''Randamoozham'' () is a 1984 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

mythological Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

drama novel by

M. T. Vasudevan Nair Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Narayanan Nair (15 July 1933 – 25 December 2024) was an Indian author, lecturer, Screenwriter, screenplay writer and film director. He was a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and was o ...

, widely credited as his masterpiece. First serialized in ''Kalakaumudi Weekly'', it won the

Vayalar Award The Vayalar Award is a literary award presented annually in Kerala, India, for the best literary work in Malayalam. It was instituted in 1977 by the Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Trust in memory of poet and lyricist Vayalar Ramavarma (1928-1975). A ...

for the best literary work in Malayalam in 1985. It also won the

Muttathu Varkey Award Muttathu Varkey Award for contributions to the field of Malayalam literature is instituted by the Muttattu Varkey Foundation in memory of novelist Muttathu Varkey. The award was instituted in 1992 and as of 2012, it carries a purse of 50000, a ...

in 1994. The novel is a retelling of the Indian

epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

'' from the perspective of

Bhima Bhima (, ), also known as Bhimasena (, ), is a hero and one of the most prominent characters in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. As the second of the five Pandava brothers, Bhima was born to Kunti—the wife of King Pandu—fathered by Vayu, the ...

, the second

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, aɳɖɐʋᵊ IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are central figures of the Hindu epic ''Mahabhara ...

. The story deviates from the traditional story as it avoids the divine elements and re-represent the characters and events realistically. One of the reasons critics cite for the novel's

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

is its revisionism. The novel has been translated into multiple languages. It was translated into English as ''Second Turn'' by P. K. Ravindranath in 1997. Another English translation by

Gita Krishnankutty Gita Krishnankutty is a Malayalam-English translator from Kerala, India. She has also written subtitles for many noted Malayalam films. She received many awards including Sahitya Akademi Award for Translation, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Ove ...

published in 2013 is titled ''Bhima: Lone Warrior''. The book was translated into Tamil by Kurunjivelan as ''Irandaam Idam'' with the cover illustration by

Trotsky Marudu Maruthappan Marudu (born 12 August 1953), popularly known as Trotsky Marudu, is an Indian contemporary artist known for line drawing, animation, storyboard and computer graphics. Marudu has also worked as Art director and VFX creative directo ...

Plot

The plot begins with the incident of

Mahaprasthanika Parva The Mahaprasthanika Parva () ("Book of the Great Journey") is the seventeenth of the eighteen ''parvas'' (books) of the Indian epic ''Mahabharata''. It traditionally has three chapters, as does the critical edition.Ganguli, K.M. (1883-1896)Mahapra ...

where the

s leave for the pilgrimage to

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

, forsaking all worldly possessions. The story runs through the eyes of

who faces seemingly severe frustrations as a young man. Always destined to be second to his weak elder brother,

Yudhishthira Yudhishthira (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, ud̪ʱiʂʈʰiɾᵊ IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira''), also known as Dharmaputra, is the eldest among the five Pandavas, and is also one of the central characters of the ancient Indian epic ''Ma ...

, in seniority and younger brother,

Arjuna Arjuna (, , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, �ɾd͡ʒun̪ə is one of the central characters of the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is the third of the five Pandava brothers, and is widely regarded as the most important and renowned among them. ...

, in fame and popularity, Bhima is not given his due as the main architect of the Pandava victory over their cousins,

Kaurava ''Kaurava'' is a Sanskrit term which refers to descendants of Kuru, a legendary king of India who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the epic ''Mahabharata''. Usually, the term is used for the 100 sons of King Dhritarashtra and his ...

s, in the

Kurukshetra war The Kurukshetra War (), also called the Mahabharata War, is a war described in the Hindu Indian epic poetry, epic poem ''Mahabharata'', arising from a dynastic struggle between two groups of cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, for the thr ...

, despite killing all the 100 Kauravas. The book unravels all the hardships and dilemmas encountered by

which remain unnoticed. It explores the emotions of the mighty Pandava as a son, brother, husband, and father. The story brings to light his affection for his wife, Draupadi, and how unnoticed his acts of love remain. The narrative questions the mourning of Arjuna's son,

Abhimanyu Abhimanyu (, ) is a character in the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahābhārata''. He was a young and valiant warrior of the Kuru lineage, born to Arjuna—the third Pandava brother—and Subhadra—a Yadava princess. He was also one of the few indivi ...

, when he is killed during the battle while trying to break the Chakravyuh formation, while Bhima's son, Ghatokkach, is led to his death by sacrificing his life to save Arjuna's life. Ghatokkach's sacrifice too remains unsung and everyone finds happiness in saving Arjuna. Towards the end, Bhima is shown as the only husband who stops and tries to stay with Draupadi in her last moments during their pilgrimage.

Film adaptation

In 2011, director Hariharan announced his plan to adapt ''Randamoozham'' to screen, scripted by

himself with

Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...

cast to play

. Later, V. A. Shrikumar Menon took the project again with Mohanlal in the lead. It was announced in April 2017 that the film adaptation will be produced by

B. R. Shetty Dr Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty, (born 1 August 1942) commonly known as B.R. Shetty, is an Indian-born businessman and former billionaire, the founder and acquirer of a number of companies based in the United Arab Emirates, including Abu Dhabi� ...

. With its budget, the film is expected to be the most expensive film in

Indian cinema The cinema of India, consisting of motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various film industries, each focused on p ...

, and one of the most expensive non-English language film. The film was to be shot in two parts. Plans for the movie has since been shelved after M. T. Vasudevan Nair was upset with the pace at which the film was progressing and demanded Srikumar Menon to return the script.

References

External links

Randamoozham on DC Books
{{Vayalar Awards Malayalam novels Novels based on the Mahabharata Indian novels adapted into films Novels set in India Novels by M. T. Vasudevan Nair 1984 Indian novels