Chandralekha (1997 film)

Last updated

Chandralekha
Chandralekha 1997 poster.jpg
Poster
Directed by Priyadarshan
Written by Priyadarshan Sreenivasan
Produced by Fazil
Starring
Cinematography
Edited byN. Gopalakrishnan
Music by
Production
company
Fazils
Distributed by Swargachitra
Release date
  • 4 September 1997 (1997-09-04)
Running time
173 minutes
Country India
Language Malayalam
Box office17cr

Chandralekha is a 1997 Indian Malayalam-language comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan which is an adaptation of an English movie called While you Were Sleeping (1995) and produced by Fazil. It stars Mohanlal, Sukanya, Pooja Batra, Sreenivasan, Nedumudi Venu, and Innocent. The film's title is a portmanteau of the two female lead characters' names—Chandra and Lekha. Berny-Ignatius composed the songs, while the film score was composed by S. P. Venkatesh. The film's core plot was inspired by the 1995 Hollywood film While You Were Sleeping . [1]

Contents

Plot

Appukuttan Nair is a struggling unemployed youth who arrives in Mumbai to meet his sister and brother-in-law. His father has been falsely implicated in a bank fraud and wants to sell his ancestral property to pay towards the litigation. For that he needs his sister's approval, but is abused and turned away by his brother-in-law.

Disappointed, Appu seeks out his old pal Nooruddin, who is working in a fruit juice vending shop in Goa. Noor himself is a hapless uneducated youth working for his uncle Beeran, who is a treacherous money lender, with a hope to marry his daughter Maimoona. They plan to open a paint shop but need ₹1.25 lakh to rent a shop as prerequisite to get a bank loan. With no other way in sight, they swindle Beeran out of ₹1.25 lakh. Appukuttan then tries to get the loan sanctioned but he is rebuffed by a new Bank Manager Varghese who had taken charge by then.

In a turn of events, Appukuttan happens to rescue a woman named Chandrika Varma after a car accident, hospitalising her. Chandra is the daughter of a wealthy businessman, Udhaya Varma. Appukuttan is mistaken by the hospital staff to be her husband, Alfred Fernandes. Soon her relatives including her father arrive and they too mistake him for Chandra's husband, because Chandra had eloped with Alfie, and no one among them had ever seen or talked to Alfie. Also it happened to be that Chandra was a major client of Appukuttan's Bank Manager Varghese, who too mistook Appukkuttan for Chandra's husband, and was now eager to oblige him with the loan. Appukuttan decides to masquerade as Alfie till he gets loan approval from the Bank Manager. Chandra lay bedridden paralysed unable to react, but with her cognition intact was able to witness all the commotions around her.

Some of the relatives of Chandra were never convinced about Appukuttan from the outset. Beeran is also hot on Appukuttan's trail to retrieve his money. To make matters worse for Appukuttan, Chandra's close friend Lekha, a medical graduate comes to visit her father Iravi, who is Udhaya Varma's assistant. She had talked to Alfie on the phone previously and is immediately suspicious about Appukkuttan. The relatives join with Lekha to find out the truth. Lekha and others play cat and mouse with Appukuttan trying to uncover his veracity, with Appukuttan staying ahead of the game for a while. Finally Lekha discovers the real story of Appukuttan and she is moved by his plight and enamored by his openhearted nature.

In the meantime, Chandra revives from her paralysis and she too forgives Appukuttan for everything; she also developed a liking for him. One of the jealous relatives of Chandra manages to expose Appukkuttan before everyone. Then Chandra admits all the truth to everyone. Hers was not in fact a car accident but was a suicide attempt after her fiancé, the real Alfie, had betrayed her, and their marriage had never commenced. Chandra recovers fully under the loving care of Appu and Lekha. Chandra falls in love with Appukuttan and hopes to marry him. However, she discovers that Lekha was already in love with Appukuttan, and had in fact given way for her as a favour to Chandra's father, to whom Lekha was like a second daughter. Chandra gracefully withdraws from her planned marriage with Appukuttan, and Appukuttan and Lekha are united together with everyone's hearty blessings.

