Priyadarshan is an Indian film director and screenwriter who predominantly works in Malayalam and Hindi cinema. The massive success his movies enjoyed mirrors the collective conscience of the people, particularly the elite, of that era - a period with which the filmmaker is intimately connected.
Manichitrathazhu is a 1993 Indian Malayalam-language epic psychological horror film directed by Fazil, written by Madhu Muttam, and produced by Swargachitra Appachan. The film stars Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi and Shobana in addition to Nedumudi Venu, Innocent, Vinaya Prasad, K.P.A.C.Lalitha, Sridhar, K.B. Ganesh Kumar, Sudheesh, Thilakan and others in supporting roles. The story is inspired by a tragedy that happened in an Ezhava tharavad, the Alummoottil meda, located at Muttom, belonging to a central Travancore Channar family, in the 19th century. The writer of the film, Madhu K Panicker or Madhu Muttam, is a member of the Alummoottil Tharavad.
Poochakkoru Mookkuthi is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language screwball comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Mohanlal, Shankar, Menaka, M. G. Soman, Nedumudi Venu, C. I. Paul, Sukumari, Jagathy Sreekumar, Kuthiravattam Pappu, Sreenivasan and Baiju Santhosh.
Thalavattam is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by Priyadarshan, starring Mohanlal, Lizy, M. G. Soman and Karthika. The film is very loosely based on the 1975 movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest which was an adaptation of the 1962 novel of the same name by Ken Kesey. The film features songs composed by Raghu Kumar and C. Rajamani, and a score by Johnson. The story follows Vinod, an eccentric new patient at a mental asylum.
Kilukkam (transl. Jingle) is a 1991 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Venu Nagavalli. The story set in Ooty revolves around tourist guide Joji (Mohanlal) and photographer Nishchal. They happen to meet a lavish tourist Nandini (Revathi), whom they bet their fortunes on. It also stars Thilakan, Innocent, K. B. Ganesh Kumar, Sukumari, and Sharat Saxena, with Murali and Jagadish making cameo appearances. The music was composed by S. P. Venkatesh. Kilukkam was released on 15 August 1991. The film was the highest-grossing Malayalam film at that time and ran for more than 365-days at the theaters. Kilukkam won five Kerala State Film Awards, including Best Actor for Mohanlal, Second Best Actor for Jagathy Sreekumar, Best Editor for N. Gopalakrishnan, and Best Cinematographer for S. Kumar. The film is regarded as one of the best comedy films of Malayalam cinema. It was remade in Telugu as Allari Pilla and in Hindi as Muskurahat by Priyadarshan himself. Later, the film had a sequel Kilukkam Kilukilukkam (2006). The movie was reported to have been inspired by the 1953 American movie Roman Holiday.
Mohanlal is an Indian actor, producer, distributor, host, and playback singer who has starred in mainstream blockbuster and art-house films. He has made over 325 appearances in feature films during the span of his career, primarily in Malayalam cinema and also in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada films.
Hera Pheri is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Neeraj Vora, starring Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Tabu, Om Puri and Gulshan Grover. The film is a remake of 1989 Malayalam film Ramji Rao Speaking which itself was inspired by the 1971 American TV movie See The Man Run. It is the first instalment of the Hera Pheri franchise. The plot revolves around two tenants, Raju and Shyam, and their landlord, Baburao Ganpatrao Apte, who are in desperate need of money. They chance upon a ransom call through a cross-connection and hatch a plan to claim the ransom for themselves.
Garam Masala is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan, featuring Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Paresh Rawal, Rimi Sen, Neha Dhupia and Rajpal Yadav. The story revolves around Makarand "Mac" Deendayal Chatpatiya (Kumar) and Shyam "Sam" Salgaonkar (Abraham), two photographer friends, who like to flirt with women constantly. After a trip abroad, Shyam decides to disrupt Makarand's life when he sees him enjoying the company of three ladies. The film is a remake of Priyadarshan's own 1985 Malayalam comedy Boeing Boeing which in turn was a remake of the 1965 American film of the same name.
Mukesh Madhavan, known mononymously as Mukesh, is an Indian actor, film producer, television presenter, and politician who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil-language films. In a film career spanning four decades, he has acted in over 275 Malayalam films.
Vandanam (transl. Greeting) is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Priyadarshan, written by V. R. Gopalakrishnan, and produced by P. K. R. Pillai. The film stars Mohanlal and Girija Shettar, while Mukesh and Nedumudi Venu appear in supporting roles. The songs were composed by Ouseppachan, while the background score was by Johnson.
