''Kadavu'' ( ml, കടവ് ) (English: ''The Ferry Slip'') is a 1991

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

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 ...

film scripted, directed and produced 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

S. K. Pottekkatt Sankarankutty Kunjiraman Pottekkatt (14 March 1913 – 6 August 1982) was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature and a politician from Kerala, India. He was also a great traveller among the Keralites, who wrote many travelogues for the peopl ...

's story ''Kadathuthoni''. The film won numerous awards at state, national and international levels, including awards at the

Singapore International Film Festival The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) (Chinese: 新加坡国际电影节) is the longest-running film festival in Singapore. Founded in 1987, the festival has a focus on showcasing international films and providing a global platform for ...

and

Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. Along with the Shanghai International Film Festival, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals, and is considered to be the ...

.M. G. Radhakrishnan (15 February 1996)
"Winner all the way"
''

India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' launched a new onl ...

''. Retrieved 30 May 2014. Film critic

Kozhikodan K. Appukuttan Nair (1925–2007), better known as Kozhikodan, was a film critic and writer from Kerala, India. He began writing on films from the early 1950s. He started writing in ''Mathrubhumi'' and '' Chandrika'', and later became a regular co ...

included the film on his list of the 10 best Malayalam movies of all time.

Synopsis

Deserted by his mother, teenaged Raju is adopted by Beeranikka, a Muslim ferryman. Raju soon starts accompanying Beeranikka in ferrying people. One day, he meets a young girl who is returning to her native town Kozhikode after the death of her mother. The girl invites Raju to Kozhikode where she would be staying with her father and uncle. Not interested in leaving the ferrying job, Raju rejects the invitation. A few days later, he finds himself in possession of an ornament which he thinks belongs to the girl. He travels to Kozhikode to return the ornament and finds the girl after many days of search. The girl does not recognise Raju and says the ornament does not belong to her. Disheartened, Raju returns to the ferry.

Cast

* Santhosh Antony as Raju. The lead character Raju was portrayed by Santhosh Antony. A native of Koodaranhi in Kozhikode district, this was Santhosh's only film. *

Balan K. Nair Balakrishnan Nair, more popularly known as Balan K. Nair (4 April 1933 26 August 2000) was an Indian actor known for his roles in Malayalam cinema. Although he appeared as a villain in most films, he was also noted for his performances in stron ...

as Beeran *

Monisha Monisha Unni (24 January 1970 – 5 December 1992) was an Indian actress, known for her works in Malayalam, Tamil cinema. Monisha was 16 when she became the youngest actress ever to receive the National Film Award for Best Actress for ''N ...

as Devi * Sreedevi Unni as Amina * Murali as Rahman *

Thilakan Palappurathu Kesavan Surendranatha Thilakan (15 July 1935 – 24 September 2012) was an Indian film and stage actor who appeared in over 200 Malayalam films. Thilakan was known for his elaborate method acting, realistic and spontaneous appearan ...

as Krishnettan *

Ravi Vallathol Ravi Vallathol (25 November 1952 25 April 2020) was an Indian actor, mainly noted for his acting in many famous serials, including the first serial in Malayalam. Biography He was born as the son of famous Drama legend T. N. Gopinathan Nair ...

as Maash *

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 ...

as the anchorite *

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 ...

as the hawker *

Savithri Sreedharan Savithri Sreedharan is an Indian theatre and film actress. She has been a part of several Calicut-based theatre groups for over forty years and made her film debut in 2018 in the film ''Sudani from Nigeria'' which earned her a Special Mention a ...

* R. K. Nair as the goon *

Kunjandi Kunjandi ( ml, കുഞ്ഞാണ്ടി; 1919–2002) was an Indian actor in Malayalam cinema. He has acted in more than 50 films. He handled character roles as well as supporting roles. Background Kunjandi was born at Calicut. His first ...

as Taxi driver * Bhagya Roopa as the girl *

Biyon Byon V. K. (born 17 June 1982), professionally credited as Biyn, is an Indian actor who works in Malayalam cinema. Early life and family Biyon was born in Kozhikode to Sivasankar VK and Beena K. Byon Completed his schooling at Presentation Hi ...

as Appu

Awards

; International awards * Special Jury Award at

* Asia Future Prize at

;

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

Best Screenplay Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

* Best Feature Film in Malayalam ;

Kerala State Film Awards 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 been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...

Best Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

* Best Child Artist - Santhosh Antony

References

External links

*
''Kadavu''
at the Malayalam Movie Database 1990s Malayalam-language films Films with screenplays by M. T. Vasudevan Nair Films whose writer won the Best Original Screenplay National Film Award Best Malayalam Feature Film National Film Award winners Films directed by M. T. Vasudevan Nair Films shot in Kozhikode {{1990s-Malayalam-film-stub