Yavanika
Encyclopedia
Yavanika is a 1982 India
n Malayalam mystery thriller film co-written and directed by K. G. George
and starring Bharath Gopi
, Mammootty
and Jalaja
. The film explores backstage drama of a travelling drama group. The plot is structured around the search for an unpopular tabla player of the troupe who suddenly disappears.
The film received wide critical acclaim and some critics even consider it as one of the greatest mystery thrillers ever made in the world. It stands out as an aesthetic and commercially successful film of the 1980s. It won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Film
. It was one of the first notable films of Mammootty
, who later turned out to be one of the biggest actors of all time in Indian cinema. He won the Kerala Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his brilliant portrayal of Sub Inspector Jacob Eeraly. Thilakan
established himself as an actor after he got his first state award in 1982 for his role manager Vakkachan in the film.
player of a touring drama group. Investigation of members of the drama group reveals complicated sexual rivalries and internal conflicts within the group, yielding several possible suspects to the conspiracy.
Sub Inspector Jacob Eeraly (Mammootty
), investigates the missing tabla player, Aiyappan (Bharath Gopi
), a raging alcoholic and a criminal.
Jalaja
plays Aiyappan's second wife and Ashokan
plays his rebel son. Other members of the theatre group are memorable characters Balagopalan (Nedumudi Venu
), Varunan (Jagathy Sreekumar
) and many more.
To play the tabla player in the film, Gopi learnt the instrument. He believed that before facing the camera, an actor should know what he is going to perform. The entire shoot was in the suburbs of Vattiyoorkavu in Thiruvananthapuram
. The theatre, the house to which Ayyappan brings Rohini, were all located nearby.
, Mela and Kolangal made a strong presence in the new cinema movement. But soon word spread like wildfire. Shedding off the sluggish start, Yavanika went on to become a huge box office hit. Yavanika released along with the Prem Nazir
-starrer Ivanoru Simham but still it managed to surpass the superstar film's box office collection.
Yavanika was not just a commercial hit, it received universal acclaim. Many discerning critics published rave reviews; one of them included this film among the world’s best in the detective genre. Another critic pointed that the narrative style of the film to Akira Kurosawa
's Rashomon
. George says: "I'm not sure if the film had similarities with Rashomon. But on this count I think it resembled Citizen Kane
more, though I did not think about all this when I was doing this film.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Malayalam mystery thriller film co-written and directed by K. G. George
K. G. George
Kulakkatil Geevarghese George is an Indian film director who work in Malayalam film. George is one of the most celebrated filmmakers of Kerala who modernized the Malayalam cinema in the seventies. He is the founder-chairman of MACTA, and continues to be an executive member...
and starring Bharath Gopi
Bharath Gopi
V. Gopinathan Nair, popularly known as Bharath Gopi was an Indian film actor, producer, and director. He was one of the first actors to be associated with the New Wave cinema movement in Kerala....
, Mammootty
Mammootty
Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 360 films, and is only next to Prem Nazir in the number of lead roles...
and Jalaja
Jalaja
Jalaja is an actress in Malayalam film who was active during the 1970s and 1980s. She had won Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress and Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 1981 for the movie Venal directed by Lenin Rajendran....
. The film explores backstage drama of a travelling drama group. The plot is structured around the search for an unpopular tabla player of the troupe who suddenly disappears.
The film received wide critical acclaim and some critics even consider it as one of the greatest mystery thrillers ever made in the world. It stands out as an aesthetic and commercially successful film of the 1980s. It won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Film
Kerala State Film Award for Best Film
The Kerala State Film Award for Best Film winners:- References :* * Specific...
. It was one of the first notable films of Mammootty
Mammootty
Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 360 films, and is only next to Prem Nazir in the number of lead roles...
, who later turned out to be one of the biggest actors of all time in Indian cinema. He won the Kerala Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his brilliant portrayal of Sub Inspector Jacob Eeraly. Thilakan
Thilakan
Surendranatha Thilakan , known mononymously as Thilakan, is an Indian actor who works in Malayalam cinema and theatre. He was awarded Padma Shri on 25 January 2009.- Theatre:...
established himself as an actor after he got his first state award in 1982 for his role manager Vakkachan in the film.
Plot
The plot is structured around the search for a missing infamous tablaTabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
player of a touring drama group. Investigation of members of the drama group reveals complicated sexual rivalries and internal conflicts within the group, yielding several possible suspects to the conspiracy.
Sub Inspector Jacob Eeraly (Mammootty
Mammootty
Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 360 films, and is only next to Prem Nazir in the number of lead roles...
), investigates the missing tabla player, Aiyappan (Bharath Gopi
Bharath Gopi
V. Gopinathan Nair, popularly known as Bharath Gopi was an Indian film actor, producer, and director. He was one of the first actors to be associated with the New Wave cinema movement in Kerala....
