''Dr. Pasupathy'' is a 1990 Indian

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

-language

comedy drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple co ...

film directed by

Shaji Kailas Shaji Kailas (born 8 February 1965) is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his works in Malayalam cinema. Shaji got a breakthrough with the comedy film ''Dr. Pasupathy'' (1990). He is best known for his action films with mainl ...

, written by

Renji Panicker Renji Panicker (born 23 September 1960) is an Indian actor, scriptwriter, director, film producer, and journalist best known for his Malayalam films. He made his debut as a director with ''Bharatchandran IPS'' in 2005. Early life He did his ...

. The film stars

Innocent Innocence is a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence is to the lack of legal guilt of an individual, with respect to a crime. In other contexts, it is a lack of experience. In relation ...

in the titular role along with,

Rizabawa Rizabawa (24 September 1966 – 13 September 2021) was an Indian actor who works predomiantly in Malayalam films and television. His breakthrough role was as a villain in the 1990 film '' In Harihar Nagar''. Since then, he acted as villain in ...

, Parvathy,

Nedumudi Venu Kesavan Venugopal (22 May 1948 – 11 October 2021), better known by his stage name Nedumudi Venu, was an Indian actor and screenwriter from Kerala, who predominantly worked in Malayalam cinema. He acted in more than 500 films, primarily in Ma ...

Jagathy Sreekumar Sreekumar P. K. (born 5 January 1951), better known by his stage name Jagathy Sreekumar or simply Jagathy, is an Indian actor, director and playback singer, who has appeared in over 1500 Malayalam films in a career spanning almost four decad ...

Kuthiravattom Pappu Padmadalakshan, better known by his stage name Kuthiravattam Pappu (24 December 1936 – 25 February 2000), was a popular Indian stage and film actor. His repertoire of acting was based on his unique style and use of the '' Kozhikodan'' dialect, ...

Jagadish P. V. Jagadish Kumar (born 12 June 1955) known mononymously as Jagadish, is an Indian actor, screenwriter, television presenter and former politician. He has starred in over 375 Malayalam films and 2 Hindi films. He is best known for his comi ...

KPAC Lalitha Maheshwari Amma, better known by her stage name K. P. A. C. Lalitha, was an Indian film and stage actress who worked primarily in Malyalam. She started her acting career with K. P. A. C., a theatre collective in Kayamkulam, Kerala. In a caree ...

, Kalpana in supporting roles. The film follows Bhairavan, a con artist who is hired by the Panchayat leader of a small village to pose as a veterinary doctor. This film was produced and distributed by V. C. George under the banner of Saga Films, in his second production venture after the 1989 cult classic ''

Dasharatham ''Dasharatham'' is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written by A. K. Lohithadas and directed by Sibi Malayil. It stars Mohanlal, Rekha, Murali, Nedumudi Venu, Sukumaran, Karamana Janardanan Nair, Sukumari, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, K. P. ...

.'' The film features original songs composed by

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

. The cinematography was done by Watson D'Cruz.

M. G. Soman M. G. Soman (28 September 1941 – 12 December 1997) was an Indian actor and former Indian Air Force officer who appeared in Malayalam films. He was one among the leading star actors doing hero roles in Malayalam Cinema during the late 1970s an ...

appeared in a cameo role as the narrator of the film. The film marked the onscreen debut of actor

. The film was released on 4 May 1990 and was a box office success. The film is noted for being directed by Kailas, who later became known for his political thrillers. The film is written by Renji Panicker, who went on to collaborate with Kailas in many films. The character ''UDC Kumari'' played by Kalpana is considered one of the best comedy characters in Malayalam cinema and eventually developed a

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

following several years after the release of the film..

Plot

The comical film introduces us to a small village and its funny characters. The narrator informs of its developments and day-to-day activities. Soon, it slowly focus to the problems discussed in the Panchayat office (fights do occur between two factions in a comical way), in which the main problem is the absence of a veterinary doctor. The leaders of the opposition faction, Nanappan and Uthpalakshan, gives a final ultimatum to the Panchayat president Unnikannan Nair to resign his post if he can't find a vet within days. Unnikannan Nair's daughter Ammukutty falls love with Pappen. However Unnikannan Nair disapproves due to the rivalry of Pappen's friends for The Panchayat President – Nanappan, Uthpalakshan and 'Society' Balan. Also the animosity between Pappan's Grandfather and Kunjulakshmi, Unnikannan Nair's mother adds fun to the tale. The romantic angle includes 'Society' Balan's romance with U. D. C. Kumari who is also followed by Balan's father and Unnikannan Nair's associate Parameswara Kurup. While Parameswara Kurup travels to find a vet he encounters an old friend and thief, Bhairavan and encourages him to act. Thus Bhairavan is introduced in the village in his new avatar, Dr. Pasupathy. Unnikannan Nair soon takes a liking to him and arranges Ammukutty's marriage. Heartbroken, Pappen soon leaves the village for work and finds solace and shelter from a friend who is Police Circle Inspector. Soon when Dr. Pasupathy's 'uncle', his associate in fact Velayudhan Kutty, enters the village to see Bhairavan and joins his scam, it's up to Pappen's friends to call back Pappen to save Ammukutty.

