohan is in love with Vilasini, a night club dancer. The other bank directors influence Mohan, through Vilasini, and try to steal the bank documents from Vimala's house. A monstrous creature appears before Vilasini and threatens her death if she acts accordingly. Vilasini discovers that Santhan is the one killing the bank directors. Mohan also learns about the secret that Santhan is the monstrous creature. Vimala's uncle Kochammavan comes to the city to conduct Vimala and Santhan's marriage. The police also arrive there in pursuit of the monstrous creature. Mohan reaches the spot and exposes Santhan, who then transforms himself into the monstrous creature. But before the police can arrest Santhan, he commits suicide.

Cast

Madhu Madhu (Sanskrit: ) is a word used in several Indo-Aryan languages meaning ''honey'' or ''sweet''. It is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European language, Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/médʰu, ''*médʰu'', whenc ...

as Santhan *

T. K. Balachandran T. K. Balachandran was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Malayalam films. He has acted in more than 200 films. His areas of contribution includes production, dialogue, story, screenplay. He is the first actor to play a double role in the histo ...

as Mohan *Vaikkom Mani as Kochammavan * K. V. Shanthi as Vimala *

Rajasree Rajasree (Rajasree Thota Panchajanyam, Kusuma Kumari), also known as Rajasri or Rajashri, is an Indian actress active from 1956 to 1979. She is particularly famous for her portrayal as a princess in several folklore Telugu movies opposite N. ...

as Vilasini

Production

''Karutha Rathrikal'', adapted from the novella ''

'' by

, was the first science fiction film in

Soundtrack

The music was composed by Baburaj and the lyrics were written by

O. N. V. Kurup Ottaplakkal Neelakandan Velu Kurup (known as O. N. V. Kurup; 27 May 1931 – 13 February 2016) was a Malayalam poet and lyricist from Kerala, India, who won the Jnanpith Award, the highest literary award in India for the year 2007. He received ...

. Songs like "Aararivoo Aararivoo" and "Omanathinkale" attained popularity.

References

External links