Chithramela
Encyclopedia
Chithramela is a 1967 Malayalam anthology film
directed and produced by T .S. Muthiah. It was Malayalam cinema
's first anthology film, consisting of three short films. The cast includes Prem Nazir
, Sharada
, Sheela
, K. P. Ummer
, Kottayam Chellappan, S. P. Pillai
, Adoor Bhasi
, Bahadoor
and Manavalan Joseph.
and Ummer, leave their daughter at home with the servant and go for a party . The naughty girl plays with the telephone, dials numbers and interacts with the person at the other end of the line. One such call results in trouble. The call was to a house which happened to be the venue of a murder. The girl says over the phone that she knew what was happening there. The murderer (Kottayam Chellappan) locates the number, kidnaps the girl and attempts to kill her. But the intervention of the police saves the girl's life.
, Manavalan Joseph and Bahadoor
are trained to drive a car by S. P. Pillai
, their ashan or teacher. They encounter hilarious situations with the women they meet. All the students and their teacher go into deep sleep. They wake up after 50 years to find that men have lost dominance; women, they find, have become all powerful in the world.
), the daughter of a coolie in a colony is in love with Babu (Prem Nazir
), a street singer. A city wastrel's evil eye falls on Seetha and Babu is beaten up severely by his goons. A famous dancer happens to listen to Babu's singing. Babu goes on to accept the patronage of the dancer, separating him from Seetha. The colony is hit by an outbreak of small pox. Except for Seetha and a small boy all the others die. Seetha and the boy leave in search of Babu. She hears Babu's voice from a theatre. Babu rushes to meet his lover. Seetha who is elated falls into his arms and dies.
(2007) and Kerala Cafe
(2009).
Veteran actor T .S. Muthiah made his directorial debut with Chithramela. He also produced the film under the banner of Sree Movies. Director M. Krishnan Nair is credited for giving technical assistance in direction. The idea for the short film Penninte Prapancham was by film producer T. E. Vasudevan. He, inturn, was inspired by a Laurel and Hardy
film.
. There are eight songs in the film, all of them included in the third and longest segment Apaswarangal. Lyrics were penned by Sreekumaran Thampi
who also penned the script for Apaswarangal. All the songs became super hits. Seven solos by K. J. Yesudas
, and a duet with S. Janaki
, are considered gems in Malayalam film music.
Track listing
Anthology film
An anthology film is a feature film consisting of several different short films, often tied together by only a single theme, premise, or brief interlocking event . Sometimes each one is directed by a different director...
directed and produced by T .S. Muthiah. It was Malayalam cinema
Malayalam cinema
The Cinema of Kerala or Malayalam cinema refers to the film industry in the Indian state of Kerala, which makes films in the Malayalam language. Malayalam movies typically portray social or family issues and are considered more realistic than films from other parts of India. Malayalam cinema has...
's first anthology film, consisting of three short films. The cast includes Prem Nazir
Prem Nazir
Abdul Khader , better known by his stage name Prem Nazir , was an Indian film actor. He is considered one of the all time super stars in Malayalam cinema...
, Sharada
Sharada (actress)
Sharada is a three time national award winning South Indian actress and Indian Parliament member. She originally hails from Andhra Pradesh. She has achieved success through Malayalam movies. Initially she did many supporting roles in Telugu films and later on moved to Malayalam film industry and...
, Sheela
Sheela
Sheela ), is a Malayalam film actress from India. She, along with Prem Nazir, holds the world record for acting in the largest number of films together as heroine and hero. In 2005 she won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the Malayalam film Akale. She has also...
, K. P. Ummer
K. P. Ummer
K. P. Ummer was a Malayalam cinema actor from Thekkepuram quarter of Kozhikode, Kerala, India. He was active in cinema from early sixties until late nineties. He was the most successful villains of his time. He played opposite Prem Nazir, who was the hero in many films, which the audience liked to...
, Kottayam Chellappan, S. P. Pillai
S. P. Pillai
S. P. Pillai was an Indian film and stage actor, best known for his comic roles in Malayalam films.-Biography:S. P. Pillai was born in 1913 in Ettumanoor, Kottayam. His father Shankara Pillai, was a police constable. Pillai lost his parents at a young age itself...
