Thalayanamanthram
Thalayanamanthram | |
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File:Thalayanamanthram.jpg | |
Directed by | Sathyan Anthikkad |
Written by | Sreenivasan |
Starring | Sreenivasan Urvashi Parvathy Jayaram K. P. A. C. Lalitha |
Music by | Johnson |
Cinematography | Vipin Mohan |
Edited by | K. Rajagopal |
Country | India |
Language | Malayalam |
Thalayanamanthram is a Malayalam (English: Pillow talk) film, directed by Sathyan Anthikkad and written by Sreenivasan.[1][2] The film was released in 1990.
Plot
Sukumaran, his brother Mohanan and their mother live contently in a middle-class family. Mohanan has recently married Shylaja who is employed unlike Sukumaran’s wife Kanchana. Sukumaran is a supervisor to a company named JK Constructions. Shylaja’s fortunate life with money and job makes Kanchana envious about her and Kanchana slowly starts causing problems in the family by finding unnecessary issues which affects the smooth going of a peaceful family life. Finally Sukumaran leaves their family house and starts living in a rented house as part of Kanchana’s requests. Soon Kanchana finds one or the other reasons to live in luxury which is not conducive with the economical conditions of Sukumaran who is just a supervisor in a company. However he leans for her demands like buying costly home appliances, arranging a dance master for their daughter, sending her to English medium school, buying an old car (which would be destroyed soon) etc. The huge economical demands slowly crush Sukumaran and it finally affects him in the manner of creditors demanding their money back. In order to meet the worst situations Sukumaran finally decides to cheat his employer by forgery. The authorities soon come to know about the truth and one day, when Sukumaran is already under heavy economical pressures, the police arrive and arrest him. The next day, because of the ill reputation caused by the family the house owner arranges people to drive Sukumaran’s family out of their rented house. At this point Mohanan comes to their rescue knowing about the situations where his brother has been led by the ill advice of his wife Kanchana. Mohanan arranges things to release his brother from jail. Finally the family is united where Kanchana understands her mistakes.
Critical Analysis
Thalayanamanthram is one among the many beautiful films for which Sreenivasan penned. The film was a critical and commercial success and it is noted as some of the best works by Sreenivasan and Sathyan Anthikkad. Sreenivasan has come up with other family stories which have their own relevance at their time and still. Though in Thalayanamanthram, if it is a wife's ill advises that causes problems in the family in another movie named Mithunam for which also Sreenivasan penned, it is a wife's romantic ideals and possessiveness toward her husband that cause problems in the family. A thing which the movie did not overtly tell but echoed is regarding the educational standards of the women in the families. Sukumaran's character who had opportunities for a better alliance chose to marry a woman like Kanchana who had not at least passed the secondary education. However, contrary to this Mohanan who did not have a white collar job like his wife Shylaja, managed to live happily without problems. Their mother played by KPAC Lalitha who probably had not much education as even Kanchana had, also is not responsible for any problems in the family. Hence the finger of message is not pointed toward the educational standards of women or on any particular gender but on the level of understanding and co-operation among family members which are necessary for a peaceful and prosperous family life.
Cast
- Sreenivasan .... Suku (Supervisor of a Construction Company)
- Urvashi .... Kanchana (Wife of Suku)
- Jayaram .... Mohanan (Younger brother of Suku)
- Parvathi .... Shilaja (Wife of Mohanan)
- Philomina .... Paru Ammayi
- KPAC Lalitha .... Devaki (Mother of Suku and Mohanan)
- Innocent .... T.G. Daniel
- Sankaradi .... Thankappan
- Mammukoya .... Kunjanandan Mesthiri
- Sukumari .... Sulochana Thankappan
- Meenakumari.... Gigi Daniel
- T. P. Madhavan .... Manager
- Oduvil Unnikrishnan .... Pothuval Mash
- Jagadish .... Bhasurachandran
- Kollam Thulasi .... Raman Kartha
Awards
- 1991 -Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress....Urvashi
- 1991- Filmfare award(south) for Best Actress......Urvashi
- 1991- Kerala Film Critics Award for best Actress....Urvashi
- 1991- Ujala Award for Best Actress...Urvashi