''Adimadhyantham'' (meaning: ''The Beginning, The Middle and The End'') is a 2011
Malayalam film
Malayalam cinema is an Indian cinema, Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ...
written and directed by debutant
Sherrey
Sherrey ( ml, ഷെറി) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Malayalam films. He has directed several short films, but is known for his debut feature film Adimadhyantham which won a special reference in the 59th Nationa ...
and produced by P. Rasheed, starring Prajith and
Sajitha Madathil
Sajitha Madathil is an Indian film and theatre actor. Her performance in Joy Mathew's feature film '' Shutter'' (2012) won her the State film award for second best actress.
She is the head of the department of Acting at the K. R. Narayanan Na ...
in the lead roles.
[The New Indian Express. 'No Malayalam films at IFF Kerala!'](_blank)
/ref> ''Adimadhyantham'' won a special mention award at the 59th National Film Awards
The 59th National Film Awards, presented by the Directorate of Film Festivals, honoured the best of Indian cinema for 2011 and took place on 3 May 2012 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. Awards were presented in 38 categories in the Feature Films se ...
. The film is yet to get a theatrical release, but received generally positive reviews in its premiere show. It was the only Malayalam film selected to compete in the 16th International Film Festival of Kerala
The International Film Festival of Kerala (abbreviated as IFFK) is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. This film festival started in 1996 and is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy ...
, but was later ousted on technical grounds, and after a huge scandal, was included for a non-competition screening.
Plot
''Adimadhyantham'' tells the story of a deaf ''Vedan
''Vedan'' () is a 1993 Indian Tamil-language crime action film directed by Suresh Krissna. The film stars R. Sarathkumar and Khushbu, with Charan Raj, Sarath Babu, Easwari Rao and Radha Ravi in supporting roles. The film, produced by Selvi ...
'' boy from northern Kerala named Ekalavyan, who has to follow and perform some traditional tribal rituals to carry forward his family tradition in Theyyam
Theyyam (/ t̪eːjjəm/; romanised: ''teyyam'') are Hindu ritualistic dance forms practiced in northern Kerala and some parts of Karnataka. Theyyam is also known as Kaḷiyāṭṭaṁ or Tiṟa. Theyyam consists of traditions, rituals and c ...
and traditional beliefs. The boy is speech-and hearing-impaired, and his fears about death and loneliness form the main thread of its story. The boy experiences days and nights differently and has nightmares about death.
The IFFK controversy
The Adimadhyantham-IFFK controversy started off from the fact that the film was initially co-edited by an IFFK official Beena Paul Venugopal. Later the editing work was handed over to another person, for obscure reasons, and the film did not credit Beena Paul Venugopal as a co-editor either. What originated as a credit claim, later led to the expulsion of ''Adimadhyantham'' from the list of films in the competition section of the International Film Festival of Kerala
The International Film Festival of Kerala (abbreviated as IFFK) is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. This film festival started in 1996 and is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy ...
, of which Beena Paul Venugopal is a managing official. This amounted to an unexpectedly huge scandal because ''Adimadhyantham'' was the only Malayalam film selected to the competition section of the 16th IFFK. The expulsion was through the direct intervention of Priyadarshan
Priyadarshan (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam and Hindi films, while also having done six films in Tamil and two films in Telugu. He has done about 31 films in Hi ...
, chairman of the Chalachithra Academy, and the rejection was defended publicly by K. B. Ganesh Kumar
Keezhoote Balakrishna Pillai Ganesh Kumar (born 25 May 1966) is an Indian actor, television host, and politician. Ganesh Kumar is a proposed cabinet minister for the last 2.5 years in the ongoing 2nd LDF govt in Kerala and he is also the curre ...
, Minister for Cultural Affairs. This raised a controversy and K. B. Ganesh Kumar
Keezhoote Balakrishna Pillai Ganesh Kumar (born 25 May 1966) is an Indian actor, television host, and politician. Ganesh Kumar is a proposed cabinet minister for the last 2.5 years in the ongoing 2nd LDF govt in Kerala and he is also the curre ...