, Adoor Bhasi
Adoor Bhasi
Adoor Bhasi was an Indian film actor and film director from Kerala. Adoor Bhasi was almost always cast as the man who stands next to the hero. His hilarious actions and roles became the cynosure of comic scenes in the Malayalam films of the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s. He is also famous for his...
, Bahadoor
Bahadoor
Bahadoor , born P. K. Kunjalu, was a Malayalam film comedian who, along with Adoor Bhasi, redefined the way in which comedy and funny scenes were perceived in Malayalam cinema. They made a significant contribution toward establishing comedy as the predominant genre of Malayalam cinema...
and Manavalan Joseph.
List of short films
| Short film | Genre | Writer | Actors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nagarathinte Mukhangal | Crime thriller | Screenplay: M. K. Mani Dialogues: S. L. Puram Sadanandan |
Sheela Sheela Sheela ), is a Malayalam film actress from India. She, along with Prem Nazir, holds the world record for acting in the largest number of films together as heroine and hero. In 2005 she won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the Malayalam film Akale. She has also... , K. P. Ummer K. P. Ummer K. P. Ummer was a Malayalam cinema actor from Thekkepuram quarter of Kozhikode, Kerala, India. He was active in cinema from early sixties until late nineties. He was the most successful villains of his time. He played opposite Prem Nazir, who was the hero in many films, which the audience liked to... , Kottayam Chellappan, Baby Rajani, Baby Usha |
| Penninte Prapancham | Comedy Comedy film Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences... |
Idea: T. E. Vasudevan Dialogues: Bhavanikkutty |
S. P. Pillai S. P. Pillai S. P. Pillai was an Indian film and stage actor, best known for his comic roles in Malayalam films.-Biography:S. P. Pillai was born in 1913 in Ettumanoor, Kottayam. His father Shankara Pillai, was a police constable. Pillai lost his parents at a young age itself... , Adoor Bhasi Adoor Bhasi Adoor Bhasi was an Indian film actor and film director from Kerala. Adoor Bhasi was almost always cast as the man who stands next to the hero. His hilarious actions and roles became the cynosure of comic scenes in the Malayalam films of the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s. He is also famous for his... , Bahadoor Bahadoor Bahadoor , born P. K. Kunjalu, was a Malayalam film comedian who, along with Adoor Bhasi, redefined the way in which comedy and funny scenes were perceived in Malayalam cinema. They made a significant contribution toward establishing comedy as the predominant genre of Malayalam cinema... , Manavalan Joseph, Sreenarayana Pillai, Kaduvakulam Antony Kaduvakulam Antony Kaduvakulam Antony was an Indian film actor from Kerala who performed more than 300 films as comedian during the 1960s and 1970s. He is regarded as one of the best and most popular comedians in Malayalam cinema... , J. A. R. Anand, Meena, Khadeeja, C. R. Lakshmi, Devichandrika, Abhayam |
| Apaswarangal | Romance Romance film Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus... , Musical Musical film The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate... , Tragedy Tragedy Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of... |
Sreekumaran Thampi Sreekumaran Thampi Sreekumaran Thampi is a lyricist, director, producer, and screenwriter in Malayalam cinema. He is a civil engineer by education.-Film career:Sreekumaran Thampi, was introduced to the Malayalam film industry by P... |
Prem Nazir Prem Nazir Abdul Khader , better known by his stage name Prem Nazir , was an Indian film actor. He is considered one of the all time super stars in Malayalam cinema... , Sharada Sharada (actress) Sharada is a three time national award winning South Indian actress and Indian Parliament member. She originally hails from Andhra Pradesh. She has achieved success through Malayalam movies. Initially she did many supporting roles in Telugu films and later on moved to Malayalam film industry and... , Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair was a Malayali Indian poet, playwright, script writer, lyricist, orator, film director and actor, though he is best known as an actor in Malayalam cinema. He is the recipient of Padmashri from the Government of India, which is one of the highest civilian honours in India.... , Sukumari Sukumari Sukumari is an Indian film actress who has primarily acted in Malayalam and Tamil films. She has been acting since she was 10 years old and has acted in various roles. The total number of her films is presumed to be about two-thousand. In 2003, she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of... , G. K. Pillai, Nellikkodu Bhaskaran, T. R. Omana, Master Sreedhar, Vahab Kashmiri, Rajeswari, Kuttan Pillai, Prathapachandran Prathapachandran Prathapachandran was a Malayalam film actor who left a vivid impression through his dramatic portrayal of villainous and character roles in over 300 movies. He was born in 1941 at Omallur in Pathanamthitta District, Kerala, India. He died on December 16, 2004. He was 63.-Biography:Prathapachandran... |
First segment (Nagarathinte Mukhangal)
The short film showed the tragic fate of children left alone at home while the parents enjoyed themselves at late-night parties and meetings. One such couple, SheelaSheela
Sheela ), is a Malayalam film actress from India. She, along with Prem Nazir, holds the world record for acting in the largest number of films together as heroine and hero. In 2005 she won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the Malayalam film Akale. She has also...
