Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu
Encyclopedia
Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu is a 1988 Malayalam comedy drama
film written by Sreenivasan and directed by Sathyan Anthikkad
. Sreenivasan, Jayaram
, Urvashi
, Innocent, Parvathy
and Shari plays the pivotal roles. The film was critically acclaimed and was a big commercial success. Late actor Krishnan Kutty Nair played the role of Thattan Gopalan (Sreenivasan's father) and once Sathyan Anthikkad
referred to it as the most brilliant performances by any actor in his films.
Bhaskaran becomes impatient and finally he decides to march to the neighbouring Panicker's home and ask Snehalatha to marry him. In this daring mission he is accompanied by his friends and well wishers namely the Velichappad(oracle), Paappi the trader, Aboobacker the tea-shop owner. Madhavan Nair being the elderly respectable citizen of the village also joins in. A heated argument ensues at Panicker's household, with finally Snehalatha denying any love affair with Bhaskaran and Panicker refusing to return the golden necklace. Panicker argues that such a golden necklace does not exist.
Bhaskaran soon becomes the joke of the village, with people saying that he was a fool to gift the necklace (if such a thing existed), without any guarantee or surety. Life goes on in the village. A dancing school is started by a lady on the second floor of Aboobacker's dilapidated tea-shop building, Paappi continues to buy and sell cows and calves, and Madhavan Nair makes his routine night visits to the village prostitute. The Velichappad is busy organising the local temple festival. Supported by his friends Bhaskaran starts a small jewellery shop in the village.
Panicker's ambition was to get his daughter married off to a man working in the Middle East
. He finds such a man in Pavithran, who is an orphan. A few days before the marriage, Panicker walks up to the tea-shop where the regular patrons are in attendance. There he takes up a golden necklace and says that he purchased it from a nearby town and that was gift from him to his daughter. The village crowd appreciates Panicker's fatherly love. Bhaskaran finds out that this necklace was none other than the one he had gifted to Snehalatha a few months back.
Time flies, Pavithran marries Snehalatha and he goes back to the Middle eastern country. Snehalatha is pregnant and she comes back to her home for delivery. Soon the baby is born, and Pavithran also comes back. To the shock of the Panicker family, Pavithran says he is not planning to go back and plans to buy a truck and settle down in Kerala. His job in the foreign country was not good, and he also requires some more fund to finance his truck. That was the time when he observes the gold necklace which his wife regularly uses, and which was 10 pavans worth. Though Snehalatha refuses to give it up first, Pavithran decides to give the necklace to a pawn broker/jeweler and get some quick money.
Pavithran decides to consult Bhaskaran as he is the village goldsmith. Bhaskaran checks up the necklace, and once again makes Pavithran confirm that this necklace was gifted by Panicker. And when his regular friends have gathered in the village square, Bhaskaran declares that the necklace is made of brass, and contains very little gold. Pavithran now humiliated, picks up his wife and the kid and storms into Panicker's home. He feels that he has been short charged, and Snehalatha is also not being true to him. Panicker is forced to admit that this necklace was not some thing which he purchased, but which was gifted by Bhaskaran to Snehalatha some years back. The love affair of Snehalatha and Bhaskaran also now comes out in the open. This irritates Pavithran even further as he now feels everyone was tricking him. The villagers too take up sides, and a huge fight starts.
Like in a typical village, the fight soon stops and every thing returns to normal. Pavithran decides to take back his wife and daughter. The movie ends with a note which indicates that Bhaskaran too has found his true love in the dance teacher.
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
film written by Sreenivasan and directed by Sathyan Anthikkad
Sathyan Anthikkad
Sathyan Anthikad is an Indian film director and screenwriter known primarily for his family based Malayalam films.He has created many critical and commercially successful films, especially when working with Sreenivasan as the scriptwriter...
. Sreenivasan, Jayaram
Jayaram
Jayaram is an Indian film actor who mainly acts in Malayalam and Tamil films. He is also a chenda percussionist and mimic artist. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contribution towards the arts.-Early life:...
, Urvashi
Urvashi (actress)
Kavitha Ranjini, better known by her stage name Urvashi , is an Indian film actress and producer. She was a prominent lead actress during the 1980s and 1990s in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu films. She has dubbed in her own voice in all these languages. And she produced the film Pidakkozhi...
