 | This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards.(September 2024) |
| Date | 3 September 2006 |
|---|---|
| Location | Guna Caves |
| Non-fatal injuries | 1 |
On 3 September 2006, Subhash Chandran fell into Guna Caves and was rescued by his friend Siju David. [1] This is the only known case where a person that fell into Guna Caves survived. [2]
"It was pitch dark inside and no one knew whether the rope reached him"
— Report on the incident, 2006 [3] [lower-alpha 1]
Subhash Chandran (19) hails from Manjummel, Ernakulam, Kerala and worked as a painter. Subhash Chandran had many childhood friends including Siju David, [lower-alpha 2] [2] who were all part of a club named Darshana. [4] They came to visit Guna Caves in Kodaikanal (where the Tamil movie Gunaa was shot). [4] [1] A sign in Tamil indicated a prohibited area where 13 people had died; however, the friend group could not read Tamil and proceeded by crossing over the dilapidated fence. [4]
Subhash Chandran, who wanted to go down into the 100 feet deep cave, tripped and fell inside. [2] His friend Abhilash John was the first to notice his fall, and he informed the rest of the friend group. [4] The locals initially told the friend group to leave to avoid trouble. [4] The friends informed the forest department, and faced police brutality before the forest department staff, the firemen, and forest officer Thirunavukkarasukmai rushed to come help rescue Subhash Chandran. [4] [2]
His friends urged the firemen to go inside as Subhash Chandran's condition would be known only by going down into the cave, but they were afraid to go inside. Sixon John, another of Subhash Chandran's friends, yelled loudly, briefly awakening him. [5] After hearing Subhash Chandran's voice, Siju David then decided to go inside. [5] [2] With a 50 feet rope and an additional rope tied around his waist, Siju David slowly climbed in. [3] When the first rope ended, Siju David turned on his torch but later turned it off since he could only see bats. [4] After going 60 feet deep, he saw Subhash Chandran lying on a rock and shouted that his friend was alive. [2]
Firefighters rushed in one after the other. Siju David then hugged Subhash Chandran tightly to his body. They were slowly pulled up by the firemen. First aid was given to Subhash Chandran who was unconscious. After a struggle of almost 5 hours, Subhash Chandran was brought back to a conscious state. [2]
Note: After the success of the film Manjummel Boys, the friend group became popular by that name. [4]
| Name | Comments | Actors potrayed | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subhash Chandran | the victim of the accident | Character played by Sreenath Bhasi | [4] |
| Siju David aka Kuttan | the rescuer of Subhash also the eldest person among the boys | Character played by Soubin Shahir | |
| Abhilash John | He saw Subhash fall into the pit, became traumatized and disassociated himself from the group for a period. | Character played by Chandu Salim Kumar | |
| Sudheesh | Character played by Deepak Parambol | [6] | |
| Jinson | Character played by Vishnu Reghu | ||
| Sixon John | He worked in a metal manufacturing unit and gained a habit of having a loud voice. Also younger brother of Siju John | Character played by Balu Varghese | [4] [5] |
| Krishnakumar M. | While swimming as a kid, he got stuck in a current and was saved by Siju David. | Character played by Ganapathi S. Poduval | [4] |
| Sujith U. S. | Character played by Arun Kurian | ||
| Prasad P. S. | The driver. He revisited Kodaikanal in 2009 and recalled how the locals still remembered the incident. | Character played by Khalid Rahman | |
| Anil Joseph | Character played by Abhiram Radhakrishnan | ||
| Siju John | Character played by Lal Jr. | ||
| Sumesh U. S. | He did not go on the trip, but he helped his friends financially for the return trip from Kodaikanal and for Subhash's treatment. | Character not in the film | |
Subhash Chandran, Siju David, and their friends were charged with entering a prohibited area and had to pay a penalty of ₹2,500. After the incident, the director of a fire safety technology institute in Kerala had offered to enroll Siju David in a free course and sponsor his higher studies. [3] The friend group was withheld in Kodaikanal, [4] and they were only able to safely leave without legal hassles after the intervention of the doctor who treated Subhash Chandran. [3]
The Dindigul Collectors had spoken about erecting a fence and safety grills at Guna Caves to ensure safety in the future. [1]
It took six months for Subhash Chandran to recover from the incident and he spend sixty days in an ayurvedic hospital. [4]
In 2008, Siju David received a bravery award from the Indian president. [4]
Many directors met the boys in order make a film based on this incident, [4] but it was called off due to high expenses.[ citation needed ]
In 2023, director Chidambaram met them and finalised to make a project based on this incident under the title Manjummel Boys , [1] and the movie was released in theatres in 2024 and became the highest grossing Malayalam movie ever. The films crossed the record of 200 crores at the box office and even received praise even in Tamil Nadu. [7]
Kodaikanal is a municipality and hill station in Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is situated at an altitude of 2,225 m (7,300 ft) in the Palani hills of the Western Ghats. Kodaikanal was established in 1845 to serve as a refuge from the high temperatures and tropical diseases during the summer in the plains. It is a popular tourist destination and is referred to as the "Princess of Hill stations" with much of the local economy is based on the hospitality industry serving tourism. As per the 2011 census, the city had a population of 36,501.
