Jallikattu | |
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Directed by | Lijo Jose Pellissery |
Written by |
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Based on | Maoist by S. Hareesh |
Produced by | O. Thomas Panicker |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Girish Gangadharan |
Edited by | Deepu S. Joseph |
Music by | Prashant Pillai |
Production company | Opus Penta |
Distributed by | Friday Film House (India) XYZ Films (North America) |
Release dates |
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Country | India |
Language | Malayalam |
Jallikattu is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language independent action thriller film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery with a screenplay by S. Hareesh and R. Jayakumar, based on the short story Maoist by Hareesh. [1] The film stars Antony Varghese, Chemban Vinod Jose, Sabumon Abdusamad and Santhy Balachandran. The plot follows a bull that escapes from a slaughterhouse in a hilly remote village, and the chaos that ensues as the village's men gather to hunt it down. [2] [3]
Jallikattu was premiered on 6 September 2019 at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and received widespread critical acclaim. [4] [5] The film was showcased at the 24th Busan International Film Festival under the section 'A Window on Asian Cinema'. [6] It was released in the home state Kerala on 4 October 2019. [7] [8] Lijo Jose Pellissery received the Silver Peacock-Best Director trophy at the 50th International Film Festival of India. [9] It was selected as the Indian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. [10] [11] It was third Malayalam film after Guru and Adaminte Makan Abu to be chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars. [12] It was included in The Hindu's top 25 Malayalam films of the decade and is widely regarded as one of the defining movies of the New Wave Movement. [13]
Kalan Varkey is a butcher in a small, rural village in Kerala, who meets with his assistant Antony before dawn each day to slaughter a buffalo and prepare its meat for sale in the market. One morning a buffalo slips its bindings before Varkey can kill it, escaping into the hilly forest. Soon after, a large haystack is set ablaze, and the entire village wakes up to put out the fire. The men of the village, hearing of the buffalo's escape and believing that it was responsible, begin an urgent hunt for the animal.
As the day progresses, the villagers repeatedly try but fail to corner the buffalo and kill it. Crops at the rubber plantation are trampled, a drinks vendor's cart is smashed, and the village's bank and convenience store are both destroyed. The villagers begin to turn on Varkey, blaming him for the destruction. Meanwhile, the police refuse to help, as killing cattle is illegal - instead, they focus on merely warning people to stay inside until the buffalo is caught.
The frustrated villagers call on Kuttachan, a renowned local poacher with his own hunting rifle, for help. Antony is unhappy to see Kuttachan back in the village; in a flashback it is revealed that, before Antony married his wife Sophie, the two men had been rivals over her. Antony had won by informing the police that Kuttachan was stealing sandalwood from the local church, leading to his arrest. As Kuttachan prepares for the hunt by chopping up a metal bucket handle into pieces of buckshot, they start a mass argument among the villagers over which man deserves to land the killing blow on the buffalo.
Elsewhere in the village, the disruption - both from the buffalo's rampage and the hunt - spreads further, causing other personal and social issues to come to the surface. Law and order begins to break down, with some of the men setting off fireworks and committing random acts of vandalism. Kuriachan, a wealthy man who had been planning an elaborate feast of buffalo dishes for his daughter's wedding party, ventures out to try and find some chicken instead, but is seized by a group of workers who strip him naked and bring him to the hunt as a trophy. Meanwhile, Kuriachan's daughter tries to avoid the arranged marriage by running away, but a neighbour catches and punishes her. Several of the men, enraged and frustrated, beat their wives or drink heavily, while other women find men openly leering at them through windows as they sleep.
After night falls, the buffalo is found lying at the bottom of a well. Antony immediately takes credit, insisting that chasing the buffalo down into the well had been his plan all along. Kuttachan wants to shoot the buffalo there and then, but Antony demands that they bring it back to the surface first so he and Varkey can still butcher it properly and sell the meat. By contrast, Varkey is indifferent, and he takes a nap under a nearby tree as the other men argue and plan. The men construct a scaffold and lower Antony down so he can attach ropes around the buffalo's legs and neck. However, it begins raining heavily. The ropes slip off as soon as the buffalo reaches the top, and as it thrashes around one of the villagers is thrown down the well and killed. The buffalo escapes again into the forest. Kuttachan and the other villagers blame Antony for the man's death. Meanwhile, another group of men, furious that a cop is still refusing to help, set his patrol car on fire.
