Mrugaya (1989 film)

Last updated

Mrugaya
Mrugaya (1989 film).png
Promo poster
Directed by I. V. Sasi
Written by A. K. Lohithadas
Produced byKRG
Starring Mammootty
Thilakan
Sunitha
Jagathy Sreekumar
Urvashi
CinematographyV. Jayaram
Edited by K. Narayanan
Music by Shankar–Ganesh
Production
company
KRG Enterprises
Distributed byKRG Release
Release date
  • 23 December 1989 (1989-12-23)
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam

Mrugaya (English: The Hunt) is a 1989 Malayalam drama film written by A. K. Lohithadas and directed by I. V. Sasi. The film stars Mammootty and Sunitha in the lead role, with Thilakan, Jagathy Sreekumar, Lalu Alex, and Urvashi in supporting roles. It tells the story of Varunni (Mammootty), the uncultured and drunkard hunter, who arrives in the village to kill a man-eating leopard. The film won two Kerala State Film Awards. [1] The leopard, used in a number of scenes in the film, was lent by animal trainer Govindarajan Naidu. Sasi had said that the climax fight scene with the leopard was done by Mammootty himself without dupes. [2]

Contents

Mammootty's Mrugaya became a blockbuster, and the character of Varunni attained cult status. Mammootty's different look and natural acting helped in the movie's success. [3]

Mammooty reprises his iconic role as Varunni emerging from the reservoir through flashback scenes in the 1999 Malayalam film My Dear Karadi, which is imitated by his onscreen younger brother Kittunni (Prem Kumar).

Plot

The story takes place in a Highrange village, terrorised by the frequent attacks of a man-eating leopard. Tired of waiting for help from the authorities, the villagers under Reverend Father Panangodan and Philipose Muthalali decide to hire a hunter. The hunter whom they wanted had recently died. Hence, his son, Varunni, is summoned to the village. The uncultured life of Varunni soon became a headache for the village. The villagers try to avoid Varunni who is a drunkard.

However, a woman named Bhagyalakshmi (whose mother was killed by the leopard) befriends Varunni. This relation makes Thomaskutty, who is in love with Bhagyalakshmi, jealous. Seeing Varunni talking to Bhagyalakshmi, Thomaskutty gets angry and starts fighting with Varunni. In the fight, Thomaskutty accidentally slips and falls from the top of the cliff. Varunni feels responsible for the death of Thomaskutty and confesses secretly to Father Panangodan. Father Panangodan realises the big heart inside Varunni. He decides to protect Varunni despite the objections from the villagers and arranges a livelihood for him. Varunni gradually starts to help the villagers and the family of Thomaskutty. The villagers also develop a soft corner for Varunni. Meanwhile, the leopard again comes to the village, and Varunni fails to kill it after Philipose's son-in-law Antony and his friend Kunjachan cheats them and tries to kill him. The leopard escapes with a wound. Soon, Kunjachan dies after suffering from rabies.

The preparations for the betrothal of Thomaskutty's sister, Annamma, go on but the groom fails to show up at the function. At the directions of Father Panangodan, Varunni decides to marry Annamma. This makes Bhagyalakshmi, who was in love with Varunni, jealous. On the eve of the wedding, she informs Annamma that Varunni had killed Thomaskutty. Varunni gets exposed on the wedding day and flees to his hut. On reaching the hut, Varunni finds his dog barking alarmingly. He concludes that the dog has rabies and kills it. Soon he spots the leopard at the top of his hut and realizes that his dog was actually warning him about the leopard. Though injured, Varunni manages to kill the leopard with an axe. The villagers celebrate the death of the leopard. However, the police soon arrive and arrest Varunni for murdering Thomaskutty. He confesses to Annamma that he accidentally killed Thomaskutty.

Cast

Release

The film was released on 23 December 1989.

Box office

The film was both commercially blockbuster and critically acclaimed. [4] [5] [6]

Music

The lyrics for this movie were written by Sreekumaran Thampi and the music was composed by Shankar–Ganesh.