and Ummer, leave their daughter at home with the servant and go for a party . The naughty girl plays with the telephone, dials numbers and interacts with the person at the other end of the line. One such call results in trouble. The call was to a house which happened to be the venue of a murder. The girl says over the phone that she knew what was happening there. The murderer (Kottayam Chellappan) locates the number, kidnaps the girl and attempts to kill her. But the intervention of the police saves the girl's life.
Second segment (Penninte Prapancham)
The characters in the film were the original film stars themselves. Adoor BhasiAdoor Bhasi
Adoor Bhasi was an Indian film actor and film director from Kerala. Adoor Bhasi was almost always cast as the man who stands next to the hero. His hilarious actions and roles became the cynosure of comic scenes in the Malayalam films of the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s. He is also famous for his...
, Manavalan Joseph and Bahadoor
Bahadoor
Bahadoor , born P. K. Kunjalu, was a Malayalam film comedian who, along with Adoor Bhasi, redefined the way in which comedy and funny scenes were perceived in Malayalam cinema. They made a significant contribution toward establishing comedy as the predominant genre of Malayalam cinema...
are trained to drive a car by S. P. Pillai
S. P. Pillai
S. P. Pillai was an Indian film and stage actor, best known for his comic roles in Malayalam films.-Biography:S. P. Pillai was born in 1913 in Ettumanoor, Kottayam. His father Shankara Pillai, was a police constable. Pillai lost his parents at a young age itself...
, their ashan or teacher. They encounter hilarious situations with the women they meet. All the students and their teacher go into deep sleep. They wake up after 50 years to find that men have lost dominance; women, they find, have become all powerful in the world.
Third segment (Apaswarangal)
The film told the story of a tragic love affair between a blind girl and a street singer. Seetha (SharadaSharada (actress)
Sharada is a three time national award winning South Indian actress and Indian Parliament member. She originally hails from Andhra Pradesh. She has achieved success through Malayalam movies. Initially she did many supporting roles in Telugu films and later on moved to Malayalam film industry and...
), the daughter of a coolie in a colony is in love with Babu (Prem Nazir
Prem Nazir
Abdul Khader , better known by his stage name Prem Nazir , was an Indian film actor. He is considered one of the all time super stars in Malayalam cinema...
), a street singer. A city wastrel's evil eye falls on Seetha and Babu is beaten up severely by his goons. A famous dancer happens to listen to Babu's singing. Babu goes on to accept the patronage of the dancer, separating him from Seetha. The colony is hit by an outbreak of small pox. Except for Seetha and a small boy all the others die. Seetha and the boy leave in search of Babu. She hears Babu's voice from a theatre. Babu rushes to meet his lover. Seetha who is elated falls into his arms and dies.
Production
Chithramela was the first anthology film (portmanteau film) in Malayalam. Tamil film Sirikkathe (1939) was the first anthology film in India. Malayalam has produced only a handful of anthology films to date, which include Yauvanam/Vandikkari (1974), Naalu PennungalNaalu Pennungal
Naalu Pennungal is a 2007 Malayalam film produced and directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan based on four short stories written by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai. The film stars Padmapriya, Geethu Mohandas, Manju Pillai, and Nandita Das in the major roles, and KPAC Lalitha, Mukesh, Manoj K...
(2007) and Kerala Cafe
Kerala Cafe
Kerala Cafe is a Malayalam anthology film produced by Ranjith and directed by a team of ten directors including Lal Jose, Shaji Kailas, Anwar Rasheed, Shyamaprasad, B. Unnikrishnan, Revathy, Anjali Menon, M. Padmakumar, Shankar Ramakrishnan, and Uday Ananthan. For the first time in the history of...