By this point the villagers are desperate and frantic. In-fighting leads to them splintering into smaller groups, each with its own plan - and with each man desperate to be the one to finally claim the kill. As the men string up ropes, chains, and nets around the perimeter of the village, forcing the buffalo into a smaller and smaller area, night falls and the situation becomes increasingly chaotic and confused. Antony and Kuttachan stumble across each other in a clearing in the dark forest, and begin fighting. Kuttachan is about to kill Antony, but the buffalo suddenly emerges from the undergrowth and disrupts the fight. Kuttachan catches the buffalo by its horns and asks Antony to hold its legs, but Antony uses this opportunity to stab Kuttachan multiple times, fatally wounding him. This allows the buffalo to escape. Antony and the villagers chase it towards the river and across a bridge, where the animal becomes stuck in deep mud.
Antony stabs the buffalo, and screams to the crowd of hunters that he deserves the credit for killing it. This kicks off a desperate pile-on, as dozens of men, holding lit torches and bearing crude weapons, jump on top of each other, stabbing both the animal and each other as they form a huge, writhing mass of human bodies. The screen fades to black, then fades back in to a final shot of a group of prehistoric men, wearing loincloths and carrying spears, racing each other through the dark in pursuit of a buffalo.
The film score was produced by Prashant Pillai.
Jallikkattu | ||||
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Film score by | ||||
Released | September 6, 2019 (TIFF) October 4, 2019 | |||
Recorded | 2019 | |||
Genre | Orchestra, World Music | |||
Language | Malayalam | |||
Label | Opus Penta with Friday Film House | |||
Producer | Prashant Pillai | |||
Prashant Pillai chronology | ||||
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The official trailer of the film was unveiled by Friday Film House on 28 September 2019. [14] Jallikattu was premiered at Toronto International Film Festival 2019. [15] [16] [17] It was theatrically released on 4 October 2019 in Kerala. [7]
Jallikattu was released on streaming service Amazon Prime Video on 4 February 2020. [18] A Telugu dubbed version with same title was released on Aha. [19]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2020) |
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 96% of 25 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.6/10.The website's consensus reads: "Jallikattu uses a violent conflict between man and animal to set the stage for a story that's as visually haunting as it is rich in subtext." [20] Reviewing the movie for Onmanorama, Sajesh Mohan wrote: "After Ee. Ma. Yau, Lijo Jose Pellissery has again opted to saunter through the innate nature of humans in an off-kilter manner." According to the reviewer, 'the movie's technical brilliance is something that Mollywood can flaunt for a long time to come.' [21]
The film grossed ₹7.3 crores in its first week run in Kerala and became commercial success. [22]
The International Film Festival of Kerala is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. This film festival started in 1996 and is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on behalf of Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala. The festival is held in November or December every year and is acknowledged as one of the leading cultural events in India.
Renganaath Ravee is an Indian sound designer, sound editor and documentary filmmaker.
Jose Pellissery was an Indian film and theatre actor.
Lijo Jose Pellissery is an Indian filmmaker and actor who works in Malayalam cinema. He also known as the " Master Of Chaos ". He is notable for unconventional approach in directing, his films are characterized by nonlinear storylines and very long takes. He is also known for his short production time. His movies likes Ee.Ma.Yau and Churuli was shot in less than 20 days. His best works include Amen (2013), Angamaly Diaries (2017), Ee.Ma.Yau (2018), Jallikattu (2019), Churuli (2021), and Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (2023). He is the son of actor Jose Pellissery.
Poovankery Francis Mathew is an Indian author of Malayalam literature and a screenplay writer in Malayalam film and Television industries. A Winner of a National Film Award for Best Screenplay and multiple State television and other literary awards including the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story, he is known for his original style of writing. Literary works such as Muzhakkam, Kadalinte Manam, Adiyalapretham, Iruttil Oru Punyalan, and Chaavunilam and screenplays such as Sararaanthal, Mikhayelinte Santhathikal, Megham, Kutty Srank and Ee.Ma.Yau are his major works.
Girish GangadharanISC is an Indian cinematographer known for his work in Malayalam and Tamil films. He is the recipient of the National Film Award for Best Cinematography for his work in the 2019 film Jallikkattu directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, which was India's official entry to that year's Oscars. Additionally, he has also worked on Tamil-language blockbusters like Sarkar and Vikram.
Angamaly Diaries is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language crime drama film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and written by Chemban Vinod Jose. The film features 86 debutant actors with Antony Varghese, Anna Rajan, Kichu Tellus, Ullas Jose Chemban, Vineeth Vishwam, Bitto Davis, Tito Wilson, Sarath Kumar, and Sinoj Varghese playing the main roles. It marks Vijay Babu's first sole production under Friday Film House. The film features an uncut 11-minute long take in the climax featuring around 1000 artists.
Antony Varghese, also known by his screen name Pepe is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. He made his debut in 2017 through the gangster film Angamaly Diaries.
