Katha Parayumpol

Katha Parayumpol
DVD cover
Directed by	M. Mohanan
Produced by	Mukesh Sreenivasan
Written by	Sreenivasan
Starring	Sreenivasan Meena Mammootty Mukesh Innocent
Music by	M. Jayachandran
Cinematography	P. Sukumar
Edited by	Ranjan Abraham
Production company	Lumiere Film Company
Distributed by	Seven Arts International Ltd.
Release date	14 December 2007
Running time	130 minutes
Country	India
Language	Malayalam

Katha Parayumpol (Malayalam: കഥ പറയുമ്പോള്‍ ) (English: As the Story is Told) is a 2007 Malayalam drama film directed by M. Mohanan, co-produced and written by Sreenivasan, and starring Sreenivasan and Meena in lead roles, while Mammootty appears in an extended cameo role.

The film revolves around a villager, who had shared a strong friendship with a popular cinema actor in their youth. However due to their different pursuit in careers they eventually are forced to part ways, one becoming a national figure, the other, a village barber. Decades later, the actor returns to the village to participate in his film's shooting. Whilst the entire village become excited about the prospect of seeing the actor, the barber fears that his old friend would have forgotten him and would neglect him. The story explores the pressures of friendship.

The story revolves around the life of a barber named Balan (Sreenivasan) in a small village called Melukavu in Kerala. The barber is financially constrained and has to raise a family with three children. His wife Sridevi (Meena) is beautiful and belongs to a high caste who had eloped with him. He is not able to cope with the competition from a new air-conditioned beauty salon/parlor opened by Sarasan (Jagadeesh), opposite his shop. He does not get a license or a loan for the salon. He is in debt and is ridiculed by everyone in the village. Life is tough for him – he does not have money for a full square meal, leave alone for his children's school fees

One day the village wakes up to the news that a Malayalam movie is going to be shot there, with superstar Ashok Raj (Mammotty) as the hero. News spread that Ashok Raj is coming to the village for the ten-day shoot. The whole village is excited preparing for the superstar's arrival. Slowly, a word spread around that Balan and Ashok Raj are childhood friends. Balan, who was a laughing stock, suddenly becomes the center of attention. Everyone goes out of their way to help and please Balan, so that they can get a chance to meet and get various favors from his superstar friend. Balan gets under immense pressure because of this attitude of the villagers. Even his family starts asking him to meet and renew the friendship with Ashok Raj. Balan tries his best to approach the superstar, but his honesty and status of barber does not allow him to pass through the heavy security. When the villagers know that Balan is not able to help them, they start thinking that he was lying about his friendship with Ashok Raj and took back their support, abusing and making even more fun of him. Balan, depressed and sad, goes back to his old self.