Cast

Production

Chandralekha brought back after a couple of years the successful comedy combo of Mohanlal and Sreenivasan, which was popular in the late-1980s and early-1990s. The name "Chandralekha" is a portmanteau of the names of the two female lead characters in the story—Chandra and Lekha. Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor plays a cameo role in the film. He appears as a lunatic, whom Appukuttan misunderstands as the original Alfie. Manju Warrier was offered a role but she could not sign the film. [3]

Soundtrack

The blockbuster songs of this film were written by lyricist Gireesh Puthenchery. The songs are composed by the music director duo Berny-Ignatius. The background score of the film was composed by S. P. Venkatesh. The song Innale Mayangunna is based on Bhanwara Bada Nadan Hain from Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam . The song Maanathe Chandiranothoru was inspired from the famous Arabic artist Amr Diab's album Nour El Ain.

TrackSongSingers
1"Appukutta Thoppikkara" M. G. Sreekumar, K. S. Chithra
2"Ammoommakkili"K. S. Chithra
3"Maanathe Chandiranothoru"M. G. Sreekumar, Malgudi Subha, Chorus
4"Innale Mayangunna" Sujatha
5"Thamarapoovil"M. G. Sreekumar
6"Sa Pa Ma Pa"Chorus

Box office

Upon release, Chandralekha became the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever. [4] [5]

Awards

Mohanlal won the Screen Awards South for Best Actor for his performance in the film. [6] [7]

Remakes

Chandralekha was remade into Telugu in the same name in 1998, with Nagarjuna reprising the role of Mohanlal. In 2000, it was remade in Hindi as Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega starring Salman Khan, directed by Raj Kanwar. It was remade in Kannada as Hey Sarasu starring Ramesh Aravind. [8] The story has been adapted into Tamil as Summa Nachunu Irukku directed by A. Venkatesh. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala</i> 1998 Indian film

Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala is a 1998 Malayalam black comedy film written and directed by Sreenivasan, starring Sangita, Sreenivasan, Thilakan, Innocent, Nedumudi Venu, Sudheesh, and Siddique.The film is about an irresponsible husband and his neglected family. It won the National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues. The film is one of the classic family dramas in Malayalam. The film was remade in Tamil as Chidambarathil Oru Appasamy and in Telugu as Aavide Shyamala.

<i>Devaasuram</i> 1993 Indian film

Devaasuram is a 1993 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed by I. V. Sasi and written by Ranjith. It stars Mohanlal, Revathi, and Napoleon, with Innocent, V. K. Sreeraman, Maniyanpilla Raju, and Augustine in supporting roles. The songs featured in the film were composed by M. G. Radhakrishnan, while S. P. Venkatesh composed the background score. It was Mohanlal's 200th Film.

<i>Bharatham</i> 1991 Malayalam musical-drama film directed by Sibi Malayil

Bharatham is a 1991 Indian Malayalam-language musical drama film written by A. K. Lohithadas and directed by Sibi Malayil. It stars Mohanlal, Urvashi, Nedumudi Venu, Lakshmi, and Murali. The film was produced by Mohanlal through his production house Pranavam Arts. The film features original songs composed by Raveendran and a background score by Johnson. Bharatham is interpreted as a modern-day adaptation of the Ramayana from Bharatha's perspective. How, in the absence of his elder brother, Gopinathan takes the responsibility of the family and hides his griefs is the core of the story.

<i>Vellanakalude Nadu</i> 1988 Malayalam film by Priyadarshan

Vellanakalude Nadu is a 1988 Indian Malayalam-language political satire crime film directed by Priyadarshan, written by Sreenivasan and produced by Maniyanpilla Raju. The film stars Mohanlal, Shobhana, Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair, M. G. Soman, Sreenivasan, Karamana Janardanan Nair, Maniyanpilla Raju, Sukumari, K. P. A. C. Lalitha and Lizy. The film tells the story of contractor C. Pavithran who has obtained a road contract. This film was a critical and commercial success, becoming one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of the year. It ran for over 200 days in theatres. Priyadarshan later remade the film in Hindi as Khatta Meeta, released in 2010.

