Sphadikam

''Spadikam'' () is a 1995 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film written and directed by Bhadran and produced by R. Mohan through Shogun Films. Dialogues were written by Rajendra Babu. The film stars Mohanlal and Thilakan with Urvashi, Spadikam George, K. P. A. C. Lalitha, Rajan P. Dev, Silk Smitha, Nedumudi Venu, Chippy, and V. K. Sreeraman in supporting roles. S. P. Venkatesh composed the film's original songs and background score. The film tells the story of Thomas Chacko (Mohanlal), who is known by the sobriquet Aadu Thoma, a ruffian estranged from his narcissistic father, Chacko Mash (Thilakan), upon failing to meet the latter's high expectations.

''Spadikam'' received critical acclaim and was the highest-grossing Malayalam film of the year, grossing more than 8 crores at the box office. Mohanlal won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor, at the Filmfare Awards South, the film won Best Film – Malayalam, Best Actor (Mohanlal) and Best Director awards. The film was remade in Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada languages. The film has over the years attained a ''cult'' status. The character of Aadu Thoma has over the years become a pop culture icon.

In March 2020, during the 25th anniversary of the film, the plan to digitally enhance and re-release it in theatres was announced. On 29 November 2022, it was announced that the remastered 4k Dolby Atmos remastered version of Spadikam will be theatrically released on 9 February 2023. A digitally remastered 4K Dolby Atmos version of Spadikam is set to be released theatrically on 9 February 2023.

Plot

Thomas Chacko, or "Aadu Thoma" as he is widely known, is a quarry owner and the son of retired school headmaster Chacko, the President's medal winner in mathematics. Thoma is a blemish for the respectable Chacko's reputation, and both never get along. His mother and sister, Jansy, are always left to choose sides, between the two of them; while Chacko's brother – Manimala Vakkachan, supports Thomas.

In the flashback, unlike his father, Thomas was not good at maths, but excelled at mechanical and electronic gadgetry. He made an AM radio receiver inside a soap case, at a time when phonographs were a fad. Thomas's talent astonished others, whereas his father was dismissive. He always compared his son to the best student in the class – Balu, adding to his pressure. His father asked his language teacher, Ravunni Master, to fail his paper, on the belief that only low grades will provoke him to study harder. When Thomas discovered this, he became outraged and ran away from the village, stabbing Balu's hand with a compass in anger. Fourteen years later, he returned as a changed man, no longer a prodigy. His father still despises him and professes to love his sister more, who lived up to his expectations.

Pookoya, a local baron, is the newly made enemy of Thoma, along with his sub-inspector friend, Kuttikkadan; for supporting Pookoya's daughter's relationship with a penniless teacher. Due to Thomas' relationship with a prostitute, revealed when the police shame him publicly, the arranged marriage of Jansy's, almost fails, further angering his father. This forces him to rat his son out to the police, on a later occasion, surprising even the S.I. with the act. The relationship between the two further declines after this incident, whereby entering into a fit of rage, Thomas cuts off the sleeves of his father's shirts. Chacko then repaints his son's lorry with the word, ''Chekuthan'' (devil), and plants a coconut tree in front of their house, naming it after Thomas, to insult him.

Meanwhile, Ravunni Master, who resigned after Thomas ran away from the village, comes back with his daughter, Thulasi, who was Thomas's childhood friend. Thulasi, the Vicar of the local church, and Vakkachan, try to mediate between the two, by trying to get Thomas invited by his father, to attend Jansy's wedding. Thomas, who attends the wedding, hoping for the better, is insulted further by his father. This finally makes Jansy stand against her father, stating she prefers her brother's small necklace to her father's high dowry, in her marriage. While the necklace was actually a gift from Thulasi, given by Thomas, this leads him to be deserted on the day of her wedding. Their mother, who was waiting for the wedding to take place, leaves him as well. With his pride struck the worst blow, Chacko is left all alone, to rethink on his actions and decisions.

Soon afterward, Thomas is stabbed by another goon, employed by Pookoya, in retaliation for helping his daughter elope with her lover, the teacher. Chacko secretly visits his son in the hospital, with regret. Coming back to health, Thomas' attempt at revenge is foiled, when Thulasi interferes. On learning that Thulasi loves him, he tries to prevent her. With her help, he tries to back out from his wrong outlook of life. Filled with the guilt of ruining his son's life, Chacko attempts suicide, which Thomas prevents. The two reconcile, thereafter. With a newfound joy, they, together, bring back his mother.