Ravi K. Chandran is an Indian cinematographer and film director who predominantly works in Hindi, Malayalam, and Tamil-language cinema. His career began in 1991 with the Malayalam film Kilukkampetti. He is the founding member of the Indian Society of Cinematographers (ISC) and has won two Filmfare Awards and one Southern Filmfare Award.
Gunaa is a 1991 Indian Tamil-language psychological romantic drama film directed by Santhana Bharathi and co-written by Sab John. The film stars Kamal Haasan, Rekha and newcomer Roshini in her only screen appearance. It revolves around a newly released psychiatric patient (Haasan) who kidnaps an heiress (Roshini) to make her fall in love with him. He believes she is an avatar of goddess Abhirami and it is his destiny to marry her.
Siddique (born 1 October 1962) is an Indian actor and producer, who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. Along with appearing in over 350 Malayalam films, he has also acted in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi language films. He is known for having played a wide range of starring and supporting roles, including comic characters, romantic leads, anti-heroes and villains.
Parugu, titled In the Name of Love in the UK, is a 2008 Indian Telugu-language romantic action drama film written and directed by Bhaskar. The film stars Allu Arjun, Sheela Kaur and Prakash Raj. The film is produced by Dil Raju on Sri Venkateswara Creations whilst Mani Sharma composed the music. Vijay K. Chakravarthy and Marthand K. Venkatesh performed the cinematography and editing of the film respectively.
Shikkar: The Hunt, or simply Shikkar (transl. Hunt/Hunter) is a 2010 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by M. Padmakumar, written by S. Suresh Babu, and produced by K. K. Rajagopal. The film stars Mohanlal, alongside Kalabhavan Mani, Samuthirakani, Lalu Alex, Sneha, Ananya, Mythili, Kailash, Jagathy Sreekumar, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy and Suraj Venjaramood in supporting roles. M. Jayachandran composed the songs, while the score was provided by Ouseppachan.
Settai (transl. Mischief) is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language black comedy film directed by R. Kannan. A remake of the 2011 Bollywood English-language film, Delhi Belly, it stars Arya, Santhanam, Premji, Hansika Motwani and Anjali. The film, which began filming in Chennai on 7 May 2012, released for April 2013. The audio was launched on 30 January. The film released on 5 April 2013.
Goli Soda is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by S.D. Vijay Milton, who handled the Cinematography as well. Produced by his brother Bharath Seeni under Roughnote Production, the film stars Kishore, Sree Raam, Pakoda Pandi, and Murugesh of Pasanga fame. The film was distributed by N. Lingusamy's Thirrupathi Brothers and released on 24 January 2014 to critical acclaim. The film narrates the story of four boys who work and live together in a market. The film was remade in Kannada with the same name. Goli Soda 2, featuring an entirely distinct cast, was released in June 2018. 2024 sequel miniseries Goli Soda Rising is released on Hotstar.
Premam (transl. Love) is a 2015 Indian Malayalam-language coming of age romance film written, directed and edited by Alphonse Puthren. It was produced by Anwar Rasheed and stars Nivin Pauly and Sai Pallavi. It also features with an ensemble supporting cast including Madonna Sebastian, Anupama Parameswaran, Shabareesh Varma, Krishna Sankar, Siju Wilson, Ananth Nag, Vinay Forrt, Soubin Shahir, Sharafudheen and others. The plot follows George (Nivin)’s romantic journey with his friends from their teens to adulthood. While George's first love turns out to be a disappointment, Malar (Pallavi), a college lecturer, rekindles his love interest. His romantic journey takes him through several stages, helping him find his purpose.
