''Neelapponmaan'' is a 1975 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 film, directed and produced by

Kunchacko Maliampurackal Chacko Kunchacko (19 February 1912 – 15 June 1976) was an Indian film producer and director who worked in the Malayalam film industry. His venture Udaya Studios influenced the gradual shift of Malayalam film industry from it ...

. The film stars

Prem Nazir Prem Nazir (born Abdul Khader; 6 April 1926 – 16 January 1989) was an Indian actor known as one of Malayalam cinema's definitive leading man, leading men of his generation. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential actors in the hist ...

KPAC Lalitha Maheshwari Amma, better known by her stage name K. P. A. C. Lalitha (10 March 1947 – 22 February 2022), was an Indian film and stage actress who worked primarily in the Malayalam film industry. Considered one of the greatest actresses in the ...

Adoor Bhasi K. Bhaskaran Nair (1 March 1929 – 29 March 1990), professionally credited by his stage name Adoor Bhasi, was an Indian actor and film director. He was mostly cast as a sidekick to protagonists, particularly Prem Nazir. His comedic roles were w ...

and

Sreelatha Namboothiri Sreelatha Namboothiri (born Anjilivelil Vasantha) is an Indian actress and playback singer who works in Malayalam cinema and television. She has acted in more than 300 films. ''Khadeeja'' in 1967 was her debut movie. She began her acting caree ...

in the lead roles. The film has very low quality of making, screenplay, as well as acting compared to the deep and touching musical score by

Salil Chowdhary Salil Chowdhury (19 November 1925 – 5 September 1995) was an Indian music director, songwriter, lyricist, writer and poet who predominantly composed for Bengali, Hindi and Malayalam films. He composed music for films in 13 languages. This inc ...

Plot

Ivano is an earnest Russian (Soviet) scientist who has come down to stay in a forested area in Thekkady, Kerala to research on finding a cure for snakebites. A bold and bubbly maiden Veluthamma attracts his attention when she bravely captures a king cobra which he uses to develop his cure. The local zamindar Sankara Prabhu hosts Ivano with the intention of getting him to marry one of his daughters and thereby capture the riches to be brought by the cure. He enlists Dr. Pavithran who is set to marry his other daughter as Ivano's assistant, for this purpose. Meanwhile, Veluthamma who is destined by her parents to marry her dumb fiancée Pappy is naturally attracted to the sophisticated and kind Ivano, much to the upset of both poor Pappy as well as Sankara Prabhu. When Ivano succeeds in creating his magic cures that can bring back even dead people, they run out of options to test it as nobody dares. Veluthamma is the only one who bravely consents to be tested, touching Ivano deeply, and he refrains from such an illegal activity. Though Sankara Prabhu and his greedy daughters try their best to entice Ivano to an alliance, Ivano makes it clear that he intents his wife to be a working professional and one who does service to society. Disappointed, as a back up plan, Sankara Prabhu connives with Dr. Pavithran to steal the cure in case Ivano does not marry his daughter. Meanwhile, Dr. Pavithran, who was initially in on Sankara Prabhu's devious plans, gets a change of heart and declines to forfeit his ethics as a doctor. This devastates Sankara Prabhu as now, both his Plan A as well as B are foiled. At this point, Veluthamma is accidentally bitten by a cobra and brought to Ivano's lab, where he immediately proceeds to administer the cure to her. However a bitter and cruel Sankara Prabhu replaces the cure, and Ivano is shocked to see that his cure suddenly does not work. While everyone is aggrieved to realise that Veluthamma will die, her fiancée Pappy, in his heartbroken bitterness, kicks the captured cobra's glass case, shattering it, and in a poetic twist of fate, the escaped cobra bites Sankara Prabhu's daughter Urmila. Panicked and brought to his knees by God's own hands, Sankara Prabhu is forced to confess what he did and bring up the original bottle of cure so that his daughter may live. Ivano immediately saves Urmila, and then attempts to save Veluthamma too, though it has become risky as time has passed. Ivano's nightmare during this period of waiting shows Veluthamma dying and being cremated with a heartbreaking note. However, in reality, Veluthamma responds to the cure and lives again. The film ends on a note by Ivano that he is satisfied and that he will stay in the country now.

Cast

as Ivano *

as Kotha *

as Kutty *

as Kochukalyani *

K. P. Ummer Kachinamthoduka Puthiyapurayil Ummer known as K. P. Ummer (11 October 1930 - 29 October 2001) was an Indian actor from Thekkepuram quarter of Kozhikode, Kerala, India. He was active in the Malayalam cinema from the early sixties until the lat ...

as Dr. Pavithran * N. Govindankutty as MLA * Sakunthala as Urmila * Sumithra as Veluthamma *

Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair (16 October 191611 March 1997) was an Indian poet, playwright, script writer, lyricist, orator, film director and actor, though he is best known as an actor in Malayalam cinema. He is the recipient of Padma Shri fr ...

as Sankara Prabhu *

Bahadoor Padiyath Kochumoideen Kunjalu (1930 22 May 2000), better known by his stage name Bahadoor, was an Indian actor who appeared in Malayalam films, primarily in comedic roles. He, along with Adoor Bhasi, were the two major comedians in Malayalam ...

as Paappi *

Alummoodan Dominic Alummoodu, known by his stage name Alummoodan (15 March 1933 3 May 1992) was an Indian actor who worked in Malayalam films. He acted in more than 100 films and mainly did comedy roles. Background Alummoodan was born as Dominic to Rosa ...

as Kumaran *

Adoor Pankajam Adoor Pankajam (1925 – 26 June 2010) was an Indian actress, in Malayalam movies. She hailed from Adoor in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala state. Mainly, she was a supporting actress and a comedian. Her sister Adoor Bhavani was also a Mala ...

as Akkomma *

Paul Vengola Paul Vengola was an Indian actor in Malayalam cinema. He mainly acted in comedy roles and supporting roles. He was an active comedian during the 1970s and 1980s in Malayalam film. Career He was a drama artist before coming into film industry an ...

as Kochuraman

Soundtrack

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0234326, Neela Ponman 1975 films 1970s Malayalam-language films 1970s Indian films Films shot in Kattappana Films shot in Idukki Films scored by Salil Chowdhury