Thursday, September 24, 2009

Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha

Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989) is a Malayalam feature film directed by T. Hariharan. The screenplay of this film was written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. The film is based on a legend about the famous warriors of Northern Kerala. According to the legend, Aromal Chekavar, a well-known warrior, lost his life after a duel in which his sword broke off at the hilt during the fight. The metal rivets holding the blade to the hilt had been replaced with wooden ones by his trusted ally and cousin, Chandu. Chandu is said to have betrayed his cousin because he was jealous of Aaromal's popularity and abilities.

MT Vasudevan Nair has worked wonders with the script and dialogues. It can be said that he successfully re-wrote history by turning "Chadiyan Chandu" of kerala folklore into a modern day hero. The portayal of Chandu by Mammootty was so complete that, it’s his face that comes to mind whenever one reads about this historical character in story books or academic texts. Captain Raju too, arguably played the role of his life as "Aringodar". The Kalari Payat scenes have been beautifully picturised and appear very realistic. And of course the two songs by Yesudas have become perennial favorites.

In Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha, the director and writer used a more natural tone. M.T. Vasudevan Nair won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay. Mammootty received a National Film Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Chandu. Generally, his portrayal of Chandu is counted among the best portrayal of any character in Indian Cinema. P. Krishna Moorthy, the Art Director, also earned the National Film Award for Best Art Direction. Mammootty's performance in Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha along with Mathilukal directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan was also considered for the award. He also got state award for performances in various movies along with this movie.

A truly magnificent performance from Mammootty created a huge fan base and first fans association created in the name of mammootty in the history of Malayalam cinema. It shows that Mammootty is the only mega star for masses and classes in kerala at that time. He is the only Super Star in Malayalam to receive the National Award (Bharath Award) for the first time in the history of Malayalam cinema.

Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha was the biggest hit of 1989 and grossed crores of INR in kerala Box office and ran more than 200 days in major centers. It ran more than 200 days in Calicut (Sangam), Ernakulam (Saritha) and 150 days in Trivandrum (kripa).

3 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. plz dont put OVVG 200 or 250 days poster..we all konw it..do mention about its gross collection and budjet..

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  3. see dis...
    http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/2011/bd5df3b34cky6.jpg
    dayavu cheythu ithinu marupadi oru proof idu..vaayittu alaykkan vayya...

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