''Maaya'' is a 1972 Indian

Malayalam-language 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, directed by

Ramu Kariat Ramu Kariat (1 February 1927 – 10 February 1979) was an Indian film director for almost three decades from the 1950s to the 1970s, who directed many acclaimed films in the Malayalam cinema. His noted films include ''Neelakkuyil'' (1954), ''Mi ...

for Jaya Maruthi, starring

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

in the lead role.

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 also play pivotal roles, supported by

Vijayasree Vijayasri was an Indian actress who predominantly worked in Malayalam cinema in the 1970s. She acted in many movies opposite Prem Nazir and have also worked in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Biography Her first appearance onscreen w ...

, Sujatha,

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 ...

and

T. R. Omana T. R. Omana is an Indian actress in Malayalam films. She mainly acts in supporting roles and mother roles. She has acted in more than 500 films. Personal life T. R. Omana was born as eldest among five children to T R Gopala Pillai, Timber mer ...

playing other important roles. The film was based on an award-winning 1963 novel with the same name by popular novelist K. Surendran.

Plot

Sankarappillai (

) is a local businessman who runs a grocery shop in the village centre. He also owns the little textile shop of the village which his son Raghuvaran Pillai (

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 ...

) operates. Sankarappillai's family also includes his second wife Eeswari (

) and daughter Gomathy ( Sharada). Sankarappillai is separated from his first wife Kalyani (

Adoor Bhavani Adoor Bhavani (1927 – 25 October 2009) was an Indian actress in Malayalam cinema, best known for her appearance in the National Award-winning film ''Chemmeen'' (1965), directed by Ramu Kariat. She had acted in about 450 films, including ''Mudi ...

), but visits and supports his daughter Omana in the first marriage. Gomathy is in love with Madhavankutty (

) an educated, but unemployed young man. Sankarappillai and Eeswary also encourages their relation. Madhavankutty takes up a job in a newspaper in the town. Raghu wishes to expand the textile business, Madhavankutty introduces Raghu and Sankarappillai to his old classmate Vasukkutty (

K. P. Ummer Kachinamthoduka Puthiyapurayil Ummer known as K. P. Ummer (Malayalam: കെ.പി. ഉമ്മർ) was an Indian actor from Thekkepuram quarter of Kozhikode, Kerala, India. He was active in the Malayalam cinema from early sixties until late ...

). Vasukkutty's uncle Pankippillai ( GK Pillai) run a bigger textile shop in the town. Though the two head-strong men clash at first, Pankippillai agrees to loan textiles worth Rs 30,000 to Sankarappillai. Vasukkutty meets Gomathy during a business visit to Sankarappillai's home and falls head over heels for the beautiful girl. Seeking a business advantage, Sankarappillai decides to arrange Gomathy's wedding with Vasukkutty, leaving a heartbroken Madhavankutty to writing. Sankarappillai's calculations fail when Pankippillai refuses to honour the loan arrangement even after the wedding. In the meantime, a relation slowly develops between Madhavankutty and Omana. Raghu falls in love with Vasukkutty's sister Kamalam (

). Gomathy and Vasukkutty visit Sankarapillai with this proposal. Sankarappillai agrees with the condition of Rs 10,000 as dowry from Pankippillai. During the wedding arrangements, Sankarappillai visits Pankippillai and demands the dowry beforehand. This angers Pankippillai, who refuses to give the money. This cancels the wedding and angers Vasukkutty. The rest of the story is Sankarappillai's fall, clashing with his own family.

Cast

as Sankarappillai *

as Madhavankutty * Sharada as Gomathy *

as Vasukkutty *

as Raghuvaran Pillai a.k.a. Raghu *

as Kamalam * Sujatha as Omana *

as Veluppillai *

as Eeswari *

Paul Vengola Paul Vengola was an Indian actor in Malayalam cinema. He mainly acted in comedy roles and supporting roles. He was an active comedian during the 1970s and 1980s in Malayalam film. Career He was a drama artist before coming into film industry and ...

as Anthony *Muthukulam Raghavan Pilla as Beedi Maker *

as Kalyani * G. K. Pillai as Pankippillai *

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 Mute *Sadhana *Thodupuzha Radhakrishnan as Kumaran * Muthukulam * Baby Lakshmi

Songs

This film has popular songs written by

Sreekumaran Thampi Sreekumaran Thampi (born 16 March 1940) is an Indian lyricist, music director, director, producer, and screenwriter in Malayalam cinema. He also writes poetry and is a recipient of the Vallathol Award. In 2017, he was awarded the J. C. Daniel ...

and composed by V. Dakshinamoorthy.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maaya 1972 films 1970s Malayalam-language films Films based on Indian novels Films directed by Ramu Kariat