Vietnam Colony

Last updated

Vietnam Colony
Vietnam Colony.jpg
Directed by Siddique-Lal
Written bySiddique-Lal
Based on Local Hero
Produced by Swargachitra Appachan
Joy
Starring
Cinematography Venu
Edited byT. R. Shekhar
Music by S. Balakrishnan
Production
companies
  • Swargachitra
  • President Movies
Distributed bySwargachitra Release
Release date
  • 22 December 1992 (1992-12-22)
Running time
146 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam

Vietnam Colony is a 1992 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film written and directed by Siddique-Lal. It stars Mohanlal, Innocent, Kanaka, and K. P. A. C. Lalitha. The soundtrack of the film was composed by S. Balakrishnan. The film achieved considerable success following its theatrical release and became the second highest grossing of the year. [1] A Tamil remake of the film was released in 1994 with the same title. [2] The film is based on the 1983 Scottish film Local Hero . [3] [4]

Contents

Plot

G. Krishnamoorthy, who hails from a respectable Tamil Brahmin community, gets a job with the Calcutta Construction Company as a construction supervisor. He is really excited about this until his new colleague, K. K. Joseph, persuades him not to take the job. He tells Krishnamoorthy that their job is to vacate the infamous Vietnam Colony, a poor colony inhabited by day labourers, of its residents so that the building company can clear the land for construction. Joseph adds on the fact that the company has been trying to vacate the residents for years, but it has failed due to the efforts of three criminal leaders: Paravoor Ravuthar, Irumbu John and Kannappa Srank. Adding insult to injury, Joseph remarks that Krishnamoorthy is too weak to stay there and take on the criminals due to his sensitive Brahmin mannerisms. Krishnamoorthy decides that Joseph is right; the job is too dangerous for them.

Later that evening, Krishnamoorthy confronts his mother and tells her that he will be rejecting the job offer. However, his strong-willed mother won't let him free that easily. Moreover, Krishnamoorthy's relatives, whom his late father borrowed money from, demand their money back from Krishnamoorthy and threaten him if he doesn't take the job. His circumstances leave him no choice but to accept the offer.

Krishnamoorthy talks to his boss and the company lawyer, Advocate Thomas. They decide to utilize Krishnamoorthy's background in drama by making him and Joseph pose as harmless writers who want to document colony life so that they can destroy the colony from within. They also have made arrangements for the duo to stay at Pattalam Madhavi's house.

The next day, the duo arrives at the colony and finds the house. However, upon the advice of Erumely, the broker, Madhavi mistakes Krishnamoorthy as a marriage proposal for her daughter, Unni, who takes a liking to Krishnamoorthy immediately. Krishnamoorthy is not used to the new way of living, especially being so close with a girl, so everyone chides him and calls him Swami. Krishnamoorthy becomes annoyed at first, but he accepts his new nickname.

Over time, Swami befriends the colony members and tries to get an overview of the situation. He finds out that the proprietor is a man named Moosa Settu and that his mentally ill mother, Suhra Bai, lives in the colony. He wins Suhra Bai's trust with his kindness and compassion. Suhra Bai tells Swami that Moosa Settu took her money and drove her out due to his greed, and left the colony in shambles. Moreover, she knows that the criminal leaders demand monthly payments from the colony's residents so that they don't kill anyone. Swami realizes that the colony members aren't so bad after all, so he tries to help them a little bit by improving the infrastructure of the colony. He gains the trust of the colony residents and even the gangsters. Swami becomes confident that he can relocate the colony peacefully.

Swami begins his plan by striking a deal with his bosses to give the colony residents a large amount of land with houses to which they can relocate, and puts up a show of negotiation in front of the colony to make them agree to the plan. In a large pep talk, he convinces the colony that they can get whatever they want if they are united. In the least unexpected time, Suhra Bai becomes adamant, saying that she cannot leave the land that she inherited from her father. Ravuthar kicks her in a fit of rage, and she dies the next day. Swami sets out to find Moosa Settu to perform his mother's last rites. To Swami's surprise, he finds Advocate Thomas living in Moosa Settu's bungalow. Even more surprising, he finds the now homeless Moosa Settu at the local madrasa and makes him perform his mother's last rites.

Swami realizes that the company that he works for is trying to illegally demolish the land. However, his timing fell a little short; the colony finds out that Swami was on the company's side, and tries to oust him. Swami confesses and vows to fight for the colony's justice. Unni admires Swami's bravery and slowly falls in love with him. The goons are now on the company's side, as they have been asked to vacate the colony in exchange for a large sum of money. In the end, Swami fights down Ravuthar, and keeps the colony intact.

