''Thanthram'' () is a 1988 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 ...
, directed by
Joshiy
Joshiy (born 18 July 1952) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and also directed Tamil language, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu language, Telugu and Kannada-language films.
Joshiy made his directorial ...
and produced by Mathew George. The film stars
Mammootty
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam-language films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, ...
,
Urvashi
Urvashi (, ) is the most prominent apsara mentioned in the Hindu scriptures like the ''Vedas'', the epics ''Ramayana'' and ''Mahabharata'', as well as the ''Puranas''. She is regarded as the most beautiful of all the apsaras, and an expert danc ...
,
Ratheesh
Ratheesh (11 September 1954 – 23 December 2002) was an Indian actor best known for his work in Malayalam cinema. He was a native of Kalavoor in the Alappuzha district of Kerala, India. He performed villainous roles during the 1990s. He had ac ...
and
Jagannatha Varma
K. N. Jagannatha Varma (1 May 1939 – 20 December 2016) was an Indian actor who worked in Malayalam film and television industry. He was also a Kathakali artist. His son Manu Varma is also an artist and his son-in-law Viji Thampi is a film d ...
. The film was remade in Telugu as ''
Chettu Kinda Pleader'' (1989).
Plot
The film start with James, a wealthy businessman, driving back home on Christmas Eve. He notices a van tailing him and speeds to escape, but is blocked by a set of vehicles. The van eventually pushes his car into a lake, drowning both the car and James. His wife, Susanna, and son, Rony, are shocked to hear the news. As Susanna was an orphan, the only assistance that Susanna gets is from her family friends, Antony, and his wife, Mary.
During the funeral, James' estranged father, Puthenpurackal Kurien Joseph, and brother, David, arrive. The family seems to make amends with Susanna, but is more interested in James's amassed wealth. While Antony tries to help Susanna to introduce to the plantation business, Kurien and David want a power of attorney to run the business for themselves. Following a confrontation, the family files a lawsuit against Susanna, claiming her marriage to James as invalid, resulting in Susanna and her child not becoming entitled to James' wealth. Susanna is also threatened by Kurien and David's men, by chasing after her car.
Receiving no help from anyone, a helpless Susanna, by-chance, encounters George Korah Vettickal, an advocate. He is an old-fashioned man, who dropped out halfway through priesthood studies from a Catholic seminary. He is an unsuccessful lawyer, often running into trouble with dissatisfied clients and addicted to chewing tobacco. He is often guarded by his trusted assistant, Appukkuttan Pillai. Susanna hires George to defend her case after James' friend and lawyer, Advocate Rajasekharan refuses to represent her, citing his relationship with Kurien. George, as advised by Pillai, decides to take financial advantage of Susanna, asking for 2% of the total assets of James, for representing her in what appears to be a straightforward case.
However the circumstances become complicated when the church's wedding register is missing the entry of James and Susanna's wedding in April 1981, destroying any evidence of their marriage. Susanna, along with George and Pillai, visits Father Gabriel, who ordained the wedding. However, the elderly priests fail to help them as he is suffering from
dementia
Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...
. On the way back, they are attacked by four men, who beat up George and Pillai. On visiting him at the hospital, George informs Susanna that he will refuse to undertake the case. However, George is beaten by the same men, again, and threatened against representing Susanna's case. Following this, a determined George decides to proceed with the case. He moves into James's bungalow, as his office was destroyed by the four men.
Kurien further establishes that Susanna was arrested in February 1981, for prostitution, and admitted to a rescue home, which turned her into a psychiatric patient. Kurien manages to convince the parish vicar of this, by producing a police officer, rescue home warden, and psychologist. This further disappoints George, as Susanna concealed all this from him. Susanna reveals her past to George. A young Susanna, an orphan, trained in accounting, attends a job interview in James' company. James traps and rapes Susanna. She is mistakenly arrested for prostitution by the commissioner of police and is sentenced to 18 days in a rescue shelter. She ends up on the street, mentally shocked. A repentant James finds her, gets her treated, and marries her.
Convinced of the narrative, George resumes his work. They accidentally find their wedding video tape, where George identifies one of the men who attacked him. He further discovers that the business manager, Unnikrishnan, is collaborating with somebody else. He also confronts the church clerk who erased the wedding records and recovers the records. He traps and beats up two of the men who attacked him.
George not only establishes the wedding in the court, but also files a private suit, claiming that James was murdered. The police, after their investigation, arrest both Kurien and David. He further reveals that Kurien Joseph is James' step-father, with witnesses from the past. James also believed that Kurien murdered his own father, John Varghese, and married his mother to capture all of their family assets. His manager, Unnikrishnan, testifies that James rejected pleas of financial help by Kurien and David. Just before his death, James had an altercation with Kurien and David. James' ex-assistant, Peter, testifies witnessing Kurien and his men murdering James. The court finds Kurien guilty. The court postpones the sentencing to the next day.
Kurien, on a last ditch attempt, attacks Susanna, Rony, and Antony, on their way back home. Antony is stabbed to death. However, George arrives just in time to save Susanna and Rony. Kurien is killed when his car plunges into a mountain ditch during the fight.
Cast
*
Mammootty
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam-language films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, ...
as Advocate George Korah Vettickal alias Kora Vakkeel
*
Urvashi
Urvashi (, ) is the most prominent apsara mentioned in the Hindu scriptures like the ''Vedas'', the epics ''Ramayana'' and ''Mahabharata'', as well as the ''Puranas''. She is regarded as the most beautiful of all the apsaras, and an expert danc ...
as Susanna James
*
Jagannatha Varma
K. N. Jagannatha Varma (1 May 1939 – 20 December 2016) was an Indian actor who worked in Malayalam film and television industry. He was also a Kathakali artist. His son Manu Varma is also an artist and his son-in-law Viji Thampi is a film d ...
as Puthenpurackal Kurien Joseph
*
Ratheesh
Ratheesh (11 September 1954 – 23 December 2002) was an Indian actor best known for his work in Malayalam cinema. He was a native of Kalavoor in the Alappuzha district of Kerala, India. He performed villainous roles during the 1990s. He had ac ...
as James, son of John Varghese
*
Kunchan as Appukkuttan Pillai
*
Janardanan
Janardhanan Pillai (born 5 May 1946), also known as Janardhanan Nair, is an Indian actor, producer and a former Indian Air Force personnel who predominantly acts in Malayalam films. He acted in his first feature film '' Adyathe Kadha'', directe ...
as Advocate Rajasekharan
*
Azeez as Antony
*
K.P.A.C. 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 Mary Antony
*Thrissur Elsy as Achamma
*Master Kuriyachan as Rony James, James' son
*
P. C. George as Police Commissioner
*Rajasekharan as Psychiatrist Jayachandran
*P. K. Abraham as Father Gabriel
*Ravi Menon as Father Paul, George Korah's seminary mate
*Hari as a Sessions Court Judge
*Ajith as David Kurian Joseph, James' brother
*Latheef as Unnikrishnan, Kurien's manager
*Mohan Jose
Release
The film was released on 25 August 1988.
Box office
The film was commercial success.
Trivia
*Thanthram was one of the three films in 1988 where Joshiy collaborated with Mammootty and script writer Dennis Joseph. This followed the trio's landmark film, ''
New Delhi
New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...
'', in 1987
References
External links
*
{{Dennis Joseph
1980s Malayalam-language films
1988 crime thriller films
1988 films
Malayalam films remade in other languages
Films directed by Joshiy