Kala Pani (1996 film)
Encyclopedia
Kaalapani is a 1996 Indian epic film
directed by Priyadarshan
, starring Mohanlal
, Prabhu Ganesan
, Tabu
, Nedumudi Venu
, Sreenivasan, Tinnu Anand
, Annu Kapoor
, Alex Draper, Amrish Puri
, and Vineeth
. Although it is originally a Malayalam film, the film was dubbed into Hindi (Saza-E-Kala Pani), Tamil
(Siraichalai) and Telugu
(Kaala Pani).
The film is about the lives of prisoners in British India who are brought to Kālā Pānī, the Cellular Jail
in Port Blair
, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The name Kalapani is derived from the mode of imprisonment in British India. Ilaiyaraaja
composed the film's music, the cinematography was by Santosh Sivan
, and the editing by N. Gopalakrishnan. The film introduced Dolby Stereo
into Malayalam cinema
. It was made at a whooping budget of 3.5 crores. Mohanlal
produced the film under his studio Pranavam Arts International
.
The film was a commercial failure mainly due to the budget of the film. The film won three National Film Awards
including the awards for Best Art Direction
(Sabu Cyril
) and Best Cinematography
(Santosh Sivan). Along with that it won six Kerala State Film Awards. It was released in 450 theaters worldwide.
), who is wrongly accused of being an extremist freedom fighter and is then jailed in a cellular jail at Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands by the British
. The film also show the cruelties inflicted by British officials on British India.
Annu Kapoor plays the role of Veer Savarkar who's incarcerated there and tries his best to keep the spirit of the prisoners going through unbelievable torture. Tabu plays Mohanlal's lover who keeps waiting forever for him to come back.
The jails are in extreme inhuman conditions with even water being served only in rations
, English
, Tamil
, Bengali
, and German
.
, Prabhu
, Tabu
, Vineeth
, Amrish Puri
, Sreenivasan, Annu Kapoor
, Alex Draper and Nedumudi Venu
. The film is directed by Priyadarsan, with music by Ilayaraaja and cinematography by Santosh Sivan
. The songs have been rendered by Malayalam playback singersK.S. Chitra and M. G. Sreekumar
. The film marked the Malayalam debut of Prabhu Ganesan
, Amrish Puri
and Tabu
.
and penned by Gireesh Puthenchery
. Ilaiyaraaja's symphonic background score for the film earned huge fanfare and turned out to be a cult-classic.
Track listing
Kerala State Film Awards
Epic film
An epic is a genre of film that emphasizes human drama on a grand scale. Epics are more ambitious in scope than other film genres, and their ambitious nature helps to differentiate them from similar genres such as the period piece or adventure film...
directed by Priyadarshan
Priyadarshan
Priyadarshan is an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter. In a career spanning over two decades, Priyadarshan has directed over 80 films in several Indian languages including Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu...
, starring Mohanlal
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Vishwanathan Nair , known mononymously as Mohanlal , is a National Award-winning Indian actor, producer, singer and writer who is well known for his versatile and natural acting in Indian cinema & hence widely known as the Universal Star...
, Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan is a Tamil film actor and producer. He is the son of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan.-Personal life:A native of Tamil Nadu, Prabhu was born to Sivaji and Kamala Ganesan. He has an elder brother Ramkumar Ganesan who is a film producer, and two sisters, Shanthi and Thenmozhi. He did his...
, Tabu
Tabu (actress)
Tabu is an Indian film actress. She has mainly acted in Hindi films, though she has also starred in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Bengali language films, as well as one American film...
, Nedumudi Venu
Nedumudi Venu
Nedumudi Venu is a popular Malayalam film actor from Kerala, India. He has also written screenplays and has directed one film.- Early life :...
, Sreenivasan, Tinnu Anand
Tinnu Anand
Tinnu Anand is an Indian actor and director from Bollywood, who is most known as the director of Amitabh Bachchan's movies including, Kaalia , Shahenshah , Main Azaad Hoon and Major Saab .He is the son of veteran writer Inder Raj Anand and uncle of director Siddharth Anand.Anand recently...
, Annu Kapoor
Annu Kapoor
Annu Kapoor is an Indian film actor and television presenter, best remembered for hosting the singing reality show Antakshari.-Career:Annu Kapoor made his debut in the film Mandi directed by Shyam Benegal in 1979. His career has spanned nearly 31 years including a distinctive presence in...