Mammootty, is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam films. He has acted in more than 400 films in Malayalam and other languages including Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, English and Kannada films. He has starred in both art house and blockbuster films.
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.
Boeing Boeing is a 1985 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan. It is a remake of the 1965 American film of the same name which was based on the 1960 French play of the same name. The plot follows Shyam (Mohanlal) who is dating three flight attendants at the same time, and the scenario gets complicated with the arrival of his friend Anilkumar (Mukesh) along with other obstructions.
Ramji Rao Speaking is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-thriller film written and directed by the duo Siddique–Lal and produced by Fazil, Swargachitra Appachan, and Ousepachan Vaalakuzhy. It stars Sai Kumar, Mukesh, Innocent, Vijayaraghavan, Devan, Rekha, with Sankaradi, Sukumari, Kunchan and Mamukkoya in other supporting roles. The film deals with social factors affecting Kerala including unemployment during the 1980s, and went on to achieve a cult classic status.
Nirnayam (transl. Decision) is a 1991 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by Priyadarshan in his Telugu debut, produced by D. Kishore on Jayabheri Art Productions banner, presented by M.Murali Mohan, starring Nagarjuna, Amala Akkineni and music composed by Ilaiyaraaja.
Geethaanjali is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language horror film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Abhilash Nair, with dialogue by Dennis Joseph. Though promoted as spin-off of the 1993 film Manichitrathazhu, it was an adaptation of the 2007 Thai film Alone which was loosely based on the novel Elephants Can Remember. Mohanlal reprises his role from Manichitrathazhu and Suresh Gopi appears in a cameo role. It also features Keerthy Suresh, Nishan, Siddique, Madhu, Swapna Menon, Innocent, and K. B. Ganesh Kumar. In the film, psychologist Dr. Sunny Joseph arrives at a mansion to treat Anjali, who is haunted by her deceased twin sister Geetha, and investigates the paranormal activities. It marked the Malayalam and film debut of Keerthy Suresh.
Aamayum Muyalum is a 2014 Malayalam-language comedy drama film written and directed by Priyadarshan, and co-produced by Jaison Pullikkottil under the banner Full House Entertainment. It is a remake of the director's own Hindi movie Malamaal Weekly which itself was a remake of Waking Ned. The film has a cast of Jayasurya, Piaa Bajpai, Innocent, Nedumudi Venu, Anoop Menon, Harisree Ashokan and Mamukkoya in prominent roles. The music is composed by M. G. Sreekumar.
Oppam (transl. Along) is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film directed by Priyadarshan from a story by Govind Vijayan. The film, produced by Antony Perumbavoor for Aashirvad Cinemas, stars Mohanlal, Anusree and Samuthirakani. The songs were composed by the group 4 Musics, while the score was composed by Ron Ethan Yohann. The cinematography and editing were handled by N. K. Ekambaram and M. S. Ayyappan Nair and the film is influenced by the basic concept of the 2011 Korean film Blind and the English film Cape Fear.
Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language epic historical action film directed by Priyadarshan. Set in the 16th century Calicut, the film is based on the fourth Kunjali Marakkar named Muhammad Ali, the admiral of the fleet of the Zamorin. Priyadarshan scripted the film with Ani Sasi. The film is produced by Antony Perumbavoor's Aashirvad Cinemas. Marakkar features Mohanlal in the titlular role, with ensemble cast including Arjun Sarja, Suniel Shetty, Ashok Selvan, Prabhu, Nedumudi Venu, Mukesh, Siddique, Manju Warrier, Keerthy Suresh, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Suhasini Maniratnam, Innocent, Mamukkoya, Hareesh Peradi, Santhosh Keezhattoor and K. B. Ganesh Kumar. In the film, upon being terrorised by an oppressive Portuguese regime, legendary naval chieftain Kunjali Marakkar IV wages an epic war against the Europeans and their allies. This film was Keerthy Suresh's comeback to Malayalam cinema after a gap of seven years and the Malayalam debut of Ashok Selvan.
Hungama 2 is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Priyadarshan and jointly produced by Ratan Jain, Ganesh Jain, Chetan Jain and Armaan Ventures. It is the spiritual sequel of Priyadarshan's own 2003 film Hungama. It is loosely based on Priyadarshan's own 1994 Malayalam film Minnaram with a comedy sequence borrowed from his other Malayalam film Vandanam (1989) both starring Mohanlal. The film stars Paresh Rawal, Shilpa Shetty, Meezaan Jafri and Pranitha Subhash.