Tracks

Accolades

Related Research Articles

<i>Nasrani</i> (film) 2007 film directed by Joshiy

Nasrani is a 2007 Indian Malayalam-language political thriller film directed by Joshiy, produced by Rajan Thaliparambu, written by Ranjith and starring Mammootty. The film tells the story of an Achayan from a Syrian Orthodox family in Central Travancore. K.P.A.C. Lalitha won the Asianet Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role. The film was a hit.

<i>Nerariyan CBI</i> Indian thriller film

Nerariyan CBI is a 2005 Indian Malayalam-language mystery film directed and produced by K. Madhu and written by S. N. Swamy. The fourth installment in the franchise of CBI investigative thrillers, Mammootty reprised the role of Sethurama Iyer, a Central Bureau of Investigation officer, with Mukesh and Jagathy Sreekumar reprising their roles as the associate officers Chacko and Vikram respectively and the background score composed by Shyam.

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

Loudspeaker is a 2009 Indian Malayalam-language tragicomedy drama film produced, written, and directed by Jayaraj, starring Mammootty, Sasi Kumar, Gracy Singh, Jagathy Sreekumar, Cochin Hanifa, Saleem Kumar, and KPAC Lalitha.

<i>Evidam Swargamanu</i> 2009 Indian film

Evidam Swargamanu is a 2009 Indian Malayalam-language family drama thriller film directed by Rosshan Andrrews and written by James Albert. It was produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the company Aashirvad Cinemas. The film stars Mohanlal, Lalu Alex, Thilakan, Sreenivasan, Shankar and Lakshmi Rai. The music was composed by Gopi Sunder. It tells the story of Mathews, a farmer who has to fight the real estate mafia over selling his farmland which he refuses to give away.

<i>Georgootty C/O Georgootty</i> 1991 Indian film

Georgootty C/O Georgootty is a 1991 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy drama film starring Jayaram, Thilakan and Sunitha in major roles. It was directed by Haridas and written by Ranjith, the film was produced under the banner of Chandragiri Productions. It was Haridas' directorial debut. Haridas got the Kerala State Film Award for Best New Face Director for this film. The music was composed by Mohan Sithara with lyrics by Gireesh Puthenchery.

<i>Karimpinpoovinakkare</i> 1985 Indian film

Karimpinpoovinakkare is a 1985 Malayalam film written by P. Padmarajan and directed by I. V. Sasi, starring Mammootty, Mohanlal, Bharat Gopy, Seema, and Urvashi. The film revolves around the life and revenge of a few villagers against each other.

<i>Kottayam Kunjachan</i> Malayalam movie

Kottayam Kunjachan is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language action comedy film directed by T. S. Suresh Babu and written by Dennis Joseph, loosely based on a novel by Muttathu Varkey. It stars Mammootty in the title role as Kunjachan, with Ranjini, Innocent, KPAC Lalitha, Sukumaran, Babu Antony, and Prathapachandran appearing in supporting roles. Produced by M. Mani, the plot was set in the Kottayam-Catholic backdrop in Kerala, with characters speaking the native Kottayam dialect. It was the third highest grossing film of 1990 behind His Highness Abdullah and Aye Auto. The film and its title character Kunjachan went on to achieve cult status in the years following its release.

<i>Soorya Manasam</i> 1992 Indian film

Soorya Manasam is a 1992 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by Viji Thampi and written by Sab John. The film stars Mammootty, along with Raghuvaran, Vinodini, Sowcar Janaki, Vaishnavi, Riza Bava and Jagathy Sreekumar playing supporting roles. The film revolves around Putturumees, a mentally disabled man and his mother Mariya who face several social issues in their village.

<i>Lal Salam</i> (1990 film) 1990 Indian film

Lal Salam is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language political drama film directed by Venu Nagavalli and produced under the banner K. R. G. Release. It stars Mohanlal, Murali, Geetha, and Urvashi. This movie was a blockbuster, running in seven centres for more than 150 days.

<i>Adikkurippu</i> 1989 Indian film

Adikkurippu is a 1989 Malayalam-language legal thriller film, written by S. N. Swamy and directed by K. Madhu. It stars Mammootty in the lead role, who plays the role of an advocate. The movie was praised for introducing a new theme in Malayalam by depicting the life of a castaway portrayed by Jagathy, who lands in legal problems that were rare in Malayalam movies during that time. The film is loosely based on the missing ship owned by Kerala Shipping Corporation, MV Kairali. S. N. Swamy has recognized the film as his favorite.