Metro is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language action crime film produced and directed by Anandakrishnan. The film, which explores the theme of chain snatching in the outskrits of Chennai, stars Shirish in his film debut, alongside Bobby Simha and Sendrayan.
Soubin Shahir is an Indian actor, director and producer who works in Malayalam cinema. He began his film career as an assistant director in 2003 and worked under several directors. Soubin made his acting debut in 2013 with a supporting role in Annayum Rasoolum. He made his directorial debut with the drama Parava (2017). In 2018, he won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for his leading role in Sudani from Nigeria, which was also a major commercial success. He portrayed one of the main characters in Manjummel Boys, which went on to become the highest grossing Malayalam film ever and one of the highest-grossing Indian films of 2024.
Sathriyan (transl. Warrior) is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by S. R. Prabhakaran and produced by Sathya Jyothi Films. The film features Vikram Prabhu and Manjima Mohan, while Kavin, Aishwarya Dutta and Rio Raj play supporting roles. The film was shot in Tiruchirappalli. The music was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja with cinematography by Sivakumar Vijayan and editing by M. Venkat. The film released on 9 June 2017.
Sushin Shyam is an Indian music composer, instrumentalist, and singer primarily associated with Malayalam cinema. He is also a founding member of the folk metal band The Down Troddence. He is known for his contributions to the films Varathan (2018), Kumbalangi Nights (2019), Minnal Murali (2021), Bheeshma Parvam (2022), Romancham (2023), Kannur Squad (2023), Manjummel Boys (2024) and Aavesham (2024). His work on Kumbalangi Nights earned him the Kerala State Film Award for Best Music Director in 2019.
Adanga Maru is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Karthik Thangavel. The film stars Jayam Ravi and Raashii Khanna, with Ponvannan, Babu Antony, Sampath Raj, Azhagam Perumal, Bharath Raj, Shabeer Kallarakkal, Munishkanth, Mime Gopi and Subbu Panchu in supporting roles. The music was composed by Sam C. S., with cinematography by Sathyan Sooryan and editing by Ruben. The film tells the story of Subhash, an egoistic cop, who resigns his job and became a ruthless vigilante, after his family is murdered by four privileged people.
Events in the year 2006 in Kerala.
Manjummel Boys is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language survival thriller film written and directed by Chidambaram. It is produced by Soubin Shahir, Babu Shahir and Shawn Antony under Parava Films is based on a real story. The film stars an ensemble cast, which includes Soubin Shahir, Sreenath Bhasi, Balu Varghese, Ganapathi S. Poduval, Lal Jr., Deepak Parambol, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Arun Kurian, Khalid Rahman and Shebin Benson. It is based on a Guna Caves rescue in 2006. The film follows a group of friends from a small locality called Manjummel in Kochi, who decide to have a vacation in Kodaikanal, which is affected when one of them becomes trapped in the Guna Caves.
Guna Caves, initially named as Devil's Kitchen, is a cave located in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India. It attracts many visitors every year. The location got the name Guna Caves after it was featured in the 1991 film Gunaa starring Kamal Haasan. Since the release of the film, the location has attracted a large number of visitors and tourists. Subsequently, other movies were also shot there, including the climax of the Malayalam film Shikkar (2010), and another Malayalam film Manjummel Boys (2024), which was based on a real accident in the cave.
Manjummel Boys is the soundtrack to the 2024 film of the same name directed by Chidambaram S. Poduval and produced by Babu Shahir, Soubin Shahir and Shawn Antony under the banner Parava Films. The film features an ensemble cast of Soubin, Sreenath Bhasi, Balu Varghese, Ganapathi S. Poduval, Lal Jr., Deepak Parambol, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Arun Kurian, Khalid Rahman, Chandu Salimkumar, Shebin Benson, and Vishnu Reghu.
Manjummel is a satellite town of Eloor situated on Periyar river in Kochi, Kerala, India.
"Kanmani Anbodu Kadhalan" is a song from the Tamil film Gunaa (1991) composed by Ilaiyaraaja, written by Vaali and sung by Kamal Haasan and S. Janaki. The song was noticed for having dialogues interspersed between the lines, and it was notably one of the few conversational songs in Tamil cinema.