In a desperate attempt for revenge, Thomas's enemies unite against him. In a tragic turn of events, Chacko is shot by S.I. Kuttikadan, while targeting Thomas. Chacko succumbs to his injuries and dies in front of Thomas. He becomes enraged and attacks Kuttikadan. Thomas kills him and is taken into police custody, on charges of murder, leaving the helpless family and Thulasi in tears.

Cast

* Mohanlal as Thomas Chacko a.k.a. Aadu Thoma
* Thilakan as C. P. Chacko / Kaduva Chacko, a retired headmaster; Thoma's father
* Spadikam George as S.I. Kuttikkadan
* Urvashi as Thulasi
* Ashokan as Jerry, Jancy's husband
* Chippy as Jancy Chacko, Thoma's younger sister
* K. P. A. C. Lalitha as Mary / Ponnamma, Thoma's mother
* Rajan P. Dev as Manimala Vakkachan, Thoma's uncle
* Nedumudi Venu as Ravunni master, Thulasi's father
* Maniyanpilla Raju as Kunju Mohammad, Thoma's friend
* Karamana Janardanan Nair as Fr. Ottaplakkan
* N. F. Varghese as Pachu Pillai, Police constable and Balu's father
* Nizar as Chandy, Thoma's friend
* V. K. Sreeraman as Pookoya
* Silk Smitha as Laila
* Bindu Varapuzha as Mumthas
* Bahadoor as Kurup
* Kundara Johny as Maniyan, police constable
* Bheeman Raghu as S.I Somasekharan Pillai
* Roopesh Peethambaran as Thomas Chacko (childhood)
* Arya Anup as Thulasi (childhood)
* Indrans as Gafoor
* Spadikam Sunny (PN Sunny) as Torappan Bastian
* Paravoor Bharathan as Joseph
* Kanakalatha as Kuttikkadan's wife
* Sankaradi as Judge
* Chali Pala as Lukachan
* N. L. Balakrishnan
* Ajith Kollam

Production

Development

It took two to three years of preparation for the film, the screenplay was rewritten a few times. Producer R. Mohan wanted to name the film ''Aadu Thoma'' which he felt was more appealing to the public. But Bhadran wanted to name it ''Spadikam''. The character Thomas Chacko / Aadu Thoma was based on three real-life ruffians who lived around Pala, one of them was known by the nickname ''irattachankan'' (the man with two hearts), another one used to remove his mundu to wrap his opponent's head for hitting, and the third one had a downfall during his peaks period. Bhadran said he considered Mohanlal the best choice for the role because the character was not only alpha male but also innocent and had self pity, he can emote all these. Shobana was first offered the role of Thulasi, but she could not sign the film as she had to leave for the United States for a dance program she already committed. Urvashi was cast in the role. Later Bhadran said that after watching the film he realized Urvashi was in fact the right choice for the role.

The character Chacko Mash was based on four real-life characters Bhadran knew from his life, one was his own father who used to compare him with other kids, and the other three were his school teachers. Bhadran wanted Thilakan to play the role, but it was difficult to hire him as they were not in good terms after their last film ''Idanazhiyil Oru Kaalocha'' (1987), since the two had a verbal dispute during the film's dubbing process, as Bhadran recalls, they came close to hitting each other. ''Spadikam'' was written after three to four years after this incident. There were suggestions from the film crew to cast Nedumudi Venu for the role (who was later cast in another role). According to Bhadran, Thilakan acknowledged that it was a mistake on his part and they reconciled, thus he was able to cast him. Thilakan's son Shammi Thilakan later said that he was instrumental in Thilakan's casting, Bhadran used to make unsuccessful visits to see Thilakan while he was in the hospital, but was not permitted by Thilakan. Shammi then acted as an agent for Bhadran to present him the story of ''Spadikam'' while he was in a good mood.