<i>Thenmavin Kombath</i> 1994 film by Priyadarshan

Thenmavin Kompath is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan. It was produced and edited by N. Gopalakrishnan. The film stars Mohanlal, Shobana, and Nedumudi Venu, with Kaviyoor Ponnamma, K. P. A. C. Lalitha, Sukumari, Kuthiravattam Pappu, Sreenivasan, Sankaradi, and Sharat Saxena in supporting roles. The background score was composed by S. P. Venkatesh, while the Berny-Ignatius duo composed the songs. K. V. Anand was the cinematographer.

<i>His Highness Abdullah</i> 1990 Indian film

His Highness Abdullah is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language musical thriller drama film written by A. K. Lohithadas and directed by Sibi Malayil. It stars Mohanlal, Nedumudi Venu, Gautami, Sreenivasan, Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair and Mamukkoya. The film was produced by Mohanlal and was the debut production of his company Pranavam Arts. The film features original songs composed by Raveendran and a background score by Mohan Sithara. His Highness Abdullah was the same team's first film in a trilogy of Indian classical arts films, followed by Bharatham (1991) and Kamaladalam (1992).

<i>Kadathanadan Ambadi</i> 1990 Indian film

Kadathanadan Ambadi is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language sword and sorcery film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Cochin Haneefa. It is a sequel to the 1964 film Thacholi Othenan and the 1970 film Othenente Makan. The film stars Mohanlal in the title role, along with Prem Nazir, Swapna, and Raadhu. A few shots from Thacholi Othenan were shown in this film. Kadathanadan Ambadi was released after the death of Prem Nazir.

<i>Mazhayethum Munpe</i> 1995 Indian film

Mazhayethum Munpe is a 1995 Malayalam romantic drama film directed by Kamal and written by Sreenivasan. The film stars Mammootty, Shobhana, Annie and Sreenivasan in the lead roles. The plot is centered upon a college professor named Nandakumar, his fiancée Uma Maheshwari, and his student Shruthi. The film was a commercial success. Annie won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her performance as Shruthi. In 2005, this movie was remade in Hindi by the same director as Zameer: The Fire Within starring Ajay Devgan, Ameesha Patel and Mahima Chaudhry.

<i>Red Chillies</i> (film) 2009 Indian film

Red Chillies is a 2009 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film directed by Shaji Kailas and written by A. K. Sajan, starring Mohanlal in the lead role. It was produced by M. Renjith under Rajaputhra Visual Media and distributed by Vaishaka Release. The film also stars Thilakan, Biju Menon, Siddique and Vijayaraghavan. Red Chillies was released in India on 14 February 2009 on Valentine's Day. The film was a moderate success at the box office.

<i>Passenger</i> (2009 film) 2009 Indian film

Passenger is a 2009 Indian Malayalam-language conspiracy thriller film written and directed by debutant Ranjith Sankar and starring Sreenivasan, Dileep, Mamta Mohandas, Jagathy Sreekumar and Nedumudi Venu in major roles. It was a path breaker in Malayalam cinema in terms of its story telling and started the Malayalam new cinema wave. Owing to its critical and commercial success, Passenger was to be remade into Tamil as Muriyadi by Selva.

<i>Thenum Vayambum</i> 1981 Indian film

Thenum Vayambum is a 1981 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Ashok Kumar and written by John Paul, starring Nedumudi Venu, Prem Nazir and Sumalatha, along with Mohanlal and Ranipadmini. The film features music composed by Raveendran.

<i>Chandralekha</i> (1998 film) 1998 Indian film

Chandralekha is a 1998 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film directed by Krishna Vamsi. It stars Nagarjuna Akkineni, Ramya Krishna and Isha Koppikar, with music composed by Sandeep Chowta. The film was produced by Nagarjuna and V. Ram Prasad under Great India Enterprises banner.

<i>Dilliwala Rajakumaran</i> 1996 Malayalam film directed by Rajasenan

Dillivala Rajakumaran is a 1996 Malayalam film by Rajasenan starring Jayaram and Manju Warrier. The movie tells a fictional story inspired from Travancore Royal Family's famous Padiyettam ceremony which last happened in the year 1994 when Aswathi Thirunal Gowri Lakshmi Bayi of the Travancore Royal Family adopted Bharani Thirunal Lekha Parvathi Bayi.