(2009).
Veteran actor T .S. Muthiah made his directorial debut with Chithramela. He also produced the film under the banner of Sree Movies. Director M. Krishnan Nair is credited for giving technical assistance in direction. The idea for the short film Penninte Prapancham was by film producer T. E. Vasudevan. He, inturn, was inspired by a Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
film.
Music
The film's music was provided by G. DevarajanG. Devarajan
Paravoor Govindan Devarajan , popularly known as G. Devarajan or Devarajan master, was a noted Malayalam music composer, died on March 15, 2006 in Chennai, at the age of 80....
. There are eight songs in the film, all of them included in the third and longest segment Apaswarangal. Lyrics were penned by Sreekumaran Thampi
Sreekumaran Thampi
Sreekumaran Thampi is a lyricist, director, producer, and screenwriter in Malayalam cinema. He is a civil engineer by education.-Film career:Sreekumaran Thampi, was introduced to the Malayalam film industry by P...
who also penned the script for Apaswarangal. All the songs became super hits. Seven solos by K. J. Yesudas
K. J. Yesudas
Kattassery Joseph Yesudas is an Indian classical musician and playback singer.Yesudas sings Indian classical, devotional, and popular music. He has recorded more than 50,000 songs in many languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Oriya, Marathi, Punjabi,...
, and a duet with S. Janaki
S. Janaki
S. Janaki is an Indian female playback singer. Renowned for her voice modulation abilities, she has sung in many Indian languages, most frequently in Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. Throughout a career spanning more than five decades, she has won four National Film Awards and 35...
, are considered gems in Malayalam film music.
Track listing
- "Aakaashadeepame" — K. J. YesudasK. J. YesudasKattassery Joseph Yesudas is an Indian classical musician and playback singer.Yesudas sings Indian classical, devotional, and popular music. He has recorded more than 50,000 songs in many languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Oriya, Marathi, Punjabi,...
- "Apaswarangal" — K. J. YesudasK. J. YesudasKattassery Joseph Yesudas is an Indian classical musician and playback singer.Yesudas sings Indian classical, devotional, and popular music. He has recorded more than 50,000 songs in many languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Oriya, Marathi, Punjabi,...
- "Chellacherukiliye" — K. J. YesudasK. J. YesudasKattassery Joseph Yesudas is an Indian classical musician and playback singer.Yesudas sings Indian classical, devotional, and popular music. He has recorded more than 50,000 songs in many languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Oriya, Marathi, Punjabi,...
- "Kannuneer Kaayalile" — K. J. YesudasK. J. YesudasKattassery Joseph Yesudas is an Indian classical musician and playback singer.Yesudas sings Indian classical, devotional, and popular music. He has recorded more than 50,000 songs in many languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Oriya, Marathi, Punjabi,...
- "Madam Pottichirikkunna" — K. J. YesudasK. J. YesudasKattassery Joseph Yesudas is an Indian classical musician and playback singer.Yesudas sings Indian classical, devotional, and popular music. He has recorded more than 50,000 songs in many languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Oriya, Marathi, Punjabi,...
& S. JanakiS. JanakiS. Janaki is an Indian female playback singer. Renowned for her voice modulation abilities, she has sung in many Indian languages, most frequently in Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. Throughout a career spanning more than five decades, she has won four National Film Awards and 35... - "Neeyevide Nin Nizhalevide" — K. J. YesudasK. J. YesudasKattassery Joseph Yesudas is an Indian classical musician and playback singer.Yesudas sings Indian classical, devotional, and popular music. He has recorded more than 50,000 songs in many languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Oriya, Marathi, Punjabi,...
- "Neeyoru Minnalaay" — K. J. YesudasK. J. YesudasKattassery Joseph Yesudas is an Indian classical musician and playback singer.Yesudas sings Indian classical, devotional, and popular music. He has recorded more than 50,000 songs in many languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Oriya, Marathi, Punjabi,...
- "Paaduvaan Moham" — K. J. YesudasK. J. YesudasKattassery Joseph Yesudas is an Indian classical musician and playback singer.Yesudas sings Indian classical, devotional, and popular music. He has recorded more than 50,000 songs in many languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Oriya, Marathi, Punjabi,...
External links
- Chithramela at the Malayalam Movie Database