Chandralekha (1997 film)
Encyclopedia
Chandralekha is a 1997 Malayalam film written and directed by Priyadarshan
and produced by Fazil
. Audiences were ecstatic on seeing the energetic performance of Mohanlal and counted this as his comeback film. This also brought back the old successful combo of Mohanlal
and Sreenivasan, which was popular in the late '80s. It also silenced many critics who had lamented that the comedy trend in Malayalam was over. This film was a record grosser. and became the fourth record grosser film from Priyadarshan
- Mohanlal
team, after Thalavattam
, Chithram
and Kilukkam
.
He then saves the daughter (Sukanya) of a wealthy man. He takes the woman to a hospital and is mistaken by the doctors to be her husband. Most of the relatives and the father also mistake him for the husband. The driver of the wealthy man, Iruvikutti (Innocent
), tells him to continue the charade until the crisis blows over. But after the crisis blows over, Appukuttan refuses to stop the charade because he is desperate for the money because of family problems.
The charade continues because Appukuttan Nair threatens Iruvikutti that he will reveal the fact that Iruvikutti forced him to continue the game. So Iruvikutti is forced to play along. Some of the relatives become suspicious of Appukuttan's identity. The uncle of the friend is also on Appukuttan's back regarding the money. In the midst of this confusion enters Lekha (Pooja Batra
), who is the daughter of Iruvikutti. She has already talked to Alfie, the husband of the wealthy man's daughter, on the phone. The relatives join with Lekha to find out the truth.
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...
and produced by Fazil
Fazil
A. M. Fazil is an Indian filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter of Malayalam cinema.His father wanted him to be a doctor, but in school and college, extra curricular activities engulfed him. He wrote plays, enacted them with his friends A. M. Fazil (born 1953, in Alleppey, Kerala) is an Indian...
. Audiences were ecstatic on seeing the energetic performance of Mohanlal and counted this as his comeback film. This also brought back the old successful combo of 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...
and Sreenivasan, which was popular in the late '80s. It also silenced many critics who had lamented that the comedy trend in Malayalam was over. This film was a record grosser. and became the fourth record grosser film from 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...
- 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...
team, after Thalavattam
Thalavattam
Thalavattam is a 1986 Malayalam drama film written and directed by Priyadarshan and starring Mohanlal, M. G. Soman and Karthika. The story is very loosely based on the english novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Thalavattam was remade in Hindi as Kyon Ki in 2005 by Priyadarshan himself...
, Chithram
Chithram
Chithram is a 1988 Malayalam screwball comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan, based on a story by Sreenivasan. The film stars Mohanlal, Ranjini, Nedumudi Venu, Poornam Vishwanathan, Sreenivasan, Soman, Sukumari, Innocent, and Maniyanpilla Raju in the main roles. The film was a...
and Kilukkam
Kilukkam
Kilukkam is a 1991 Malayalam musical comedy film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Venu Nagavalli...
.
Plot
Appukuttan Nair is a struggling unemployed youth who is staying in the city with his sister. He meets his friend (Sreenivasan), who is working in a teashop. Both of them cheat their friend's uncle out of 1 lakh rupees. Appukuttan Nair then tries to get a loan but he is rebuffed.He then saves the daughter (Sukanya) of a wealthy man. He takes the woman to a hospital and is mistaken by the doctors to be her husband. Most of the relatives and the father also mistake him for the husband. The driver of the wealthy man, Iruvikutti (Innocent
Innocent Vincent
Innocent Thekkethala , popularly known as Innocent, is a Malayalam film actor and producer. He was born in Irinjalakuda in Thrissur district of Kerala, India. He is one of the most successful and leading comedy actors of Malayalam cinema...
), tells him to continue the charade until the crisis blows over. But after the crisis blows over, Appukuttan refuses to stop the charade because he is desperate for the money because of family problems.