<i>Aryan</i> (1988 film) 1988 Malayalam film by Priyadarshan

Aryan is a 1988 Indian Malayalam-language action crime film directed by Priyadarshan and written by T. Damodaran. The film stars Mohanlal, Ramya Krishnan, Sharat Saxena, Shobana, Sreenivasan, Gavin Packard, M. G. Soman and Goga Kapoor. It was produced by Mohanlal and Century Kochumon through the company Cheers Films. Aryan tells the tale of an underworld battle and family bonds through Devanarayanan who arrives in Bombay with nothing and rises to become a gangster in a powerful crime gang.

<i>Adiverukal</i> 1986 film by P. Anil

Adiverukal is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language social problem film directed by P. Anil and written by T. Damodaran from a story by Peruvanthanam Sukumaran. It was produced by Mohanlal and Century Kochumon under the company Chears Films. The film stars Mohanlal, Karthika, Sukumari and Jagathy Sreekumar. The film has musical score and songs composed by Shyam.

<i>Oru Katha Oru Nunakkatha</i> 1986 Indian Malayalam film

Oru Kadha Oru Nunakkadha is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language comedy film, directed by Mohan, starring Mammootty, Nedumudi Venu, Madhavi and Pavithra. The film has a musical score by Johnson.

<i>Doore Doore Oru Koodu Koottam</i> 1986 Indian film

Doore Doore Oru Koodu Koottam is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language satirical comedy drama film directed by Sibi Malayil, written by Sreenivasan and produced by M. Mani. It stars Mohanlal, Menaka, Jagathy Sreekumar, Nedumudi Venu, Mamukkoya, Sukumari, Kunjandi, Sreenivasan, Sanath Mathur Innocent and K. P. A. C. Sunny in major roles. The film won the National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues.

<i>Aham</i> (film) 1992 Indian film

Aham (transl. Self) is a 1992 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by Rajeevnath and written by Venu Nagavally from a story by Rajeevnath. The film stars Mohanlal, Urvasi, and Ramya Krishna. The soundtrack was composed by Raveendran and cinematography was handled by Santhosh Sivan and Venu. It was a small budget film, produced on ₹46 lakhs.

<i>Pranamam</i> 1986 Indian film

Pranamam is a 1986 Indian Malayalam film, directed by Bharathan and produced by Joy Thomas. The film stars Mammootty, Suhasini Mani Ratnam, Nedumudi Venu and Ashokan. The film handles a socially relevant theme and has musical score by Ouseppachan. This movie was remade in Tamil as Puyal Paadum Paattu

<i>Sipayi Lahala</i> 1995 Indian film

Sipayi Lahala is an Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film directed by Vinayan and written by Sreenivasan from a story by Vinayan in 1995. It stars Mukesh, Vani Viswanath, Sreenivasan, Nirosha and Vijayaraghavan. The film was a commercial success.

References

  1. ↑ Maithutty, Fahir (7 September 2017). "20 years since Priyadharshan's 'Chandralekha': A textbook on how to adapt a film". The News Minute. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Rajan, Silpa (17 December 2021). "#FilmyFriday: Chandralekha: The twisted triangle love story featuring Mohanlal". The Times of India . Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  3. ↑ Express News Service (14 February 2020). "Marakkar a dream come true: Manju Warrier". The New Indian Express . Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  4. ↑ Ashokan, Gayathri (26 November 2019). GAYATHRI ASHOK 09 | Charithram Enniloode 1579 | SafariTV (in Malayalam). Safari TV. Event occurs at 22:08 - 22:20. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  5. ↑ "Chandralekha – A Flashback". reelax.in. Archived from the original on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "Entertainment News: Latest Hollywood & Bollywood News, Movies Releases & Reviews". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  7. ↑ "Mohanlal – Awards and Recognitions". TheCompleteActor.com. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  8. ↑ "Hey Sarasu – ಹೇ ಸರಸು (2010/೨೦೧೦)". 24 November 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "மோகன்லாலும், பின்னே தமிழ் ரீமேக்கும்". cinema.dinamalar.com. 5 July 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.