, Innocent, Parvathy
Parvathy Jayaram
Ashwathy Kurup , better known by her stage name Parvathy, is an award-winning film actress from Kerala, India. Parvathy was a popular actress of Malayalam cinema industry and was active in films between 1986 and 1996. Her most notable works include "Amrutham Gamaya" ,"Oru Minnaminuginte Nurungu...
and Shari plays the pivotal roles. The film was critically acclaimed and was a big commercial success. Late actor Krishnan Kutty Nair played the role of Thattan Gopalan (Sreenivasan's father) and once Sathyan Anthikkad
Sathyan Anthikkad
Sathyan Anthikad is an Indian film director and screenwriter known primarily for his family based Malayalam films.He has created many critical and commercially successful films, especially when working with Sreenivasan as the scriptwriter...
referred to it as the most brilliant performances by any actor in his films.
Plot
Bhaskaran is the local village goldsmith who is madly in love with Snehalatha, daughter of Panicker, the local astrologer. They are neighbors as well. Snehalatha asks for a gold necklace made of 10 pavans (sovereigns) as a symbol of Bhaskaran's love. Bhaskaran makes a necklace and hands it over to Snehalatha. An angry Panicker (her father) finds this out, admonishes her and pockets the golden necklace. He reasons that it was "brotherly love" which made Bhaskaran gift the necklace to his daughter.Bhaskaran becomes impatient and finally he decides to march to the neighbouring Panicker's home and ask Snehalatha to marry him. In this daring mission he is accompanied by his friends and well wishers namely the Velichappad(oracle), Paappi the trader, Aboobacker the tea-shop owner. Madhavan Nair being the elderly respectable citizen of the village also joins in. A heated argument ensues at Panicker's household, with finally Snehalatha denying any love affair with Bhaskaran and Panicker refusing to return the golden necklace. Panicker argues that such a golden necklace does not exist.
Bhaskaran soon becomes the joke of the village, with people saying that he was a fool to gift the necklace (if such a thing existed), without any guarantee or surety. Life goes on in the village. A dancing school is started by a lady on the second floor of Aboobacker's dilapidated tea-shop building, Paappi continues to buy and sell cows and calves, and Madhavan Nair makes his routine night visits to the village prostitute. The Velichappad is busy organising the local temple festival. Supported by his friends Bhaskaran starts a small jewellery shop in the village.
Panicker's ambition was to get his daughter married off to a man working in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. He finds such a man in Pavithran, who is an orphan. A few days before the marriage, Panicker walks up to the tea-shop where the regular patrons are in attendance. There he takes up a golden necklace and says that he purchased it from a nearby town and that was gift from him to his daughter. The village crowd appreciates Panicker's fatherly love. Bhaskaran finds out that this necklace was none other than the one he had gifted to Snehalatha a few months back.
Time flies, Pavithran marries Snehalatha and he goes back to the Middle eastern country. Snehalatha is pregnant and she comes back to her home for delivery. Soon the baby is born, and Pavithran also comes back. To the shock of the Panicker family, Pavithran says he is not planning to go back and plans to buy a truck and settle down in Kerala. His job in the foreign country was not good, and he also requires some more fund to finance his truck. That was the time when he observes the gold necklace which his wife regularly uses, and which was 10 pavans worth. Though Snehalatha refuses to give it up first, Pavithran decides to give the necklace to a pawn broker/jeweler and get some quick money.
Pavithran decides to consult Bhaskaran as he is the village goldsmith. Bhaskaran checks up the necklace, and once again makes Pavithran confirm that this necklace was gifted by Panicker. And when his regular friends have gathered in the village square, Bhaskaran declares that the necklace is made of brass, and contains very little gold. Pavithran now humiliated, picks up his wife and the kid and storms into Panicker's home. He feels that he has been short charged, and Snehalatha is also not being true to him. Panicker is forced to admit that this necklace was not some thing which he purchased, but which was gifted by Bhaskaran to Snehalatha some years back. The love affair of Snehalatha and Bhaskaran also now comes out in the open. This irritates Pavithran even further as he now feels everyone was tricking him. The villagers too take up sides, and a huge fight starts.
Like in a typical village, the fight soon stops and every thing returns to normal. Pavithran decides to take back his wife and daughter. The movie ends with a note which indicates that Bhaskaran too has found his true love in the dance teacher.
