''Asuravithu'' is a 1968 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by

A. Vincent Aloysius Vincent (14 June 1928 – 25 February 2015) was an Indian cinematographer and director known for his works in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi language films. From the mid-1960s on, he directed some 30 movies including the landmark Mal ...

, starring

Prem Nazir Prem Nazir (born Abdul Khader; 7 April 1926 – 16 January 1989) was an Indian actor known as one of Malayalam cinema's definitive leading man, leading men of his generation. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential actors in the histo ...

and Sharada. The film was scripted by

M. T. Vasudevan Nair Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair (born 1933 July 15 ), popularly known as MT, is an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He is a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and is one of the masters of post-I ...

, based on his own novel '' Asuravithu''. Set in a Kerala village in the 1960s, the political melodrama focuses on Hindu-Muslim unity. The film portrays the plight of the protagonist, the youngest son of a proud

Nair The Nair , also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom histor ...

tharavadu, as he is trapped between the social scenario, social injustice and his own inner consciousness. Prem Nazir's acting in the movie was well appreciated by the viewers. The film was the last of M. T.'s trilogy of political melodramas – the other two being

Vincent Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer''). People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor *Vincent van Gogh ...

's ''

Murappennu ''Murappennu'' is a 1965 Malayalam-language drama film directed by A. Vincent and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair. The film stars Prem Nazir in the lead role with an ensemble supporting cast including Sharada, Madhu, Jyothilakshmi, K. P. Um ...

'' (1965) and

P. Bhaskaran Pulloottupadathu Bhaskaran alias as P. Bhaskaran (21 April 1924 – 25 February 2007), was a Malayalam poet, lyricist of Malayalam film songs, and filmmaker. He penned more than 3000 songs for about 250 films. He also directed 44 Malayalam fea ...

's ''

Iruttinte Athmavu ''Iruttinte Athmavu'' () is a 1967 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by P. Bhaskaran and written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair based on his own short story of the same name. It stars Prem Nazir and Sharada in lead roles with Thikkurissy Sukum ...

'' (1967).

Plot

The rich Shekharan Nair (

Sankaradi Chandrashekaran Menon, better known by his screen name Sankaradi (14 July 1924 – 8 October 2001), was an Indian actor. He was a veteran Malayalam comedian and character artist, who had over 700 Malayalam films to his credit. He dominated the ...

) tries to bribe his brother-in-law Govindankutty (

) to marry his daughter Meenakshi ( Sharada). The reason for this haste is that Meenakshi is pregnant by Govindankutty's wayward nephew. Govindankutty, however refuses and is thrown out by the family. He moves in with his Muslim friend Kunjarakkar ( P. J. Antony), a daring thing to do, given the prevailing socio-political atmosphere. He eventually converts to Islam, renaming himself Abdullah.

Cast

as Govindankutty * Sharada as Meenakshi * P. J. Antony as Kunjarakkar *

as Shekharan Nair * N. Govindankutty as Kumaran *

Santha Devi Damayanthi (1927 – 20 November 2010), better known by her stage name Kozhikode Santha Devi, was an Indian Malayalam film and stage actress. In a career spanning about sixty years, she acted in more than 1000 plays and about 480 films. Biog ...

as Madhavi *

Kaviyoor Ponnamma Kaviyoor Ponnamma is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam films and television. She began her career performing in theatre dramas before foraying into cinema. She has also acted in TV serials and commercials and has playback singing cred ...

as Kunjootty *

Adoor Bhasi K. Bhaskaran Nair (1 March 1929 – 29 March 1990), known by his stage name Adoor Bhasi, was an Indian actor and film director from Kerala. Adoor Bhasi was almost always cast as the man who stands next to the hero. His hilarious actions and role ...

as Kuttan Nair * Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma *

Khadeeja ''Khadeeja'' is a 1967 Indian Malayalam film, directed by M. Krishnan Nair and produced by Kalaratnam. The film stars Sathyan, Madhu, Sheela and Sukumari in the lead roles. The film had musical score by M. S. Baburaj. Cast * Sathyan * Mad ...

as Nabeesu *Rajan *Saraswathi as Rajamma *

Nilambur Balan Nilambur Balan was an Indian actor in Malayalam movies. He was one of the prominent supporting actor in late 1960s and 1970s in Malayalam movies. He has acted in more than 50 movies. Biography He was born at Vatakara. He was a theater artist be ...

*Kedamangalam Ali

Production

The film was produced by Madhavankutty under the banner of Manoj Pictures. An adaptation of the famous novel of the same name, the script and dialogues were by the novelist himself. The Valluvanadan dialect popular in villages on the banks of the Bharathappuzha River was effectively used in the film. The film was shot at Vauhini and Satya studios, while some of the outdoor scenes were shot on the banks of Bharathappuzha.

Soundtrack

The music was composed by

K. Raghavan K. Raghavan (2 December 1913 – 19 October 2013), also fondly called Raghavan Master, was a Malayalam music composer and Carnatic Vocalist. Along with G. Devarajan, V. Dakshinamoorthy and Baburaj, Raghavan is often credited for the renaissance ...

and the lyrics were written by

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0213460, Asuravithu
''Asuravithu''
at the Malayalam Movie Database 1960s Malayalam-language films Films based on Indian novels Films with screenplays by M. T. Vasudevan Nair Films directed by A. Vincent