''Thalavattam'' () is a 1986 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

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

written and directed by

Priyadarshan Priyadarshan Soman Nair (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director and screenwriter. He has worked primarily in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam and Hindi cinema, Hindi cinema since 1982, directing over 90 films in multiple Indian languages, ...

, starring

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 ...

, Lizy, M. G. Soman and Karthika. The film is very loosely based on the 1975 movie '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' which was an adaptation of the 1962 novel of the same name by

Ken Kesey Ken Elton Kesey (; September 17, 1935 – November 10, 2001) was an American novelist, essayist and Counterculture of the 1960s, countercultural figure. He considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies o ...

. The film features songs composed by Raghu Kumar and C. Rajamani, and a score by Johnson. The story follows Vinod, an eccentric new patient at a mental asylum. The film was remade in

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

as '' Kyon Ki'' (2005) by Priyadarshan and in Tamil as '' Manasukkul Mathappu'' (1988) by Robert–Rajasekar.

Plot

Vinod becomes mentally ill after his girlfriend Anitha dies due to an electric short circuit accident during a rock concert. Vinod is admitted to a mental hospital managed by Dr. Ravindran, in Ooty. Dr Ravindran is aggressive and cruel man who has a strong hatred for Vinod. The hospital is more like a prison as the patients are treated inhumanely. With the help of Dr. Savithri, who is Dr. Ravindran's daughter, and Dr. Unnikrishnan, a very old and close acquaintance of Vinod from his childhood, he slowly regains his memory and mental equilibrium. Savithri and Vinod fall in love. Dr. Ravindran has already arranged Savithri's marriage with Hari and so he opposes the relationship along with holding Vinod hostage and treating him as if he hasn't recovered. Dr Unnikrishnan begs Dr Ravindran to set Vinod free but he doesn't budge. This infuriates Dr Unnikrishnan and challenges Dr Ravindran that he will rescue Vinod no matter what. Dr Unnikrishnan reasons with Savithri and devises a plan to rescue Vinod later that night. Vinod having had enough of Dr Ravindran's cruelty, grabs and suffocates him, only to be dragged away by the hospital guards. That night, Dr. Ravindran lobotomises Vinod and puts him in a state of coma. Dr. Unnikrishnan discovers Vinod in a coma and is devastated. He feels that death would be preferable over a vegetative life and kills Vinod. He confronts Dr. Ravindran and confesses to the

euthanasia Euthanasia (from : + ) is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different Legality of euthanasia, euthanasia laws. The British House of Lords Select committee (United Kingdom), se ...

. Savithri overhears the conversation, and loses her mental equilibrium. She is admitted into the same institution as a patient.

Cast

as Vinod Kumar ('Vinu'), the film protagonist and a mental patient * Mukesh as Hari ('Chukkan') * Nedumudi Venu as Dr. Unnikrishnan ('Unniettan'), a kind hearted elderly doctor * M. G. Soman as Dr. Ravindran Varma, an aggressive and cruel man who has a hatred against Vinod * Karthika as Savithri, Dr Ravindran’s kind hearted daughter * Lissy as Anitha, Vinod’s deceased girlfriend * Jagathi Sreekumar as Narayanan, a hospital guard * Cochin Haneefa as Antony, an aggressive and cruel hospital guard * Sukumari as Nurse Rachel * G. P. Vijayakumar as Satheesh * K. P. A. C. Sunny as Retd. Judge Melepattil Govindan Kumar *

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 ...

as Subhadra Kunjamma *

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 'Appoopan' * Maniyanpilla Raju as Joseph *

Sankaradi Paravoor memana Kanakku Chembakaraman Parameswaran Chandrashekara Menon, better known by his screen name Sankaradi (14 July 1924 – 8 October 2001), was an Indian actor. He was a veteran Malayalam comedian and character artist, who had over 70 ...

as Thirumeni

Soundtrack

Reception

In 2002, comparing the film to '' One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest'', S. Santosh of ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

'' wrote, "Director Priyadarsan's syrupy Malayalam adaptation of the classic, ''Thalavattam'', saw Mohanlal in his usual mainstream self. Had he seen the film, even

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...

would have been surprised: after all, the Hollywood actor has not mastered the art of running around trees." ''Thalavattam'' was released in Kerala in 12 centres on 10 locations. The film performed well at the box office, becoming one the highest-grossing Malayalam films of the year. It was made on a shoestring budget of ₹20 lakh. The film ran over 100 days in theatres.

Accolades

; Kerala Film Critics Association Awards * Best Male Playback Singer – K. J. Yesudas * Best Female Playback Singer – K. S. Chithra

Remakes

''Thalavattam'' was remade in Hindi as '' Kyon Ki'' directed by Priyadarshan himself in 2005. The film was also remade in Tamil in 1988 by Robert–Rajasekar as '' Manasukkul Mathappu'', with Prabhu and Saranya playing the leadமோகன்லாலும், பின்னே தமிழ் ரீமேக்கும்... – Mohanlal movies and their remakes
. Cinema.dinamalar.com (5 July 2015). Retrieved on 2021-09-26. also remade in Bengali Bangladesh in 2010 by F. I. Manik as ''Chirodin Ami Tomar'', with Riaz, Purnima and Rumana.

References

External links

* {{One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 1980s Malayalam-language films 1986 drama films 1986 films 1986 romantic drama films Fiction about psychosurgery Films about disability in India Films about dissociative identity disorder Films about mental health Films about murder Films about nurses Films about psychiatry Films about suicide Films based on American novels Films based on adaptations Films directed by Priyadarshan Films scored by Raghu Kumar Films scored by Rajamani Films set in 1986 Films set in Kerala Films shot in Tamil Nadu Films set in psychiatric hospitals Films shot in Ooty Indian drama films Indian romantic drama films Malayalam films remade in other languages One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Works about nursing Films about patricide Lobotomy Fiction about matricide