''Meppadiyan'' () is an 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

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

written and directed by Vishnu Mohan and produced by Unni Mukundan Films. The film features

Unni Mukundan Unnikrishnan Mukundan (born 22 September 1987), commonly known as Unni Mukundan, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Telugu and Tamil films. Unni Mukundan made his acting debut with the Ta ...

, Kottayam Ramesh,

Saiju Kurup Saiju Kurup (born 12 March 1979) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and occasionally in Tamil cinema. He is credited as Anirudh in Tamil movies. He debuted in ''Mayookham'' (2005) by Hariharan. As of June 2021, he h ...

Aju Varghese Aju Kurian Varghese (born 11 January 1985) better known as Aju Varghese is an Indian actor and producer who appears in Malayalam cinema. He made his debut in 2010 in ''Malarvadi Arts Club'', directed by his college classmate Vineeth Sreenivas ...

Anju Kurian Anju Kurian is an Indian actress and model who appears mainly in Malayalam and Tamil films. Best known for her roles in the 2016 Malayalam film ''Kavi Uddheshichathu'' and the 2018 film ''Njan Prakashan''. But, She critically acclaimed for her ...

Nisha Sarang Nisha Sarang (born 2 July 1970) is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam films and television serials. She is best known for playing the character of Neelima in the TV sitcom ''Uppum Mulakum'', broadcast on Flowers. She won the Kerala State ...

and

Kalabhavan Shajohn Shaji John, professionally credited by his stage name Kalabhavan Shajohn is an Indian actor, director and comedian who works primarily in Malayalam cinema. He started his career as a mimicry artist in Kalabhavan, Kochi. Making his debut in 1999 ...

in lead roles. The songs and background score for the film was composed by Rahul Subrahmanian. Filming took place in

Aruvithura Erattupetta is a municipal town located in Kottayam district, close to the place Aruvithura, state of Kerala, India,. It is located 38 km east of Kottayam, the district capital. Erattupetta Grama Panchayath was founded in 1964 and upgrade ...

and

Poonjar Poonjar is a small Indian town located on the eastern side of Kottayam district in Kerala state, India. Before the independence of India, Poonjar had been the part of Travancore princely state.Erattupetta, Teekoy, bharananganam, and vagamon are ...

in late 2020. The film released on 14 January 2022 to positive reviews.

Plot

Jayakrishnan enters into real estate business with Varkey; however, it becomes a trap for him and he loses his own home and land. The land that he ends up buying happens to be a property that the Central Government had marked for a Railway project. Jacob and Stella hides this fact about their property in order to get the money in any way possible for their daughter's marriage. With the help of a political shark Xavier, he sells that property to Ashraf Hajji, who had bought Jayakrishnan's ancestral home for a lower than fair market price by exploiting his dire situation. The film shows how an easy going person like Jayakrishnan changes into an animal of a corrupt society where bureaucracy and deceitful schemes wins over honesty and compassion.

Cast

Production

The film was shot around 48 different locations across

and

Pala Pala may refer to: Places Chad *Pala, Chad, the capital of the region of Mayo-Kebbi Ouest Estonia * Pala, Kose Parish, village in Kose Parish, Harju County * Pala, Kuusalu Parish, village in Kuusalu Parish, Harju County *Pala, Järva County, vi ...

with an ensemble cast. Filming began on 26 October 2020, in Aruvithura.

Release

The release of the film was postponed several times due to

COVID-19 pandemic in India The COVID-19 pandemic in India is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). As of , according to Indian government figures, India has the second-highest n ...

. The film had a theatrical release on 14 January 2022.

Critical response

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 ...

'' rated 3.5 out of 5 and said that "The writer-director manages to really drive the tension to a peak with simply showing how our courts and particularly, government servants can make us sweat blood out of pure pettiness and arrogance ... Unni Mukundan is so wow that he is not Unni Mukundan, but Jayakrishnan ... This movie offers not just a glimpse at society, but also good character studies. It is a good film for the family to enjoy and discuss together". ''

Malayala Manorama ''Malayala Manorama'' is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew; it was first published as a weekly on 22 March 1888, and currently has ...

'' also rated 3.5 out of 5 and wrote: "Unni Mukundan follows his character with a well-balanced gait and has been able to deliver in total the tribulations ... The makers have been able to pull off a high drama by adopting scenarios of simple and real life events ... It may not be a highly thrilling drama but is nevertheless an engrossing tale that keeps viewers hooked till the credits roll up". ''

The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...

'' rated 3 out of 5 stars and said that the film is "supposed to be a respite from the action-heavy, macho posturing roles Unni did before, and in that regard, yes, the film lives up to its promise ... It's nice to see an actor like Unni making sincere efforts to change the audience’s perception of his acting capabilities".

References

External links

* * {{Facebook, MeppadiyanMovie, Meppadiyan Movie 2020s Malayalam-language films Indian thriller drama films Indian films based on actual events 2022 films Indian thriller films