, Alex Draper, Amrish Puri
Amrish Puri
Amrish Singh Puri , ; 22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005 was an iconic theater and film actor from India, who was a key player in the Indian theater movement that picked up steam in the 1960s. He worked with notable playwrights of the time, such as Satyadev Dubey and Girish Karnad...
, and Vineeth
Vineeth
Vineeth is an Indian film actor and classical dancer who has acted in several well received films in his native Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films. He studied in Good Shepherd Public School, Ooty, and at St. Joseph's Boys' High School, Thalassery.Vineeth is nephew of the famous Travancore...
. Although it is originally a Malayalam film, the film was dubbed into Hindi (Saza-E-Kala Pani), Tamil
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
(Siraichalai) and Telugu
Telugu cinema
The Cinema of Andhra Pradesh, also referred to as Telugu Cinema or Tollywood, is the Telugu film industry in India. The Telugu language film industry is known for being one of the three largest in terms of no.of films produced yearly in India. The Prasads IMAX theatre in Hyderabad is one of the...
(Kaala Pani).
The film is about the lives of prisoners in British India who are brought to Kālā Pānī, the Cellular Jail
Cellular Jail
The Cellular Jail, also known as Kālā Pānī , was a colonial prison situated in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. The prison was used by the British especially to exile political prisoners to the remote archipelago...
in Port Blair
Port Blair
Port Blair is the largest town and a municipal council in Andaman district in the Andaman Islands and the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India...
, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The name Kalapani is derived from the mode of imprisonment in British India. Ilaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja is an Indian film composer, singer, and lyricist mainly in the Tamil film Industry. He is regarded as one of the finest music composers in India. Ilaiyaraaja is also an instrumentalist, conductor, and a songwriter...
composed the film's music, the cinematography was by Santosh Sivan
Santosh Sivan
Santosh Sivan is an Indian cinematographer, film director, and producer who has worked in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, and Hindi cinema....
, and the editing by N. Gopalakrishnan. The film introduced Dolby Stereo
Dolby Stereo
Dolby Stereo, is the trade mark that Dolby Laboratories used for the various analogue stereo cinema sound formats that they produced.Two basic systems used this name. The first was the 'Dolby SVA' system used with optical soundtracks on 35mm film...
into 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...
. It was made at a whooping budget of 3.5 crores. Mohanlal
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Vishwanathan Nair , known mononymously as Mohanlal , is a National Award-winning Indian actor, producer, singer and writer who is well known for his versatile and natural acting in Indian cinema & hence widely known as the Universal Star...
produced the film under his studio Pranavam Arts International
Pranavam arts
Pranavam Arts is a film production company founded in Thiruvananthapuram by Indian film actor Mohanlal. Pranavam Arts' first production was the 1990 film His Highness Abdullah, which became one of the biggest hits in Malayalam cinema...
.
The film was a commercial failure mainly due to the budget of the film. The film won three National Film Awards
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
including the awards for Best Art Direction
National Film Award for Best Art Direction
The National Film Award for Best Art Direction winners:...
(Sabu Cyril
Sabu Cyril
Sabu Cyril is an Indian film art director. He has won National Film Award for Best Art Direction four times and Filmfare Best Art Direction Award twice. His latest work Enthiran, in which he also played an important role, has won him international recognitions.-Early life and education:Sabu Cyril...
) and Best Cinematography
National Film Award for Best Cinematography
The National Film Award for Best Cinematography are given annually. The only female who has won this award is Anjuli Shukla, who won the award for her debut film, Kutty Srank . The most time winners are Santosh Sivan & K.K. Mahajan - 4 awards each for best cinematography category....
(Santosh Sivan). Along with that it won six Kerala State Film Awards. It was released in 450 theaters worldwide.
Synopsis
The story is about the sufferings of a young doctor, Govardhan (MohanlalMohanlal
Mohanlal Vishwanathan Nair , known mononymously as Mohanlal , is a National Award-winning Indian actor, producer, singer and writer who is well known for his versatile and natural acting in Indian cinema & hence widely known as the Universal Star...
), who is wrongly accused of being an extremist freedom fighter and is then jailed in a cellular jail at Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The film also show the cruelties inflicted by British officials on British India.
Annu Kapoor plays the role of Veer Savarkar who's incarcerated there and tries his best to keep the spirit of the prisoners going through unbelievable torture. Tabu plays Mohanlal's lover who keeps waiting forever for him to come back.