In an interview, Bhadran said that ''Spadikam'' was inspired by his own life, but not that the character Aadu Thoma is him, but the film draws inspiration from his parents, village, priest, teachers, and disabilities of the education system at that time. Nassar was originally fixed in the role of S.I Kuttikkadan, but he was unable to reach on schedule due to the unexpected extension of the schedule of another film he was filming. Bhadran found Spadikam George for the role accidentally when he saw him in front of a hotel he was staying. Impressed by his physique, Bhadran offered him the role, only then he realized George had already acted in a few films, he immediately agreed. Roopesh Peethambaran, who portrayed Thomas Chacko's childhood, himself asked for a role in the film when Bhadran visited their home, his father Peethambaran was Bhadran's friend. The man who played a goon named Thorappan Bastin hired to finish off Aadu Thoma was originally a cop.

Filming

The film was extensively shot in and around the town of Changanassery in Kottayam district. The house named Thekkedathu Mana was used as the house of Aadu Thoma and Chacko Mash. It was situated in Kudamaloor, Kottayam. The house was former Kerala chief minister E. M. S. Namboodiripad's mother's ''tharavadu''. The scene in which Kuttikkadan arrest Thoma and Laila was filmed in Changanassery market. The climax scene was filmed in a quarry in Chennai. George was injured while performing a stunt scene where he jumps in front of a moving jeep driven by Mohanlal. Due to his weight, he could not roll away from the vehicle as expected and the tyre ran over his leg. The injury was not serious and he recuperated in a few days.

Soundtrack

The film's original songs and background score were composed by S. P. Venkatesh; lyrics for the songs were written by P. Bhaskaran. The soundtrack album was released by the label Wilson Audios. It consists of three songs. The song "Ezhimala Poonchola" was sung by K. S. Chithra and Mohanlal, "Ormakal" has female and male version sung by Chithra and M. G. Sreekumar, respectively, Chithra also sung "Parumala Cheruvile".

Release

Reception

The film received critical acclaim. ''Spadikam'' performed well at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing Malayalam film of the year after with a gross collection of more than . Over the years, the film has achieved a cult following. Aadu Thoma has since then become one of the iconic characters in Malayalam cinema.

Awards

At the Kerala State Film Awards, Mohanlal won the Best Actor. The film won three awards at the Filmfare Awards South

Legacy

*It is hailed as one of the best movies in Mohanlal's career. Often considered as one of the greatest 'Mass' movies ever made.
*The character of Aadu Thoma is still celebrated today. College students still emulate Aadu Thoma’s attire of Rayban glasses, red shirt and mundu along with the “Chekuthan” lorry during festivals in Kerala campuses.
*The iconic mundu fight has inspired several movies which came later.
*The film served as a breakthrough for actor George.
*Dialogues such as, “''Ithu ente puthan Rayban glass, Ithu chavitti pottichal ninte kaalu njan vettum"'' ("''This is my new Ray-Ban glass. If you break this, I will chop your legs!''") has attained cult status.

Digital remastering

The film's digital remastering and restoration work was announced in March 2020 and is presently in its final stage. The plan was to re-release the film in 4K Dolby Atmos in at least 100 theatres in Kerala during Onam 2020, but was halted after the COVID-19 pandemic. The remastering costs around ₹2 crore to complete and is undergoing in Prasad Corporation in Chennai and S. P. Venkitesh is re-recording the film again, except for the portions where music comes along with dialogues as they cannot dub the film again. Bhadran said that they will try to answer the doubt of audience that what happens to Aadu Thoma at the end. On 29 November 2022, Mohanlal announced through social media that the remastered version of Spadikam will finally hit on theatres on 9 February 2023.

Remakes

The film was remade in Telugu as '' Vajram'' (1995), in Tamil as ''Veerappu'' (2007) and in Kannada as ''Mr. Theertha'' (2010).

Cancelled sequel

Bhadran has clarified that the film will not have a sequel. He recalled in an interview that producer Mohan once approached him offering a Mercedes Benz as remuneration for making a remake to ''Spadikam'', but he declined it. He said that the film ended with a closure for the story. The story was about a father who considers his son a devil and later realizes that his son was not a devil but pure as crystal. Thomas Chacko became Aadu Thoma because his father never understood his aspirations and dreams, instead compared him with other students and constantly snubbed him. Now that his father has acknowledged him, there is no reason for him to go back to his same despicable life. He has transformed back to Thomas Chacko from Aadu Thoma.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0292246

1995 films
1990s Malayalam-language films
Indian action drama films
Films shot in Palakkad
Films directed by Bhadran
Malayalam films remade in other languages
1995 action drama films