Spadikam

Spadikam

DVD movie poster
Directed by Bhadran
Produced by R. Mohan
Screenplay by Bhadran
Dr. Rajendra Babu (dialogue)
Story by Bhadran
Starring Mohanlal
Thilakan
Urvashi
Spadikam George
KPAC Lalitha
Rajan P. Dev
Silk Smitha
Nedumudi Venu
Chippy
Music by S. P. Venkatesh
P. Bhaskaran (lyrics)
Cinematography J. Williams
S. Kumar
Edited by M. S. Mani
Production
company
Shogun Films Ltd.
Distributed by Manorajyam Release
Release dates
  • 30 March 1995 (1995-03-30) (Kerala)
Running time
 150 minutes
Country India
Language Malayalam

Spadikam (English: Prism) is a 1995 Indian Malayalam action-drama film written and directed by Bhadran, starring Mohanlal in the lead role of a village rowdy Thomas Chacko aka Aadu Thoma. The film's name "Spadikam" means "crystal" or "prism", the splitting of light by a prism being a metaphor for human nature. The film also stars Thilakan, Urvashi, Spadikam George, KPAC Lalitha, Rajan P. Dev, Silk Smitha, Nedumudi Venu, and Chippy. The film was the second highest grossing film of the year in Kerala and was the longest running movie of the year with a run of 225 days at the box office. It was later remade in all south Indian languages.

Mohanlal won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor and Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the young man who becomes a thug, estranged from his narcissistic father Chacko Master (Thilakan), upon failing to meet the latter's high expectations.[1][2] It is regarded as one of the best Malayalam commercial films, and Aadu Thoma is one of the most celebrated characters in Malayalam cinema; the film and its characters hold cult status in Keralite pop culture.[3]

Plot

Chacko Master (Thilakan) is a high-school headmaster who is a president's medal winner in Mathematics. He is a very strict teacher and emphasizes memorization and discipline at the expense of analysis and creativity in school. He punishes his students ruthlessly and gives no special treatment to his son Thomas, who is also a student in his class. Chacko always assumes that his son is behind every mischief in class, and punishes him until the actual culprit gives himself in.

Unlike his father, Thomas isn't good at math, but he is very creative and productive in designing mechanical and electronic gadgetry like a mechanical school bell which his father destroys later. For instance, he impresses his mother and sister by developing an AM radio receiver inside a soap-case at a time when phonographs were more prevalent in his village. When his father finds out about the receiver he throws it into flames and destroys it; he forces his son to focus on his studies instead of being an inventor. Thomas works hard, and he does well in his language paper, but his dad asks his language teacher Ravunni Master (Nedumudi Venu) to grade his paper with no leniency and fail him; his father believes that only low grades will provoke Thomas to study harder with a competitive spirit. His language teacher does as asked, but regrets it later on. When Thomas finds out that even his most beloved language teacher was biased against him he becomes outraged, and runs away from the village.

Fourteen years later, he returns to his village. Thomas, by now, has changed into a totally different person. He is no longer interested in clockwork and gadgetry; he owns a stone quarry and has now turned into the notorious thug "Aadu Thoma". He is chased by the police as well as local baron Pookoya (V. K. Sreeraman), for helping his daughter get close to her lover. His father still hates him and never accepts him as family.

Thoma, reminiscing his childhood, enters a fit or rage and cuts off all of his father's shirt sleeves. In retaliation, his father repaints Thoma's lorry with the name "devil" and denies Thoma an invitation to his own sister's wedding. Later, after Thoma is stabbed by a local goon Thorappan Bastin, both father and son regret their actions, and eventually reunite. But in a tragic turn of events, Chacko master is shot by Kuttikadan, who in turn is killed by Thoma. Chacko Master succumbs to his injuries, while Aadu Thoma is taken into police custody.

Cast

Crew

Shooting Location

The film was mostly shot in and around the town of Changanassery. Most of the locations still look exactly as depicted in the film and some of the place names used in the story are also real.

Soundtrack

The songs were written by renowned lyricist P. Bhaskaran and composed by S. P. Venkatesh.

Song Title Singer(s)
1 Ormakal M. G. Sreekumar
2 Ezhimala Poonchola K. S. Chithra, Mohanlal
3 Ormakal K. S. Chithra
4 Parumala Cheruvile K. S. Chithra

Remakes

The film was remade in Telugu as Vajram with Nagarjuna, in Tamil as Veerappu with Sundar C. and in Kannada as Mr. Theertha with Sudeep.

Year Film Language Cast Director Box Office
1995 Vajram Telugu Nagarjuna S. V. Krishna Reddy
2007 Veerappu Tamil Sundar C. Badri
2010 Mr. Theertha Kannada Sudeep Sadhu Kokila

Awards

Kerala State Film Awards
Filmfare Awards South

References

  1. ↑ "Spatikam". FilmiBeat.com.
  2. ↑ "About Spatikam". ApunKaChoice.
  3. ↑ "'Spatikam' to return to big screen.". metromatinee.com.

External links

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