), a raging alcoholic and a criminal.
Jalaja
Jalaja
Jalaja is an actress in Malayalam film who was active during the 1970s and 1980s. She had won Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress and Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 1981 for the movie Venal directed by Lenin Rajendran....
plays Aiyappan's second wife and Ashokan
Ashokan (actor)
Ashokan is Malayalam actor who is best known for his roles in Peruvazhiyambalam, In Harihar Nagar and Amaram.-Career:He made debut in 1978 was Peruvazhiyambalam was directed by Padmarajan where he played as a 15 year old boy who becomes fugitive after killing of bully...
plays his rebel son. Other members of the theatre group are memorable characters Balagopalan (Nedumudi Venu
Nedumudi Venu
Nedumudi Venu is a popular Malayalam film actor from Kerala, India. He has also written screenplays and has directed one film.- Early life :...
), Varunan (Jagathy Sreekumar
Jagathy Sreekumar
Sreekumar Achary, better known by his stage name Jagathy Sreekumar, is an Indian film actor who has performed in more than 1,000 Malayalam films. He has also directed two films and has written screenplays for two films...
) and many more.
Cast
- Bharath GopiBharath GopiV. Gopinathan Nair, popularly known as Bharath Gopi was an Indian film actor, producer, and director. He was one of the first actors to be associated with the New Wave cinema movement in Kerala....
as Tablist Aiyappan - MammoottyMammoottyMammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 360 films, and is only next to Prem Nazir in the number of lead roles...
as Jacob Eeraly - JalajaJalajaJalaja is an actress in Malayalam film who was active during the 1970s and 1980s. She had won Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress and Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 1981 for the movie Venal directed by Lenin Rajendran....
as Rohini - Venu Nagavalli as Joseph Kollapally
- AshokanAshokan (actor)Ashokan is Malayalam actor who is best known for his roles in Peruvazhiyambalam, In Harihar Nagar and Amaram.-Career:He made debut in 1978 was Peruvazhiyambalam was directed by Padmarajan where he played as a 15 year old boy who becomes fugitive after killing of bully...
as Vishnu - ThilakanThilakanSurendranatha Thilakan , known mononymously as Thilakan, is an Indian actor who works in Malayalam cinema and theatre. He was awarded Padma Shri on 25 January 2009.- Theatre:...
as Vakkachan - Jagathi Sreekumar as Varunan
- 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 Balagopalan - Sreenivasan as Chellapan
Production
About the film's development, K. G. George says: "I was staying in Madras those days when I got a call from Henry. He told me he was interested in making a Malayalam film with me and asked me if I had any subjects in hand. This led to a meeting at hotel Taj Connemara where I told him about two subjects. This included Adaminte Variyellu and Yavanika. Henry was keen about Yavanika and gave me the go ahead." George had the screenplay ready but wanted someone with theatre experience to help him with the dialogues. George first met K. T. Mohammed with this request. He agreed but for various reasons could not get to work on it. Since the shooting dates had to be postponed as the dialogues were not ready, George took it to S. L. Puram Sadanandan who agreed to do it.To play the tabla player in the film, Gopi learnt the instrument. He believed that before facing the camera, an actor should know what he is going to perform. The entire shoot was in the suburbs of Vattiyoorkavu in Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
. The theatre, the house to which Ayyappan brings Rohini, were all located nearby.
Release and reception
The film released in four theatres. For the first week the response was lukewarm. Perhaps this had something to do with George's reputation as a "new wave" director, who had with his previous films like SwapnadanamSwapnadanam
Swapnadanam is a 1976 black-and-white Malayalam-language film that marks the directorial debut of K. G. George. A marital psychodrama, it rejected all the usual song-dance numbers of popular cinema, yet succeeded in reaching the common mass. The film was a commercial success while maintaining its...
, Mela and Kolangal made a strong presence in the new cinema movement. But soon word spread like wildfire. Shedding off the sluggish start, Yavanika went on to become a huge box office hit. Yavanika released along with the Prem Nazir
Prem Nazir
Abdul Khader , better known by his stage name Prem Nazir , was an Indian film actor. He is considered one of the all time super stars in Malayalam cinema...
-starrer Ivanoru Simham but still it managed to surpass the superstar film's box office collection.
Yavanika was not just a commercial hit, it received universal acclaim. Many discerning critics published rave reviews; one of them included this film among the world’s best in the detective genre. Another critic pointed that the narrative style of the film to Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
's Rashomon
Rashomon
Rashomon may refer to:* Rashōmon, the former main city gate in two Japanese capital cities, Heijokyō and Heiankyō * Rashōmon , a short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa first published in 1915...
. George says: "I'm not sure if the film had similarities with Rashomon. But on this count I think it resembled Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest American film of all time, especially for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Citizen Kane was Welles' first feature film...
more, though I did not think about all this when I was doing this film.