Cast

as Bhairavan /Doctor Pashupati *

as Pappan * Parvathy as Ammukkutty *

as Unnikannan Nair *

Paravoor Bharathan Vadakkekarayil Koran Bharathan (16 January 1929- 19 August 2015), better known as Paravoor Bharatan was an Indian actor who acted in Malayalam films. He started his career in movies during the 1950s. Bharathan is known as a versatile actor and h ...

as Kurup *

Kuthiravattam Pappu Padmadalakshan, better known by his stage name Kuthiravattam Pappu (24 December 1936 – 25 February 2000), was a popular Indian stage and film actor. His repertoire of acting was based on his unique style and use of the ''Kozhikodan'' dialect, i ...

as Ulpalakshan *

as Society Balan *

Thikkurisi Sukumaran Nair Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair (16 October 191611 March 1997) was an Indian poet, playwright, Screenwriter, script writer, lyricist, orator, film director and actor, though he is best known as an actor in Malayalam cinema. He is the recipient of Pad ...

* Kalpana as UDC Kumari * Meena Joseph as Usha *

K.P.A.C. Lalitha Maheshwari Amma, better known by her stage name K. P. A. C. Lalitha, was an Indian film and stage actress who worked primarily in Malyalam. She started her acting career with K. P. A. C., a theatre collective in Kayamkulam, Kerala. In a caree ...

as Unnikkannan Nair's wife *

Philomina Philomina (1926 – 2 January 2006) was an Indian actress, who worked in the Malayalam film industry. She acted in more than 750 films in her career. She played mostly character and comedy roles, besides that of mother and grandmother. She star ...

as Unnikkannan Nair's mother/Muthassi *

Mammukoya Mamukkoya (born 5 July 1946) is an Indian actor known for his work in Malayalam cinema, and has also appeared in French film ''Flammens of Paradise''. He has mostly appeared in comedic roles. His unique usage of the Mappila dialect and style mar ...

as Velayudhan *

Vijayaraghavan Vijayaraghavan (born 20 December 1951) is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He is popular for his character roles. He is the son of popular drama and cinema artist N. N. Pillai. He got his break by playing the icon ...

as Police Officer * NL Balakrishnan as Police Constable *

Krishnankutty Nair Krishnankutty Nair was an Indian actor who worked in Malayalam cinema. He was from Pippinmoodu, near Sasthamangalam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Nair worked with various theatre groups before becoming a film actor. Known for his natural acti ...

as Police Constable * Sainuddin as Tea Shop Owner *

Kunchan Kunchan is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Kunchan Nambiar Kunchan Nambiar was a prominent Malayalam poet of the 18th century (1705-1770). Apart from being a prolific poet, Nambiar is also famous as the originator of the da ...

Themes and influences

This film's main character has failed to achieved masculinity as dictated by societal standards.

Soundtrack

The film features music by Johnson Master. Rajamani, who composed music for Kailas' ''

News News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the tes ...

'' (1989), was present for the recording and re-rerecording for this film and ''Sunday 7 PM'' (1990). *"Kanakam Mannil" – M. G. Sreekumar, Sujatha Mohan

Reception

In a review of the film in early 2022, Silpa Rajan from ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

'' compared the doctor character played by Innocent to

Doctor Strange Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorce ...

Legacy

The film is well known for its comedic track involving Kalpana's character UDC Kumari.

Alphonse Puthren Alphonse Puthren is an Indian film director, producer, actor, editor, writer, and ad film maker. He works mainly in the Malayalam Cinema. He made his directional debut with the critically acclaimed Malayalam - Tamil bilingual suspense-thrille ...

listed this film as one among his fifty favorite Malayalam films.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title 1990 comedy-drama films 1990s Malayalam-language films Films about con artists Films directed by Shaji Kailas Films scored by Johnson Indian comedy-drama films