Cast

Production

Vietnam Colony was produced and distributed by Swargachitra Appachan under the banner of Swargachitra, co-produced by Joy for President Movies. The film was shot in Alappuzha, and Kalpathy in Kerala. In 2017, actor Jayasurya revealed that he came to the filming location in Alappuzha as a junior artist, but was not recruited as the preference was for the local people in Alappuzha. [5]

Box office

The movie was a commercial success. It was the second highest grosser of 1992. [6]

Soundtrack

Vietnam Colony
Soundtrack album by
S. Balakrishnan
ReleasedDecember 1992
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Language Malayalam
Label Mudra Cassettes
Johny Sagariga
Wilson Audios
S. Balakrishnan chronology
Mr & Mrs
(1992)		Vietnam Colony
(1992)		 Mazhavilkoodaram
(1995)

The film's soundtrack contains six songs, all composed by S. Balakrishnan and lyrics by Bichu Thirumala.

No.TitleSinger(s)Raga
1"Pavanarachezhuthunnu" K. J. Yesudas Mayamalavagowla
2"Thaala Melam" M. G. Sreekumar, Minmini
3"Lallalam Chollunna"K. J. Yesudas Abheri
4"Paathiravayi Neram"Minmini Sindhu Bhairavi
5"Pavanarachezhuthunnu" Kalyani Menon, Sujatha Mohan, ChorusMayamalavagowla

Reception

The movie was extremely well received and became a critical and commercial success. The technical aspects of the movie were well appreciated. Dialogues such as "Ithalla, ithinapporum chaadi kadannavananee K.K Joseph!" and many others still find their way into the daily conversation of Malayalees.

Awards

Kerala State Film Awards
Kerala Film Chamber Award

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madhavi (actress)</span> Indian actress

Kanaka Vijayalakshmi, known by her stage name Madhavi is an Indian former actress known for her works in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam films. In a career spanning of almost 2 decades she has been featured in around 300 films and was hailed as one of the leading actresses of South Indian Cinema in the 1980s.

<i>Paradesi</i> (2007 film) 2007 Indian film

Paradesi (transl. Foreigner) is a 2007 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by P. T. Kunju Muhammed. It was produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the company Aashirvad Cinemas. Mohanlal plays Valiyakaththu Moosa, in three stages of his life, between the ages of 35 and 80. It also features Swetha Menon, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Padmapriya Janakiraman, Jagathy Sreekumar, and Siddique in significant roles.

<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>Adiyozhukkukal</i> 1984 Indian film

Adiyozhukkukal (transl. Undercurrents) is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by I. V. Sasi and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair; starring Mammootty, Mohanlal, Seema, Balan K. Nair, Vincent and Rahman. The film was produced by Raju Mathew under the banner of Casino and was distributed by Century Films.

<i>T. P. Balagopalan M. A.</i> 1986 Indian film

T. P. Balagopalan M. A. is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film directed by Sathyan Anthikkad and written by Sreenivasan from a story by Anthikkad. It stars Mohanlal in the title role, along with Shobana, Balan K. Nair, Kuthiravattam Pappu, Maniyanpilla Raju, Sreenivasan, Sukumari, and K. P. A. C. Lalitha. The story follows T. P. Balagopalan, who struggles to make ends meet, and his romantic life with Anitha.

<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>Gandhinagar 2nd Street</i> 1986 Indian film

Gandhinagar 2nd Street is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan from a story by Anthikad. It stars Mohanlal in the lead role, with Karthika, Seema, Sreenivasan, Thilakan, Innocent, Sukumari and K. P. A. C. Lalitha in supporting roles. The film also has Mammootty in a Cameo appearance. The music was composed by Shyam. The film was remade in Telugu as Gandhinagar Rendava Veedhi (1987) and in Tamil as Annanagar Mudhal Theru (1988).

<i>Sagar Alias Jacky Reloaded</i> 2009 film by Amal Neerad

Sagar Alias Jacky Reloaded is a 2009 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Amal Neerad. It is the sequel of 1987 film Irupatham Noottandu. The film was written by S. N. Swamy and produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the company Aashirvad Cinemas. the film stars Mohanlal in the title role, with an ensemble cast of Suman, Shobana, Bhavana, Sampath Raj, Manoj K. Jayan, Jagathy Sreekumar, Rahul Dev, Nedumudi Venu, K. B. Ganesh Kumar, Vinayakan, Shereveer Vakil, Sumeet Naval, Sona Nair, V.K Sreeraman, Jinu Joseph and Bala in other pivotal roles.

<i>Devadoothan</i> 2000 Indian film

Devadoothan is a 2000 Indian Malayalam-language mystery horror film produced by Siyad Koker under the banner of Koker Films, directed by Sibi Malayil and written by Raghunath Paleri. The film stars Mohanlal in the title role with Jaya Prada, Vijayalakshmi, Janardhanan, Jagathy Sreekumar, Murali, Sarath Das and Vineeth Kumar in supporting roles. The cinematography was done by Santosh Thundiyil and it features original songs and score composed by Vidyasagar.

<i>Peruvannapurathe Visheshangal</i> 1989 film directed by Kamal

Peruvannapurathe Visheshangal is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film directed by Kamal and written by Ranjith from a story by Kamal. It was produced by Castle Productions. The film stars Jayaram as Sivasankaran, who arrives in Peruvannapuram village to join as the new peon in a college, and Parvathy as Kunjulakshmi, a student and an arrogant girl from a wealthy aristocratic family who owns the college. Mohanlal has a cameo role as Achutha Kurup. The music was composed by Johnson.

