Thalappavu
| Thalappavu | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Madhupal |
| Produced by | Mohan Rao |
| Written by | Babu Janardhanan |
| Starring |
Prithviraj Lal Atul Kulkarni Maniyanpilla Raju Jagathy Sreekumar Dhanya Mary Varghese |
| Music by |
Alex Paul Shyam Dharman |
| Cinematography | Alagappan N |
| Edited by | Don Max |
| Distributed by | Lal Release |
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Release date
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| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
Thalappavu (literal meaning: turban or headgear, which is a symbol of power, status and protection) is a 2008 Malayalam film based on the events related to Naxal Varghese and Police Constable P. Ramachandran Nair, directed by Madhupal and written by Babu Janardhanan. The film sympathetically portrays the social and political issues of the Naxalite era of the 1970s in Kerala. The film's cast includes Prithviraj, Lal, Atul Kulkarni, Rohini, and Dhanya Mary Varghese. Produced by actor Mohan Rao under the Civic Cinema banner and distributed by Lal's Lal Release, Thalappavu marks actor-cum-writer Madhupal’s directorial debut.
The film released on 12 September 2008 (Onam) to critical acclaim. However, in the box-office it failed to recover the cost of production. The film got Kerala State Film Awards for Best Actor (Lal) and Best Debut Director (Madhupal), Kerala Film Critics Awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Script writer, Amateur Little Theatre Award for Best Debutant Director, Sohan Antony Memorial Film Award for Best Director. The film was screened at the 13th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) 2008 and Indian Habitat Film Festival 2009.
How betraying a friend or an acquaintance can ruin one's life is poignantly depicted in the Malayalam film Thalappavu made by actor-turned-director Madhupal. The movie is based on a real-life confession of a police constable (P. Ramachandran Nair) about gunning down a Naxalite (Arikkad Varghese) in a fake encounter as per the order of his superiors in 1970. The screenplay by Babu Janardhanan uses the stream of consciousness flow to show the mental state of the constable who feels deranged after the incident. Lal plays constable Raveendran Pillai whose family life is ruined after the killing of Joseph (Prithviraj Sukumaran), a revolutionary leader fighting for the rights of the hapless farmers of Wayanad. Raveendran Pillai is a misfit in the police force as he is not courageous or cruel as the others of his ilk. He is a family man to the hilt and dotes on his children. He befriends Joseph on the way while on duty. Joseph introduces him to the revolutionary ideas. Raveendran Pillai takes instant liking for Joseph and roams in the forests with Joseph during his free time.
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