''Yaathrayude Anthyam'' is a 1989 Malayalam-language

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

co-written and directed by

K. G. George Kulakkattil Geevarghese George (born 24 May 1946) is an Indian film maker and screenwriter who worked in the Malayalam cinema. He was the founder of a new school of film making in Malayalam cinema, along with Bharathan and P. Padmarajan, in ...

for

Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest bro ...

. The film stars Murali as a reputed writer. The film depicts his intellectual and emotional relationship with an intellectual (

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 a ...

) who leads the life of a simple farmer in a remote village, and his worries about his widowed daughter (Annamma Abraham) who has a five-year-old girl child.The story is entirely based on these relationships. The story unfolds through the writer's bus journey to visit him. This film was never released in theaters. The film is based on the short story, "Kottayam Manathavadi", by

Parappurath Kizhakkepainummoodu Easo Mathai, better known by his pen name Parappurath (1924–1981), was an Indian novelist, short story writer and screenwriter who wrote in the Malayalam language. His body of work comprises 20 novels, 14 short story anthol ...

Plot

VKV sets out for an overnight journey to meet his friend Abraham following the receipt of a telegram from Abraham's side. Perplexed on why such a telegram was sent instead of a letter, VKV recounts their relationship and how they inspired each other, throughout the journey. The journey focuses on the lives of fellow travelers also. An NRI in the bus, a wedding party etc. At the fag end of the journey, VKV sees the man sitting next to him, bride's father die. VKV reaches his destination only to find Abraham's dead body. Abraham's daughter tells VKV that her father was waiting for him on his dead bed and said VKV would be travelling in bus and will see him die while travelling. VKV gets shocked. Abraham in one of their old discussions had said life is a repetition of the set of same images, though the characters essentially only the people change.

Cast

* Murali as Writer VKV *

as Abraham *

Karamana Janardhanan Nair Karamana Janardanan Nair (25 July 1936 – 24 April 2000) was a Malayalam film actor, who was active during the 1980s and 1990s. He was especially known for his character roles. He won wide acclaim especially for the role of the protagonis ...

as Kariyachan * Annamma Abraham as Abraham's daughter Susanna * Asha Jayaram as Molly *

Shyama Shyama may refer to: * Shyama (Hindi actress) (1935–2017), Indian actress in Hindi films * Shyama (Malayalam actress) (?–1996), Indian actress in Malayalam and Tamil films * Shyama (Jain monk) ( 247 BC–151 BC), Jain monk * Shama Dulari ( 19 ...

as Molykutty's sister * Aliyar as Man in the bus *

Kaveri The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu dis ...

as Child in the bus

Critical response

For ''plumeriamovies,'' Arjun Anand wrote, ''Yaathrayude Anthyam'' is the most simplest film of the writer, it almost feels like a stretched out slice-of-life episode. But the filmmaking is quietly engaging. Death is a very melodramatic subject. If his contemporaries, Padmarajan in his ''

Moonnam Pakkam ''Moonnam Pakkam'' ( en, The Third Day) is a 1988 Indian Malayalam-language sentimental drama film written and directed by Padmarajan. It stars Thilakan, Jayaram, Kirti Singh, Jagathi Sreekumar, Rahman, Ashokan and Ajayan. Kirti and Ajayan mad ...

'', Lohithadas in ''

Bharatham ''Bharatham'' is a 1991 Indian Malayalam-language musical drama film written by A. K. Lohithadas and directed by Sibi Malayil. It stars Mohanlal, Urvashi, Nedumudi Venu, Lakshmi, and Murali. The film was produced by Mohanlal through his produc ...

'' or Dennis Joseph in ''

Akashadoothu ''Akashadoothu'' is a 1993 Indian Malayalam family drama film directed by Sibi Malayil and written by Dennis Joseph, with Madhavi and Murali in the lead roles. The film tells the tale of a woman suffering from leukemia. The plot of the film w ...

'' among others, treated death and grief with melodrama and exuberant poignance, KG George's take on the subject―just like any other work of his―is subdued, objective and intellectual. The profoundness in his writing is not literary like MT/Lohi, it's rather rational.

References

External links

* 1990s Malayalam-language films Films directed by K. G. George Writing his tribute to KG George, Sajesh Mohan of '' Onmanorama'' wrote In Yathrayude Anthyam, George trains the camera on actor Murali's face for an extended period, yet it never fails to captivate the viewers. That's the confidence they both had in their craft and in each other. The filmmaker maintains this rhythm until the writer's journey culminates beside the mortal remains of his mentor. George maintained this rhythm in all his films, even when they varied in genre. The bold filmmaker had immense confidence in his actors, technicians, and himself. And that's what makes his films stay fresh even after years. {{1990s-Malayalam-film-stub