Ekalavyan (film)

Ekalavyan
Directed by Shaji Kailas
Produced by Grahalakshmi Productions
Written by Renji Panicker
Starring Suresh Gopi
Geetha
Maathu
Narendra Prasad
Siddique
Vijayaraghavan
Ganesh Kumar
Janardanan
Madhu
Jagathy Sreekumar
Pappu
Devan
Music by Rajamani
Cinematography Ravi K. Chandran
Edited by L. Bhoominathan
Distributed by Kalpaka Release
Release date
 1993
Running time
 153 minutes
Country India
Language Malayalam
Budget ₹ 1 crore
Box office ₹ 9 crore

Ekalavyan is a 1993 Malayalam crime thriller film starring Suresh Gopi in the lead role along with Geetha, Narendra Prasad, Siddique, Vijayaraghavan, Ganesh Kumar, Janardanan, Madhu, Maathu, Jagathy Sreekumar, Pappu, and Devan in other pivotal roles. Directed by Shaji Kailas and written by Renji Panicker, this film broke many records in collection and successfully completed 150 days in theaters.[1] With the success of this film Suresh Gopi established himself as a superstar in Malayalam cinema. [2]Bollywood movie Singham Returns (2014) is an inspired remake of this movie.

Plot

Swami Amoorthananda (Narendra Prasad), a psychotic holy godman with strong international connections also runs a powerful narcotic drug mafia in the state. He also has several connections with in political circles. A good orator, Swami also draws a large number of devotees from abroad and many are slowly turned into addicts. A series of murders at Kovalam beach invites sharp criticism of the govt and the chief minister (Madhu) decides to bring a new head to the state narcotics wing. Madhavan IPS (Suresh Gopi), thus arrives in Kerala from New Delhi, and is assisted by Sharath Chandran (Siddique), a smart CI of Kerala police. Madhavan's aggressive way of investigation leads him to the ashram or Swami Amoorthananda, which creates a panic in the state. Swami decides to eliminate Madhavan and also plans to topple the CM by appointing his aide, Velayudhan (Rajan P. Dev) as the new CM. Mahesh Nair (Devan), a notorious terrorist arrives in Kerala upon the order of Swami. He kills Sharath Chandran, which forces Madhavan to react violently. Madhavan raids the ashram and spoils Swami's plot to cause a series of bomb blasts in the state. In the climax, Madhavan kills Swami and Mahesh Nair, thus saving the state from a series of blasts and communal riots.

Cast

Controversies

The film, when released, became one of the most controversial films for portraying a godman as villain. The houses of director and script writer were attacked and there were attempts to block the screenings.

Trivia

Shaji Kailas, later in an interview had revealed that he had plans of casting Mammooty as the hero in the film. Suresh Gopi was supposed to play the role of Sarath Chandran. But when Renji Panicker, the script writer, approached Mammooty to explain the script, Mammooty's response was not positive. So Suresh Gopi was cast as the hero instead. The huge success of Ekalavyan made Suresh Gopi a superstar along with Mammooty and Mohanlal. The performance of Narendra Prasad was highly appreciated. he also won many awards for the best villain. Script writer Renji Panicker also appeared in a cameo role in this film.

Shooting

The film was shot mostly in and around Kovalam. A large part was also shot in Kozhikode. It was produced by P. V. Gangadharan for Grihalakshmi Productions. The camera was done by Ravi K. Chandran and editing by L. Bhoominathan. Rajamani did the background score and Boban was the art director.

Box office

The film was a blockbuster and ran for 150 days in theaters.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "10 Suresh Gopi films to watch before you die - The Times of India". The Times of India. 27 November 2016.
  2. ↑ "They too stirred up a hornet's nest: Pre-social media Malayalam films that sparked controversy". The Indian Express. 18 February 2018.
  3. ↑ "They too stirred up a hornet's nest: Pre-social media Malayalam films that sparked controversy". The Indian Express. 18 February 2018.
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