Cast
- Sreenivasan as Bhaskharan (തട്ടാൻ ഭാസ്കരൻ)
- JayaramJayaramJayaram is an Indian film actor who mainly acts in Malayalam and Tamil films. He is also a chenda percussionist and mimic artist. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contribution towards the arts.-Early life:...
as Pavithran, soon-to-be husband of Snehalatha - UrvashiUrvashi (actress)Kavitha Ranjini, better known by her stage name Urvashi , is an Indian film actress and producer. She was a prominent lead actress during the 1980s and 1990s in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu films. She has dubbed in her own voice in all these languages. And she produced the film Pidakkozhi...
as Snehalatha - Innocent as P.V. Panicker (പണിക്കർ), Snehalatha's proud father
- Jagathi Sreekumar as Velichapadu/temple Oracle (വെളിച്ചപാട്)
- Shari as the dance teacher at Parvathi Dance School
- Oduvil UnnikrishnanOduvil UnnikrishnanOduvil Unnikrishnan was an award winning Malayalam movie actor known for his versatile acting skills, known for his portrayal of classical ancient aristocratic personalities in Malayalam cinema with his unique provincial linguistic style, expressions and dialect. He was noted as a serious as well...
as Paappi (പശു പോയ പാപ്പി), the trader of cows and other domesticated animals - SankaradiSankaradiSankaradi was an Indian actor. He was a veteran Malayalam comedian and character artiste, who had over 700 Malayalam films to his credit....
as Madhavan Nair, the village Panchayath member and respected elder of the community - Karamana Janardanan NairKaramana Janardanan NairKaramana Janardanan Nair was one of the most famous Malayalam film actors during the 80s and 90s. He won wide acclaim especially for the role of the protagonist in Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Elippathayam. He is best remembered for his roles in Agnidevan and in Sphadikam . His last role was as Fr....
as the Muslim HajjiHajjiHajji or El-Hajj, is an honorific title given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca, and is often used to refer to an elder, since it can take time to accumulate the wealth to fund the travel. The title is placed before a person's name...
(ഹാജ്യാർ) - ParvathyParvathy JayaramAshwathy Kurup , better known by her stage name Parvathy, is an award-winning film actress from Kerala, India. Parvathy was a popular actress of Malayalam cinema industry and was active in films between 1986 and 1996. Her most notable works include "Amrutham Gamaya" ,"Oru Minnaminuginte Nurungu...
as HajjiHajjiHajji or El-Hajj, is an honorific title given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca, and is often used to refer to an elder, since it can take time to accumulate the wealth to fund the travel. The title is placed before a person's name...
's third wife. - Krishnan Kutty Nair as Gopalan, Bhaskaran's father who is always bed ridden
- MamukkoyaMamukkoyaMamukkoya is a popular Malayalam comedian actor. His unique usage of Mappila dialect and style marks his presence in the industry. He has acted in more than 450 Malayalam films and is the first winner of State award for Best Comedian in malayalam films, the category introduced in 2009- Career...
as Aboobacker(അവ്വക്കർ)the village tea-shop owner - Shyama as sister of Bhaskaran
- K. P. A. C. LalithaK. P. A. C. LalithaMaheshwari Amma, better known by her stage name K.P.A.C. Lalitha, is a National Award winning Indian film and stage actress. She was the wife of late filmmaker Bharathan.-Biography:...
as the mother of Snehalatha, wife of P.V Panicker
Trivia
- This movie was initially titled Ponmutta Idunna Thattaan(പൊന്മുട്ടയിടുന്ന തട്ടാൻ) (the goldsmith who lays the golden eggs). This was later changed after severe protests from the goldsmith community in KeralaKeralaor Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. - This movie was shot in a village near ThrithalaThrithalaThrithala is a village in Ottappalam taluk in Palakkad District of Kerala state, South India. The village is located along the banks of Bharathapuzha and is famed for its Shiva temple.-Legends:...
(തൃത്താല) in Palakkad Dt. Kerala. - This film was remade in Hindi as Dus TolaDus TolaDus Tola is a 2010 Hindi comedy and drama film, remade from the Hit Malayalam film of the 80's Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu, directed by Ajoy Varma and starring Manoj Bajpai in the lead role. Dus Tola was released on 22 October 2010.Distributed in the U.S...
starring Manoj BajpaiManoj BajpaiManoj Bajpai , also credited as Manoj Bajpayee, is an Indian film actor, known for playing offbeat and unconventional roles. He first shot into fame with his breakthrough role in Ram Gopal Varma's 1998 film Satya.-Early life:...
in Sreenivasan's role. This film is distributed by Warner Bros.