''Apothecary'' is a 2014 Indian Malayalam-language

medical thriller Medical fiction is fiction whose events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. It is highly prevalent on television, especially as medical dramas, as well as in novels. The depiction of medical institutions and the ...

film directed by

Madhav Ramadasan Madhav Ramadasan is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor, who works in Malayalam film industry. Personal life Madhav Ramadasan was born to P. Madhavan and T.P. Radha at Kalluvazhi near Ottapalam. He did his schooling at AKNM-MA Mem ...

, and produced by George Mathew and Baby Mathew under the banner of Arambankudiyil Cinemas. The film stars

Suresh Gopi Suresh Gopi (born 26 June 1958) is an Indian actor, politician, playback singer and television presenter. He works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and has also appeared in some Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bollywood films. Suresh made his acti ...

Jayasurya Jayasurya (born August 1978) is an Indian actor, distributor, Sponsor, Model, film producer, playback singer, and impressionist, who works in the Malayalam films. He has appeared in more than 100 films and has won several awards, including a N ...

, Asif Ali, Abhirami (after a hiatus of 10 years),

Meera Nandan Meera Nandan is an Indian actress who appears mainly in Malayalam films. She also appeared in a few Tamil and Telugu films. Early life Meera Nandan was born as Meera Nandakumar on 26 November 1990 as the daughter of Nandakumar and Maya at P ...

and

Indrans Indrans is an Indian actor and former costume designer, who appears in Malayalam films.His mentor was Shiyas M S, a law college student. He started his film career as a costume designer and actor in 1981 and got a breakthrough in 1994 with the ...

. The film received Special Jury Mention in 45th Kerala State Film Awards for

and producer Dr. George Mathew.

Plot

Dr. Vijay Nambiar is a skilled and renowned neurosurgeon. He lives with his wife, Dr. Nalini and their two children. Both the doctors work at Apothecary Hospital. The film begins with Nambiar's being admitted to the hospital because of a motor vehicle accident. He has suffered a brain injury, and his chance of survival seems slim. Subin Joseph, a patient of Nambiar's, comes to visit him. Subin recounts his experience at the hospital under Nambiar's care. The hospital is revealed to be run greedily, with patients being subjected to expensive and unnecessary tests and medicines. Nambiar is a doctor with a good reputation, but is forced by the management to run clinical trials for new drugs. He realizes that such trials are necessary for progress, but the lack of ethical protocol and the side effects of such drugs turn the patients' lives into a living hell. This dilemma consumes him, causing him to have hallucinations of his clinical trial patients. His soul is locked in a surreal struggle between the good and the bad actions of his work. His accident resulted from such an episode, wherein he fell to the road in a fit of panic. Finally, he is redeemed with the realization that his work has saved thousands, compared to the few lives destroyed by his actions. Should he live, he would go on to save even more lives. Nambiar returns to life a changed man. He confronts the hospital board about their actions. He reminds them of the definition of 'Apothecary' which was used years back, to refer to doctors who treated village folk with their medicines. Stating that the hospital simply retains that name, he leaves the hospital to set up a charitable institution. Nalini and several of the hospital staff and patients accompany him on his new journey.

Cast

as Dr. Vijay Nambiar *

as Subin Joseph * Asif Ali as Prathapan * Arun as Dr. Raheem * Abhirami as Dr.Nalini Nambiar, wife of Dr. Vijay *

as Daisy, lover of Subin * Raghavan Nair as Dr. Shankar Vasudev *

as Joseph, father of Subin * Kavitha Nair as Sabira Usman *

Thampy Antony Antony Thekkek, also known as Thampy Antony, is an Indian-American film actor, writer, activist and producer. As a writer he has published books in Malayalam and English. He is the author of the books ''Koonampara County'', ''Life of Ouso'', ''L ...

as Dr. Ali Ahamed *

Neeraj Madhav Neeraj Madhav (born 26 March 1990), also known by his stage name NJ is an Indian actor, rapper and dancer who predominantly works in Malayalam films. Neeraj is most popular for his role as Moosa Rehman in the Amazon prime web series ''The Fami ...

as Shinoy Joseph, brother of Subin *

Lishoy Lishoy is an Indian actor in Kerala. He has played characters in stage, television and film. Personal life Originally from Thrissur, Lishoy gained popularity as a stage actor in professional theaters, such as Kazhimpram Theaters. Later he e ...

as Dr. Peethambaran * Malavika as Meenu * Jayaraj Warrier as Varkkichan *

Seema G. Nair Seema G. Nair (born 21 May 1968) is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam films and Malayalam Television, TV series. She has won the Kerala state television award for best actress in 2014 for the telefilm ''Moksham''. Biography Both Nair a ...

as Clara, mother of Subin *

Jayan Cherthala Jayan Cherthala is an Indian actor in Malayalam cinema. He is from Cherthala, near Alappuzha, Kerala in India. He has performed in more than two dozen movies in Malayalam, and TV serials. He is the state president of Kerala Sarva Kala Sangam ( ...

as Sajan Xavier * Mohanakrishnan as Hameed * Dr. George Mathew as Dr. Mathew Koshi * Shivakumar as Dr. MK Nambiar, father of Dr. Vijay * Preman as Meenu's father * Sajad Brite as Usman, husband of Sabira * Neeraja as Dr. Nimisha *

Saniya Iyappan Saniya Iyappan (born 20 April 2002) an Indian actress who works in Malayalam films and television shows. She is best known for her roles in the films ''Queen'' (2018) and ''Lucifer'' (2019). Career Saniya started her career in television, as a ...

* Bindu Krishna as Dr. Maria

Reception

Paresh C Palicha of Rediff movies praised Suresh Gopi's performance and noted that the film could have been better. Nicy, V.P. of ''International Business Times'', wrote that ''Apothecary'' is a must watch. She also praised performance of Jayasurya.

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 3951566 2010s Malayalam-language films 2014 films