''Thirakkatha'' ( is a

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

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 ...

romantic drama Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...

film co-produced, written, and directed by Ranjith. The film is a tribute to the yesteryear actresses who had been graceful, popular figures in cinema during their younger age with patronage and later got completely disregarded by the industry, media, and the masses alike. Ranjith emphasized that the film should be seen as a work of fiction and not as the real-life story of

Srividya Srividya (24 July 1953 – 19 October 2006), was an Indian actress best known for her work predominantly in Malayalam and Tamil films, along with few Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films. In a career spanning for 40 years, she had acted in more t ...

or any other actress. The story shifts between the present and flashbacks through the perspective of different characters. It is divided into three monologues which meet in the climax. The film garnered positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. The film won the

National Film Award The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...

for Best Feature Film in Malayalam (Ranjith and Maha Subair) and Priyamani won the

Filmfare Awards South The Filmfare Awards South are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema and Kannada cinema. They are presented by ''Filmfare'' magazine of The Times Group. When it was intr ...

for Best Actress.

Plot

Akbar Ahmed is a film director. Friends call him 'Akky'. After his highly successful first film, he becomes the most wanted director in the

Malayalam film Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both the mainstream film industry ...

industry. Akky and his girlfriend, Devayani, along with a group of friends share a passion for cinema. Akbar directed and produced his first film with them, which went on to become a huge success. He also runs a cafe called ''Casablanca'' named after the classic

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

film. For him, cinema is not a job, it is his passion. Akbar decides to choose a very different kind of story for his second film and sets on a journey in search of it. Akbar decides to base his second film on the life of yesteryear actress Malavika, who was once a very popular actress and whose present whereabouts are unknown. Akbar and his friends go tracking Malavika's biography. Her husband, Ajaya Chandran, is the reigning superstar of the industry. Akbar starts his search at film director Aby Kuruvila's house. Kuruvila's son gives his father's old letters and diaries to Akbar from which he starts learning about the whirlwind romance of Malavika and Ajayachandran which led to marriage. How differences between them led to a breakup and how this affected their careers along with Akbar's efforts to find Malavika form the major plot of the film. The film ends in a touching yet marvelous climax with a poetic narration.

Cast

Reception

The film was received well by audiences and critics alike. Some of the major reviews in the media were all praises for the film. Nowrunning.com opined that "It is a charming film that's plainly life-affirming without being overly pretentious or markedly melodramatic". Paresh C Palicha at Rediff.com opined that "It is exciting to see Ranjith bounce back to form with his best effort so far." Almost all reviewers were unanimous about the brilliant performances of the lead stars, especially of Priyamani, Anoop Menon and Prithviraj.

Accolades

2008 : Film Awards ;

National Film Awards The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...

* National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam ; Kerala State Film Awards * Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actor - Anoop Menon *Best Makeup - Ranjith Ambadi ;

* Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Malayalam - Priyamani *Best Film Malayalam *Best Director - Ranjith *Best Music Director - Sharath *Best Female Playback Singer -K.S.Chithra

Music

The score and soundtrack of the movie were composed by Sharreth, who returned to the field after a long gap.

References

https://www.academia.edu/9204740/When_Ghosts_Come_Calling_Re-projecting_the_Disappeared_Muses_of_Malayalam_Cinema

External links

* {{Ranjith 2000s Malayalam-language films 2008 romantic drama films 2008 films Indian films about cancer Films shot in Kozhikode Films directed by Ranjith (director) Films scored by Sharreth Best Malayalam Feature Film National Film Award winners Indian romantic drama films