The jails are in extreme inhuman conditions with even water being served only in rations
Languages
The film is shot in the Malayalam language. However numerous portions of the film contain dialogues also in HindiHindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
.
Cast and crew
The actors include MohanlalMohanlal
Mohanlal Vishwanathan Nair , known mononymously as Mohanlal , is a National Award-winning Indian actor, producer, singer and writer who is well known for his versatile and natural acting in Indian cinema & hence widely known as the Universal Star...
, Prabhu
Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan is a Tamil film actor and producer. He is the son of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan.-Personal life:A native of Tamil Nadu, Prabhu was born to Sivaji and Kamala Ganesan. He has an elder brother Ramkumar Ganesan who is a film producer, and two sisters, Shanthi and Thenmozhi. He did his...
, Tabu
Tabu (actress)
Tabu is an Indian film actress. She has mainly acted in Hindi films, though she has also starred in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Bengali language films, as well as one American film...
, Vineeth
Vineeth
Vineeth is an Indian film actor and classical dancer who has acted in several well received films in his native Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films. He studied in Good Shepherd Public School, Ooty, and at St. Joseph's Boys' High School, Thalassery.Vineeth is nephew of the famous Travancore...
, Amrish Puri
Amrish Puri
Amrish Singh Puri , ; 22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005 was an iconic theater and film actor from India, who was a key player in the Indian theater movement that picked up steam in the 1960s. He worked with notable playwrights of the time, such as Satyadev Dubey and Girish Karnad...
, Sreenivasan, Annu Kapoor
Annu Kapoor
Annu Kapoor is an Indian film actor and television presenter, best remembered for hosting the singing reality show Antakshari.-Career:Annu Kapoor made his debut in the film Mandi directed by Shyam Benegal in 1979. His career has spanned nearly 31 years including a distinctive presence in...
, Alex Draper and Nedumudi Venu
Nedumudi Venu
Nedumudi Venu is a popular Malayalam film actor from Kerala, India. He has also written screenplays and has directed one film.- Early life :...
. The film is directed by Priyadarsan, with music by Ilayaraaja and cinematography by Santosh Sivan
Santosh Sivan
Santosh Sivan is an Indian cinematographer, film director, and producer who has worked in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, and Hindi cinema....
. The songs have been rendered by Malayalam playback singersK.S. Chitra and M. G. Sreekumar
M. G. Sreekumar
M. G. Sreekumar is a two-time National Award-winning Indian playback singer and music director who works in Malayalam cinema. With a career of over 25 years, he is one of the prominent male singers in the Malayalam film industry. He is known for matching voice with Malayalam actor Mohanlal. He has...
. The film marked the Malayalam debut of Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan is a Tamil film actor and producer. He is the son of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan.-Personal life:A native of Tamil Nadu, Prabhu was born to Sivaji and Kamala Ganesan. He has an elder brother Ramkumar Ganesan who is a film producer, and two sisters, Shanthi and Thenmozhi. He did his...
, Amrish Puri
Amrish Puri
Amrish Singh Puri , ; 22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005 was an iconic theater and film actor from India, who was a key player in the Indian theater movement that picked up steam in the 1960s. He worked with notable playwrights of the time, such as Satyadev Dubey and Girish Karnad...
and Tabu
Tabu (actress)
Tabu is an Indian film actress. She has mainly acted in Hindi films, though she has also starred in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Bengali language films, as well as one American film...
.
Production
The film was made at a budget of 3.5 crores. Its principal production was completed in 75 days from Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Post production activities took more than four months to complete; Re-recording was completed in 16 days and sound mixing in 90 days. Technicians such as Sabu Cyril and Santhosh Sivan accepted no payment to work in this film.Soundtrack
The film's music was provided by IlaiyaraajaIlaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja is an Indian film composer, singer, and lyricist mainly in the Tamil film Industry. He is regarded as one of the finest music composers in India. Ilaiyaraaja is also an instrumentalist, conductor, and a songwriter...
and penned by Gireesh Puthenchery
Gireesh Puthenchery
Gireesh Puthenchery was a noted Malayalam lyricist and screenwriter. He also served as a governing council member of the Indian Performance Rights Society . He won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyrics seven times...
. Ilaiyaraaja's symphonic background score for the film earned huge fanfare and turned out to be a cult-classic.
