Thirakkatha

Thirakkatha
Official poster feat. Srividya to whom the film is dedicated and Priyamani as Malavika.
Directed by	Ranjith
Produced by	Ranjith Maha Subair
Written by	Ranjith
Screenplay by	Ranjith
Story by	Ranjith
Starring	Priyamani Anoop Menon Prithviraj Samvrutha Sunil Nishanth Sagar Ranjith Mallika Sukumaran Cochin Haneefa
Music by	Sharreth
Cinematography	M. J. Radhakrishnan
Edited by	Vijay Shankar
Distributed by	Varnachithra Big Screen
Release dates	12 September 2008 (2008-09-12)
Running time	120 minutes
Country	India
Language	Malayalam

Thirakkatha (Malayalam: തിരക്കഥ, English: Screenplay) is a 2008 Malayalam romantic drama film co-produced, written, and directed by Ranjith.

The film is a tribute to the yesteryear actresses who had been graceful, popular figures in cinema during their younger age with patronage and later got completely disregarded by the industry, media and the masses alike. Ranjith has drawn inspiration from the life of many actresses but especially from the romantic link-up of actress Srividya with actor Kamal Haasan. He has adopted a special narrative style for the film. The story shifts between the present and flash back through the perspective of different characters. The story is divided into three monologues which meet in the climax. The film has garnered positive reviews from the critics and audiences alike.

The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam (Ranjith and Maha Subair). And Priyamani won the Filmfare Awards South for Best Actress.

Plot summary

Akbar Ahmed (Prithviraj) is a film director. Friends call him 'Akky'. After his highly successful first film, he becomes the most wanted director in the Malayalam film industry. Akky and his girl friend Devayani (Samvrutha Sunil) along with a group of friends all share a passion for cinema. It was with them that Akbar directed and produced his first film, which went on to become a huge success. Akbar also runs a cafe called Casablanca named after the classic Hollywood film. For Akbar cinema is not a job, it is his passion. Akbar decides to choose a very different kind of story for his second film and he sets on a journey in search of it.

Akbar decides to base his second film on the life of yesteryear actress Malavika (Priyamani), who was once a very popular actress and whose present whereabouts are unknown. Akbar and his friends go tracking Malavika’s biography. Her husband was Ajaya Chandran (Anoop Menon). Currently Ajayachandran is the reigning super star of the industry. Akbar starts his search from film director Aby Kuruvila’s (Ranjith) house. Kuruvila’s son gives his father’s old letters and diaries to Akbar from which he starts learning about the whirlwind romance of Malavika and Ajayachandran which led to marriage. How differences between them led to a breakup and how this affected their careers along with Akbar's efforts to find Malavika form the major plot of the film. The film ends in a touching yet marvelous climax with a poetic narration.

Cast

Reception

The film was received well with the audiences and critics alike. Some of the major reviews in the media were all praises for the film. Nowrunning.com opined that "It is a charming film that's plainly life-affirming without being overly pretentious or markedly melodramatic".^[1] Paresh C Palicha at Rediff.com opined that "It is exciting to see Ranjith bounce back to form with his best effort so far."^[2] Almost all reviewers were unanimous about the brilliant performances of the lead stars, especially of Priyamani, Anoop Menon and Prithviraj.

The film fetched Anoop Menon the State Government award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role and Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Priyamani.

Music

The score and soundtrack of the movie were composed by Sharreth, who returned to the field after a long gap. The soundtrack featured five songs and has received positive reviews.

1. Oduviloru - K. S. Chithra
2. Oduviloru - Sharreth
3. Palappoovithalil - Swetha Mohan, Nishad
4. Onnodonnu - Haridas, Shankar Mahadevan, Renjini Haridas
5. Arikil - Madhu Balakrishnan
6. Arikil - Teenu Telence
7. Manjuneeril - Kalpana

Rendition of Oduviloru by K. S. Chithra got huge appreciation and she got a Filmfare Award for her extremely soulful rendition. The song Onnodonnu had a vocal interlude bit rendered by Renjini Haridas, a popular Television anchor from Kerala.

References

https://www.academia.edu/9204740/When_Ghosts_Come_Calling_Re-projecting_the_Disappeared_Muses_of_Malayalam_Cinema

External links

• Thirakkatha at the Internet Movie Database