<i>Panchagni</i> 1986 Indian film

Panchagni is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language crime drama film directed by Hariharan and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. The story is loosely inspired from the life of naxalite K. Ajitha who was part of the Naxalite movement in Kerala in the 1960s. The film tells the story of Indira, a Naxalite who comes out from prison on parole, while she serves a life sentence for killing a landlord. It stars Mohanlal, Geetha, Nadia Moidu, and Thilakan. It features songs composed by Bombay Ravi and a score by Pukazhenthi. The cinematography was done by Shaji N. Karun. Geetha's performance was considered noteworthy, and it established a bright career for her in the Malayalam film industry. She was even nominated for the National Award category for Best Actress.

<i>Asuravamsam</i> 1997 Indian film

Asuravamsam is a 1997 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film written by Ranjith and directed by Shaji Kailas, with cinematography by V. Manikandan. The film stars Manoj K. Jayan, Siddique, Biju Menon, Narendra Prasad, Sai Kumar, Priya Raman and Chippy.

<i>Kanmadam</i> 1998 Indian film

Kanmadam is a 1998 Indian Malayalam-language drama film, written and directed by A. K. Lohithadas. It stars Mohanlal, Manju Warrier and Lal while K. P. A. C. Lalitha and Siddique appears in guest roles. The songs were composed by Raveendran, while S. P. Venkatesh composed the background score, Ramachandra Babu was the cinematographer and A. Sreekar Prasad was the editor. The film was produced and distributed by Pranavams International. Kanmadam was released on 14 April 1998 on Vishu. The film received critical acclaim and was a commercial success at the box office. It completed 100 days run in theatres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vidyasagar (composer)</span> Indian music composer

Vidyasagar is an Indian composer, musician and singer who works predominantly in the Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu film industries. After working with several composers as assistant and conductor, Vidyasagar made his debut as a film composer in the 1989 Tamil film Poo Manam and nicknamed as Melody King Working for over 225 feature films, he is the recipient of a National Award, multiple State Awards and five Filmfare Awards he frequently work with actor vijay which all of the albums were successful and is widely regarded as one of the finest and most acclaimed composers in the history of Indian Cinema.

<i>Akashadoothu</i> 1993 Indian film

Akashadoothu is a 1993 Indian Malayalam family drama film directed by Sibi Malayil and written by Dennis Joseph, with Madhavi and Murali in the lead roles. The film tells the tale of a woman suffering from leukemia. The plot of the film was inspired from the 1983 American film Who Will Love My Children?.

<i>Snehaveedu</i> 2011 Indian film

Snehaveedu is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film written and directed by Sathyan Anthikad. It was produced by Alan Richard under the company Aashirvad Cinemas. The film stars Mohanlal, Sheela, and Rahul Pillai. It was Mohanlal's 300th film. The film received generally positive reviews from the critics and was a commercial success at the box office.

Nandalal Krishnamoorthy, better known by his stage name Nandu, is an Indian actor primarily working in Malayalam, and a few Hindi and Tamil films. He has been in the industry for more than 30 years and is acclaimed for his performance in Mohanlal's Spirit, directed by Ranjith. He was also seen in many Priyadarsan films. He received SIIMA award for best supporting actor, for the movie Spirit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T. P. Madhavan</span> Indian actor

T. P. Madhavan is a former Indian actor who appeared in Malayalam films. He started acting at the age of 40 and so far has acted in more than 600 films. He came into the film industry playing villain roles; later he started doing comedy roles and then switched to character roles.

<i>Oppam</i> 2016 film by Priyadarshan

Oppam (transl. Along) is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film written and directed by Priyadarshan from a story by Govind Vijayan. It was produced by Antony Perumbavoor for Aashirvad Cinemas and starred Mohanlal and Samuthirakani. The film contains songs composed by the group 4 Musics, and the score was composed by Ron Ethan Yohann. N. K. Ekambaram was the cinematographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krishnamoorthy (actor)</span> Indian comedian (c.1963-2019)

Krishnamoorthy was a comedian in the Tamil film industry in India.

References

  1. ↑ "Vietnam Colony 1992". Moviebuff. 5 July 2015. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  2. ↑ "மோகன்லாலும், பின்னே தமிழ் ரீமேக்கும்..." [Mohanlal films and their Tamil remakes]. Dinamalar (in Tamil). 5 July 2015. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  3. ↑ https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/avatar-2-james-cameron-technology-8330805/lite/
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ സ്വന്തം ലേഖകൻ (2 February 2017). "അന്ന് ജൂനിയർ ആർടിസ്റ്റ് പോലുമായില്ല ഇന്ന് അതേ സംവിധായകന്റെ നായകൻ". Malayala Manorama . Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  6. ↑ "10 Mollywood films that ran for the longest time". The Times of India. ISSN   0971-8257. Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  7. ↑ "Kerala Film Chamber Award 1992". Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2021– via YouTube.
  8. ↑ "Kerala Film Chamber Award 1992". Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2021– via YouTube.
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.