Track listing
| No. | Song | Sung by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Aattirambile Kombile" | M G Sreekumar, K. S. Chithra K. S. Chithra K. S. Chithra often credited as Chithra , is an Indian playback singer who has made her mark in the Indian music playback industry. Popularly known as Chinna Kuyil of South India, she has lent her voice to Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Oriya, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Badaga and Punjabi films... |
| 2 | "Chempoove Poove" | M G Sreekumar, K. S. Chithra |
| 3 | "Kottum Kuzhal Vizhi" | M G Sreekumar, K. S. Chithra |
| 4 | "Marikkoodinullil" | K. S. Chithra, Ilaiyaraaja |
| 5 | "Vande Maatharam" | Mano Mano (singer) Mano is an Indian playback singer. He sings in Telugu, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi.-Biography:Mano was born in a Muslim family and his original name is Nagoor Babu; he was rechristened Mano by Ilayaraja... , Chorus Choir A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus... |
Awards
National Film AwardsNational Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
- Best Art DirectionNational Film Award for Best Art DirectionThe National Film Award for Best Art Direction winners:...
- Sabu CyrilSabu CyrilSabu Cyril is an Indian film art director. He has won National Film Award for Best Art Direction four times and Filmfare Best Art Direction Award twice. His latest work Enthiran, in which he also played an important role, has won him international recognitions.-Early life and education:Sabu Cyril... - Best CinematographyNational Film Award for Best CinematographyThe National Film Award for Best Cinematography are given annually. The only female who has won this award is Anjuli Shukla, who won the award for her debut film, Kutty Srank . The most time winners are Santosh Sivan & K.K. Mahajan - 4 awards each for best cinematography category....
- Santosh SivanSantosh SivanSantosh Sivan is an Indian cinematographer, film director, and producer who has worked in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, and Hindi cinema.... - Best Special EffectsNational Film Award for Best Special EffectsThe National Film Award for Best Special Effects winners:...
- S. T. Venky
Kerala State Film Awards
- Second Best FilmKerala State Film Award for Second Best FilmThe Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Film winners:- Third Best Film :The Kerala State Film Award for Third Best Film winners:-References:**...
- MohanlalMohanlalMohanlal Vishwanathan Nair , known mononymously as Mohanlal , is a National Award-winning Indian actor, producer, singer and writer who is well known for his versatile and natural acting in Indian cinema & hence widely known as the Universal Star...
(producer), PriyadarshanPriyadarshanPriyadarshan is an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter. In a career spanning over two decades, Priyadarshan has directed over 80 films in several Indian languages including Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu...
(director) - Best ActorKerala State Film Award for Best ActorThe Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor has been awarded annually in India since 1969. The Kerala State Film Awards were managed directly by the Government of Kerala's Department of Cultural Affairs until 1997; they are now given by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, an autonomous non-profit...
- MohanlalMohanlalMohanlal Vishwanathan Nair , known mononymously as Mohanlal , is a National Award-winning Indian actor, producer, singer and writer who is well known for his versatile and natural acting in Indian cinema & hence widely known as the Universal Star... - Best Art DirectorKerala State Film Award for Best Art DirectorThe Kerala State Film Award for Best Art Director winners:-References:**...
- Sabu CyrilSabu CyrilSabu Cyril is an Indian film art director. He has won National Film Award for Best Art Direction four times and Filmfare Best Art Direction Award twice. His latest work Enthiran, in which he also played an important role, has won him international recognitions.-Early life and education:Sabu Cyril... - Best Music DirectorKerala State Film Award for Best Music DirectorThe Kerala State Film Award for Best Music Director winners:-Trivia:* In 1994, G. Devarajan returned all the awards won by him in protest against the jury who selected Berny-Ignatious for that year's award. According to Devarajan, none of the songs composed by the duo for Thenmavin Kombath were...
- IlaiyaraajaIlaiyaraajaIlaiyaraaja is an Indian film composer, singer, and lyricist mainly in the Tamil film Industry. He is regarded as one of the finest music composers in India. Ilaiyaraaja is also an instrumentalist, conductor, and a songwriter... - Best Processing LabKerala State Film Award for Best Processing LabThe Kerala State Film Award for Best Processing Lab winners:-References:**...
- Gemini Coulour Lab - Best Costume DesignerKerala State Film Award for Best Costume DesignerThe Kerala State Film Award for Best Costume Designer winners:-References:**...
- Sajin Raghavan