Padmasree Bharat Dr. Saroj Kumar

Padmasree Bharat Dr. Saroj Kumar

Teaser poster
Directed by Sajin Raaghavan
Produced by Vaishaka Rajan
Written by Sreenivasan
Starring Sreenivasan
Mamta Mohandas
Vineeth Sreenivasan
Fahadh Faasil
Music by Songs:
Deepak Dev
Background Score:
Bijibal
Cinematography S. Kumar
Edited by Kevin Thomas
Distributed by Vaishaka Cinema & PJ Entertainments UK
Release dates
  • 14 January 2012 (2012-01-14)
Running time
 147 minutes
Country India
Language Malayalam
Budget ₹3.5 crore (US$520,000)
Box office ₹1.40 crore (US$210,000)[1]

Padmasree Bharat Dr. Saroj Kumar (Malayalam: പത്മശ്രീ ഭരത് ഡോക്ടർ സരോജ് കുമാർ) is a 2012 Malayalam satirical film directed by Sajin Raaghavan, starring Sreenivasan and Mamta Mohandas in the lead roles.[2] It is a spin-off of popular 2005 film Udayananu Tharam. Sreenivasan reprises the character of Superstar Saroj Kumar from the original. The director announced that this is not a sequel: Only some characters from Udayananu Tharam will be used. The film was shot mainly in Chennai and Kochi.[3]

Plot

Saroj Kumar is a matinée idol and megastar in Kerala churning out hits one after the other. But a few of his recent movies, such as Vekkeda Vedi, turns out to be big flops. His new film, directed by Alex Samuel, gets cancelled on the first day of shooting when Saroj slaps fellow actor Shyam for some silly reasons. Pachalam Bhasi, the producer, tries for a compromise, but Saroj is not ready to apologise.

Alex Samuel and Pachalam Bhasi starts their new film with Shyam in the lead. Saroj bribes film associations and gets it banned. He gets the rank of Colonel in the Army and shows of with it. This is when Babykuttan, another producer, comes into scene. He helps Alex Samuel and Pachalam Bhasi to resume their project. Saroj Kumar tries to cancel the film in many ways but it is successfully completed and is well received by the audiences.

Meanwhile the income tax department raids his premises and starts prosecution proceedings for tax evasion. Saroj is tense about this, and he drinks a lot acting in a different manner. Many truths regarding Saroj's personal life are revealed towards the end.

Cast

Production

About the idea of making Padmasree Bharat Dr. Saroj Kumar, Sreenivasan says:

The thought of the film came to us when we started thinking about what should be happening to a superstar like Saroj Kumar at this point of time. He is getting old and the most challenging aspect about stardom is that once you have got it, the next question is how long it will last. Some people can accept the changes in life in a mature way but for most others, it is never easy. This superstar is wary of new thoughts and new experiments because he knows he won't fit into the changing scheme of things. It is easy to be a hero in films as even a weak person can fight with any number of goons and get applause from viewers. But Dr Saroj Kumar forces the directors to cater to his thoughts. All this makes the character very exciting.[4]

As the characters are already known to the viewers, the expectations could be huge. The film was mainly shot in Chennai and Kochi.

Release

Critical reception

The film released on 14 January 2012[5] to mainly negative to mixed reviews from critics. Paresh C Palicha of Rediff.com concluded his review saying, "On the whole, Padmasree Bharat Dr. Saroj Kumar is disappointing, to say the least."[6] Hari Prasad of Yentha.com said that "the film, despite having a good theme, suffers from a messy script."[7] Sify.com and Oneindia.in also published negative reviews saying that it is "disappointing."[8][9]

Controversies

Although Sreenivasan says that the characterisation of Saroj Kumar is not at all based on any existing superstars, it has been accused that Sreenivasan is drastically mimicking actor Mohanlal. Many comments are made in the film about real happenings including Mohanlal's derogatory comments against Sukumar Azhikode, his Lieutenant Colonel honour, income tax raids and recovering of elephant tusks from his house, and his famous ad campaigns. S. Kumar, the cinematographer of the film, claimed live on T.V. that he was threatened by phone by Antony Perumbavoor, a producer and old driver of Mohanlal.[10]

Soundtrack

Music: Deepak Dev, Lyrics: Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri

No. TitleSinger(s) Length
1. "Mozhikalum"  Haricharan, Manjari  
2. "Iniyoru Chalanam"  Shaan Rahman, Vineeth Sreenivasan  
3. "Kesu"  Vineeth Sreenivasan, Shweta Mohan  
4. "Mozhikalum"  Haricharan  

See also

References

External links

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