''Ponthan Mada'' is a 1994 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 written and directed by

T. V. Chandran T. V. Chandran (born 23 November 1950) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and actor, predominantly working in Malayalam cinema. Born in a Malayali family in Telicherry, Chandran worked as a Reserve Bank of India employee before entering ...

. The film stars

Mammootty Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (; born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil l ...

and

Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare A ...

. It is based on two short stories, ''Ponthan Mada'' and ''Sheema Thampuran'' by

C. V. Sreeraman Cheruthuruthy Velappan Sreeraman (7 February 1931 – 11 October 2007) was an Indian writer who wrote short stories in Malayalam. He was the Vice Chairman of Kerala Sahitya Akademi. C. V. Sreeraman's stories stand foremost core to the theme, as e ...

. The film won four awards at the

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 ...

including the

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to th ...

award for Mammotty. It also won the

Kerala State Film Award 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 ...

for the best second film. This is the only

film of

. The film was a commercial success.

Plot

Set in the 1940s

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, the film is about the extraordinary, uncanny and touching relationship between the so-called low-caste Ponthan Mada (Mammootty) and his colonial landlord Sheema Thampuran (Naseeruddin Shah), who was expelled to British India from England during his youth for supporting the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief tha ...

. Crossing the class boundaries, the two communicate through Thampuran's window with Mada hanging from an areca palm tree.

Cast

as Ponthan Mada *

as Sheema Thampuran *

Laboni Sarkar Laboni Sarkar is an Indian actress who is known for her work in Bengali cinema. She is the recipient of three BFJA Awards. She initiated her acting career as a child artist with roles in Bengali films. Filmography * '' Aporajeyo'' (2022) * ...

* Janardhanan *

Maniyanpilla Raju Sudheer Kumar (born 20 April 1955), better known by his stage name Maniyanpilla Raju (Malayalam:മണിയൻപിള്ള രാജു), is an Indian actor and producer who works in Malayalam film industry.Sreejaya Nair Sreejaya Nair is an Indian actress and dancer. She worked in the Malayalam film industry throughout 1990s and retired after marriage and returned to acting in 2014. She is a professional dancer and conducts a dance school named Sreejaya's School ...

* Zeenath * Mavelikkara Ponnamma *Premachandran

Soundtrack

ONV Kurup penned the lyrics. *"Madam Kondu Adimaranke" - K. S. Chitra

Awards

The film has won the following awards since its release:

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

( India) * Golden Lotus Award - Best Director -

* Silver Lotus Award - Best Actor -

* Silver Lotus Award - Best Music Director - Johnson * Silver Lotus Award - Best Cinematography - Venu 1994

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 ...

( India) * Won - Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Film - Second Best Film Other awards * Muttathu Varkey Award (2016) - T. V. Chandran (for screenplay)

References

External links

* 1994 films 1994 drama films 1990s Malayalam-language films Films directed by T. V. Chandran Films scored by Johnson Films whose director won the Best Director National Film Award Films whose cinematographer won the Best Cinematography National Film Award Films featuring a Best Actor National Award-winning performance Films set in the British Raj Films shot in Palakkad {{1990s-Malayalam-film-stub