, the Minister for Cultural Affairs, claimed that the film was rejected because, only a rough-cut version was submitted. He produced a DVD in the press conference to prove his argument, while the selection committee maintained that a finished film was, in fact, submitted to the committee and that they had seen the complete film before selecting it. This flared up the controversy and the matter was pulled to the High Court of Kerala
The High Court of Kerala is the highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and the Union territory of Lakshadweep. It is located in Kochi. Drawing its powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, the High Court has the power to issu ...
. The court rejected the plea on technical grounds (lack of English subtitles during submission of the film, a rule never strictly followed in the preceding years). An appeal moved to the Division Bench was also rejected on the same grounds leaving an IFFK
The International Film Festival of Kerala (abbreviated as IFFK) is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. This film festival started in 1996 and is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy ...
without a Malayalam film to compete. Later, upon flaring up of the scandal, K. B. Ganesh Kumar
Keezhoote Balakrishna Pillai Ganesh Kumar (born 25 May 1966) is an Indian actor, television host, and politician. Ganesh Kumar is a proposed cabinet minister for the last 2.5 years in the ongoing 2nd LDF govt in Kerala and he is also the curre ...
conceded to include the film in the non-competing category, limited to just two screenings.[The Hindu. 'Sherry says no to film screening.'](_blank)
/ref> The left oriented cultural organization Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham (Progressive Arts & Literary Organisation) an Association for Art and Letters, also known as the PuKaSa, is an organization of artists, writers and art and literature enthusiasts based in Kerala. The association was f ...
took the issue up and waged a protest at one of the IFFK venues. The issue came up in the open forum discussion on the second day of the festival, and the delegates engaged in heated arguments with Priyadarshan
Priyadarshan (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam and Hindi films, while also having done six films in Tamil and two films in Telugu. He has done about 31 films in Hi ...
. In the end, Priyadarshan
Priyadarshan (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam and Hindi films, while also having done six films in Tamil and two films in Telugu. He has done about 31 films in Hi ...
apologised for the problems.[The New Indian Express. 'An ugly turn to first open forum.'](_blank)
/ref>Madhyamam. ആദിമധ്യാന്തം: പ്രിയദര്ശന് മാപ്പ് പറഞ്ഞു.
After the protests, Adimadhyantham was screened in the festival under "Malayalam Cinema today" section on 13 December 2011. Prior to that, the film was premiered on 4 December 2011.
Accolades
* 59th National Film Awards
The 59th National Film Awards, presented by the Directorate of Film Festivals, honoured the best of Indian cinema for 2011 and took place on 3 May 2012 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. Awards were presented in 38 categories in the Feature Films se ...
- Special mention Award.[Malayalam films fail to impress at National Awards](_blank)
/ref>
* 14th John Abraham
John Abraham (born 17 December 1972) is an Indian actor, film producer, writer and former model working in Hindi films. He has won a National Film Award and received five Filmfare nominations.
After modelling for advertisements and companies ...
award for Best Malayalam film (by Federation of Film Societies of India
Federation of Film Societies of India (FFSI) is the umbrella body of film-screening societies in India. FFSI is currently a member of the International Federation of Film Society that has its Central Office in Paris. The international organisatio ...
).
* Kerala State Film Award for Best Debut Director
The Kerala State Film Award
The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have bee ...
: Sherrey
Sherrey ( ml, ഷെറി) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Malayalam films. He has directed several short films, but is known for his debut feature film Adimadhyantham which won a special reference in the 59th Nationa ...
* Kerala State Film Award – Special Mention
The Kerala State Film Award – Special Mention is an award presented at the Kerala State Film Awards of India.
Recipients
See also
* Kerala State Film Award – Special Jury Award
The Kerala State Film Award – Special Jury Award is an ...
: Prajith- Child Actor
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, 2284964
2011 films
2010s Malayalam-language films
Films shot in Kozhikode
Films shot in Kannur
Films shot in Thalassery
Environmental films
2011 directorial debut films