''Layanam'' () is a 1989 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

erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, scul ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Thulasidas Thulasidas is an Indian film and serial director who works in the South Indian film industry, predominantly in Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kera ...

and produced by

R. B. Choudary Ratanlal Bhagatram Choudary is an Indian film producer who has worked in several film industries, predominantly in Tamil language, Tamil and Telugu language, Telugu along with a few films in Malayalam language, Malayalam and Hindi language, Hind ...

. The film features prominent

sexploitation A sexploitation film (or sex-exploitation film) is a class of independently produced, low-budget feature film that is generally associated with the 1960s and early 1970s, and that serves largely as a vehicle for the exhibition of non-explicit s ...

actresses

Silk Smitha Vijayalakshmi Vadlapati (2 December 1960 – 23 September 1996), better known by her stage name Silk Smitha, was an Indian actress and dancer who worked predominantly in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. Smitha was part of seve ...

, Abhilasha, and Devishri/Jahnvi, as well as young Nandu. It was one of the biggest hits in the South Indian soft-porn industry, and has earned a cult status. The film features the story of a young boy (Nandu) who became intimately related to three older women.

Plot

''Layanam'' is the story of the sexual relationship between a woman and a younger man. In the film, the character portrayed by Silk Smitha lives alone in a large house. She is constantly harassed by men in the locality. One day, Nandu's character, a boy on the run for no fault of his own hides in the back of Smitha's car, but is caught, but let off. They meet again, and upon learning that he is an orphan, Smitha employs him as a servant. Nandu starts fantasizing about his employer, while rejecting sexual offers from others. Smitha's cousin Abilasha comes to stay in the house, and develops a crush for the boy, which Smitha disapproves. Smitha and Nandu slowly start to like each other and decide to get married. At the point, Smitha's long thought dead husband returns complicating the situation. In the end, the lovers commit suicide.

Cast

* Nandhu * Abhilasha * V.K Sreeraman * Boby Kottarakkara

Critique

Tehelka ''Tehelka'' (Hindi: Sensation) is an Indian news magazine known for its investigative journalism and sting operations. According to the British newspaper ''The Independent'', the ''Tehelka'' was founded by Tarun Tejpal, Aniruddha Bahal and a ...

'' wrote in 2011, "Layanam, a fetished cult hit, is a perfectly good soft porn movie that rather prematurely disintegrates into a real movie. Its scriptwriting intentions are noble, though. Silk Smitha's remarkably self-possessed performance shows us both her outer sexual confidence and her inner anxiety over being lonely."

Legacy

Two of the actors – Silk Smitha and Nandu – of the film later committed suicide, enhancing the film's status. '' OnManorama'' wrote in April 2016 that "some reports suggest that he went into depression after acting in a soft-porn movie (Layanam) and became a drug addict". Silk Smitha, known for her bold roles and alcoholism, also committed suicide, declaring a failed love affair to be the reason. 12 years after its release it was remade in Hindi as ''Reshma Ki Jawani''. The uncensored movie was released in theaters in 1989 and the censored VCD version was released only in 2000 with many of its controversial scenes edited out.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0353658 1980s erotic drama films 1980s Malayalam-language films 1989 drama films 1989 films Films directed by Thulasidas Indian erotic drama films Super Good Films films