The charade continues because Appukuttan Nair threatens Iruvikutti that he will reveal the fact that Iruvikutti forced him to continue the game. So Iruvikutti is forced to play along. Some of the relatives become suspicious of Appukuttan's identity. The uncle of the friend is also on Appukuttan's back regarding the money. In the midst of this confusion enters Lekha (Pooja Batra
Pooja Batra
Pooja Batra in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, is an Indian actress.-Early life and background:Pooja Batra was born to Ravi Batra, an army colonel who was wounded in the 1971 war between India and Pakistan. Her mother, Neelam Batra was a former Miss India participant in 1971...
), who is the daughter of Iruvikutti. She has already talked to Alfie, the husband of the wealthy man's daughter, on the phone. The relatives join with Lekha to find out the truth.
Cast
- 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...
as Appukuttan Nair - SukanyaSukanyaIn Hindu mythology, was the daughter of Shryayati, son of Vaivasvata Manu and the wife of the great sage Chyavana.The sage had spent so long in meditation that he was covered by a termite nest. The beautiful girl Sukanya came upon the nest and saw two shining objects inside...
as Chandra - Pooja BatraPooja BatraPooja Batra in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, is an Indian actress.-Early life and background:Pooja Batra was born to Ravi Batra, an army colonel who was wounded in the 1971 war between India and Pakistan. Her mother, Neelam Batra was a former Miss India participant in 1971...
as Lekha - Nedumudi VenuNedumudi VenuNedumudi Venu is a popular Malayalam film actor from Kerala, India. He has also written screenplays and has directed one film.- Early life :...
as Varma Sir - Innocent as Iruvikutti
- SukumariSukumariSukumari is an Indian film actress who has primarily acted in Malayalam and Tamil films. She has been acting since she was 10 years old and has acted in various roles. The total number of her films is presumed to be about two-thousand. In 2003, she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of...
- Sreenivasan as Nooru
- Cochin HaneefaCochin HaneefaMohammed Haneefa, better known by his stage name Cochin Haneefa was an Indian film actor, director, and screenwriter. He started his career in the 1970s mainly portraying villainous roles, before going on to become one of the most popular comedians of Malayalam cinema...
- T.P. Madhavan
- Mamukoya
- Kuthiravattam PappuKuthiravattam PappuKuthiravattam Pappu, often credited as Pappu, was a popular Indian stage and film actor. His repertoire of acting was based on his unique style and use of the Kozhikodan dialect, impeccable timing and the capability to grasp the subtle nuances of any character and mould it into his signature "Pappu...
- Anil KapoorAnil KapoorAnil Kapoor is an Indian actor and producer who mainly appears in Bollywood films. He won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Yash Chopra's film Mashaal ....
(cameo)
Trivia
- The story is based on the 1995 Hollywood film While You Were SleepingWhile You Were SleepingWhile You Were Sleeping is a 1995 romantic comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub and written by Daniel G. Sullivan and Frederic Lebow. It stars Sandra Bullock as Lucy, a Chicago Transit Authority token collector and Bill Pullman as Jack, the brother of a man whose life she saves, along with Peter...
, starring Sandra BullockSandra BullockSandra Annette Bullock is an Academy Award winning American actress and producer who rose to fame in the 1990s after roles in successful films such as Demolition Man, Speed, The Net, A Time to Kill, and While You Were Sleeping. She continued with films such as Miss Congeniality, The Lake House,...
. - BollywoodBollywoodBollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
actor Anil KapoorAnil KapoorAnil Kapoor is an Indian actor and producer who mainly appears in Bollywood films. He won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Yash Chopra's film Mashaal ....
plays a cameo role in the movie. He appears as a lunatic, whom Appukuttan Nair misunderstands as the original Alphy. - Remade into Telugu as ChandralekhaChandralekha (1998 film)Chandralekha is a 1998 Telugu film, directed by Krishna Vamsi. The film stars Akkineni Nagarjuna, Ramya Krishna, and Bollywood actress Isha Koppikar in the lead roles. Sandeep Chowtha scored music for the film. This is the second combination of Nagarjuna-Vamsi-Chowtha after Ninne Pelladatha...
(1998) starring Nagarjuna. - Remade unofficially into Hindi as Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega starring Salman Khan.