Ee.Ma.Yau is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language independent tragedy film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and written by P. F. Mathews. It stars Vinayakan, Chemban Vinod Jose, Pauly Valsan, Bitto Davis, Kainakary Thankaraj, Dileesh Pothan and Arya Salim in the main roles. The film had its premiere on 30 November 2017 and was theatrically released on 4 May 2018. The film revolves around the death and funeral of an older man from the Latin Catholic community in Chellanam, Ernakulam district. Lijo Jose Pellissery won the Best Director Award at the 48th Kerala State Film Awards for Ee.Ma.Yau. The film won the Silver Peacock-Best Director and Best Actor awards at the 49th International Film Festival of India. It also won two awards at the International Film Festival of Kerala viz. the NETPAC Award for Best Asian film in Competition and the Golden Crow Pheasant Award for the best director. It was included in The Hindu's top 25 Malayalam films of the decade and is widely regarded as one of the defining movies of the New Wave Movement.
S. Hareesh is an Indian writer, translator and screenwriter of Malayalam literature and cinema. He is best known for his short stories and his acclaimed but controversial debut novel, Meesa, which explores caste in Kerala in the mid-20th century. The novel, initially serialized in the Mathrubhumi weekly, was withdrawn after protests by right-wing Hindutva groups and caste-community organizations for “maligning Hindu women and temple priests.”. It was later published as a full novel by DC Books. Hareesh is the recipient of several honours including the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel and the Geetha Hiranyan Endowment of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi. In November 2020, the English translation of Meesa, titled Moustache, was selected for the JCB Prize for Literature, the Indian literary award with the highest prize money.
Swathanthryam Ardharathriyil is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Tinu Pappachan from a story written by Dileep Kurian and produced by B. C. Joshi, Lijo Jose Pellissery and Chemban Vinod Jose. The film stars Antony Varghese, Vinayakan, Chemban Vinod Jose, Tito Wilson and Arya Salim.
Lijomol Jose is an Indian actress, who primarily appears in Malayalam and Tamil films. She is famous for portraying Senggeni in the Tamil film Jai Bhim along with Suriya, which won her Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Tamil at the 67th Filmfare Awards South.
Tito Wilson is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. He made his debut in the 2017 film Angamaly Diaries in which he played the role of U-Clamp Rajan.
Santhy Balachandran is an Indian film and theatre actress who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema. She made her feature film debut as the heroine in the 2017 Malayalam comedy thriller film Tharangam, opposite to Tovino Thomas.
Churuli is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language science fiction horror film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and written by S. Hareesh. It stars Vinay Forrt, Chemban Vinod Jose, Joju George, Soubin Shahir and Jaffar Idukki. The film was produced by Lijo Jose Pellissery and Chemban Vinod Jose under the banner of Movie Monastery and Chembosky Motion Pictures, with Jesto Varghese, O Thomas Panicker and Naushad Salahudin as co-producers. The original story and characters were based on a short story Kaligeminarile Kuttavalikal from the book Mullaranjanam written by Vinoy Thomas.
Ajagajantharam is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Tinu Pappachan and written by Kichu Tellus-Vineeth Vishwam. It stars Antony Varghese, Kichu Tellus, Arjun Ashokan and Sabumon Abdul Samad. The soundtrack and background score were composed by Justin Varghese.
Vinoy Thomas is an Indian writer who writes in Malayalam. Known for his novels, Karikkottakkari and Puttu as well as for his short stories such as Ramachi, Thomas is a recipient of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel. Churuli, a Lijo Jose Pellissery movie, is based on one of his stories.
A.V.Gokuldas is a production designer in the Indian film industry. He has won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Production Design four times.
Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam, officially titled in English as Like An Afternoon Dream, is a 2022 Indian Malayalam-Tamil bilingual drama film directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and written by S. Hareesh from a story by Pellissery. It was produced by Mammootty Kampany, with Amen Movie Monastery as co-producer. The film stars Mammootty Ramya Suvi, Ramya Pandian and Ashokan and threads on insomnia, spiritualism, and fantasy.
The 43rd Kerala Film Critics Association Awards, honouring the best Malayalam films released in 2019, were announced in October 2020.
As much a wild action film as an exploration of rural masculinity run amok, Sallikattu takes its audience on an incredible visceral and emotional journey over the course of 90 blood, sweat, and tear-soaked minutes that will leave viewers gasping for breath by the time it reaches its incredible conclusion.[ permanent dead link ]
While there is a question mark over the appetite in overseas arthouse audiences for Malayalam language action films about a buffalo gone berserk, the picture shares a relentless gung ho energy (if not the technical polish) with martial arts pictures like The Raid. .