Elavamkodu Desam is a 1998 Indian Malayalam-language period drama film written and directed by K. G. George. It stars Mammootty and Rajeev, with Khushbu, Thilakan and Babu Namboothiri in major supporting roles. It was the last film of K. G. George.

<i>Indian Rupee</i> (film) 2011 Malayalam-language Indian film

Indian Rupee is a 2011 Indian Malayalam satirical film written and directed by Ranjith Balakrishnan, and produced by August Cinema. The film stars Prithviraj Sukumaran, Thilakan, Tini Tom and Jagathy Sreekumar in significant roles.

<i>Adimakal Udamakal</i> 1987 film

Adimakal Udamakal is a 1987 Indian Malayalam-language political film directed by I. V. Sasi and written by T. Damodaran, starring Mammootty, Mohanlal, Nalini and Seema. Ratheesh, Mukesh, Urvashi, Jagathi Sreekumar, Captain Raju, Lissy, Sukumari and Santhakumari play supporting roles.

<i>Thiruvambadi Thamban</i> 2012 Malayalam action film

Thiruvambadi Thamban is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film starring Jayaram in lead role, directed by M. Padmakumar and written by S. Suresh Babu. It also marks the debut of Tamil actor Kishore in Malayalam. It also has Jagathy Sreekumar, Nedumudi Venu, Samuthirakani in supporting roles.

<i>Apaaratha</i> 1992 Malayalam film directed by I. V. Sasi

Apaaratha is a 1992 Indian Malayalam-language film produced and directed by I. V. Sasi. The film stars Rahman, Sukanya, Urvashi, Siddique and M. G. Soman. The plot follows a person who is trying to find a job and the hardships he has to face after managing it later.

<i>Thammil Thammil</i> 1985 Indian film

Thammil Thammil is a 1985 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by Sajan and produced by Thomas Mathew. The film stars Mammootty, Rahman, Shobhana and Thilakan. The film has musical score by Ravindran.

Sidhartha is a 1998 Indian Malayalam film, directed by Jomon and produced by Madhavan Nair. Story, Screenplay & Dialogues done by Sathyanath. The film stars Mammootty,Anju Aravind, Jagadish, Rambha, Nedumudi Venu and Thilakan in lead roles. The film had musical score by Vidyasagar.

<i>Mukha Chithram</i> 1991 film by Suresh Unnithan

Mukha Chithram (transl.Portrait) is a 1991 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama and mystery film directed by Suresh Unnithan. The film stars Jayaram, Urvashi, Siddique, Jagathy Sreekumar, KPAC Lalitha, Sunitha and Jagadheesh in lead roles. The film has musical score by Mohan Sithara.

<i>Arhatha</i> 1990 Indian film

Arhatha is a 1990 Indian Malayalam film, directed by I. V. Sasi and produced by P. K. R. Pillai. The film stars Mohanlal, Urvashi, Rekha and Suresh Gopi in the lead roles. The film has musical score by Shyam.

<i>Vakkeel Vasudev</i> 1993 Indian film

Vakkeel Vasudev is a 1993 Indian Malayalam film, directed by P. G. Vishwambharan, starring Jagadish, Jayaram and Sunitha in the lead roles.

References

  1. Roshith, Sivalakshmi. (2013-04-30) Cinema is a serious business, after all, says I V Sasi. The New Indian Express. Retrieved on 2014-05-18.
  2. "Mammootty faced the leopard without dupes in Mrugaya : IV Sasi". 11 October 2016.
  3. ഇന്ത്യന്‍ സിനിമയില്‍ ഇനി ഈ 'പുലിക്കുട്ടി'യുണ്ടാകില്ല , Web Special – Mathrubhumi.comMovies Archived 24 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine . Mathrubhumi.com (2011-12-02). Retrieved on 2014-05-18.
  4. "IV Sasi, Malayalam cinema's trailblazer and king of the box office". The News Minute . 25 October 2017.
  5. C S Venkiteswaran (8 November 2017). "Trendsetting titan". The Hindu .
  6. "The End of an Epoch". The Hindu . 26 October 2017.