Rani Padmini is a 2015 is an Indian

Malayalam film Malayalam cinema is an Indian cinema, Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ...

directed by

Aashiq Abu Aashiq Abu (born 12 April 1978) is an Indian film director, producer, actor, and distributor, who works in Malayalam cinema. He is best known for his films such as '' Daddy Cool'' (2009), ''Salt N' Pepper'' (2011), '' 22 Female Kottayam'' (201 ...

, starring

Manju Warrier Manju Warrier (; born 10 September 1978) is an Indian actress, producer, classical dancer and playback singer who primarily appears in Malayalam language films. She is the recipient of several awards including one National Film Award, one Kera ...

and

Rima Kallingal Rima Kallingal is an Indian actress and film producer who mainly appears in Malayalam films. She made her Malayalam film debut with '' Ritu'' (2009). She married to the Malayalam film director Aashiq Abu in 2013. Early Life and Career Born in Th ...

in the lead. Produced by the company Fort Entertainment. The script was written by

Syam Pushkaran Syam Pushkaran (born 6 September 1984) is an Indian scriptwriter who works in Malayalam cinema. He is known for his collaboration with directors Aashiq Abu and Dileesh Pothan. He made his debut with ''Salt N' Pepper'' (2011), co-written with D ...

and Ravisankar (script writer and Director). The music score was composed by

Bijibal Bijibal Maniyil is an Indian music composer and playback singer who works predominantly in Malayalam films, documentaries, short films and television commercials. He has composed for more than 150 feature films, several documentaries and televisi ...

. It is a portrayal of the journey towards the amative awakening of two women from different backgrounds with a blend of

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

. The film pays homage to

Narendra Prasad Raghava Kurup Narendra Prasad (26 December 1946 3 November 2003) was an Indian actor, playwright, director, teacher and literary critic. He was born at Mavelikkara in the erstwhile Kingdom of Travancore. Appreciated for his body language and ...

. The film was released on 23 October 2015.

Plot

Padmini (

), a traditional married woman, goes to

Manali, Himachal Pradesh Manali is a town, near Kullu town in Kullu district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is situated in the northern end of the Kullu Valley, formed by the Beas River. The town is located in the Kullu district, approximately north of t ...

to meet her car

rallying Rally is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (often called ''rally racing),'' navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed time or average speed. ...

driver husband Giri (

Jinu Joseph Jinu Joseph (born 21 December 1975) is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. He is better known for his roles in ''Sagar Alias Jacky Reloaded'', ''Chaappa Kurishu'', ''Bachelor Party'', ''Ustad Hotel'', ''Iyobinte Pusthakam'', ''Rani Pa ...

) to resolve a personal conflict. Rani, (

) is a tomboy brought up in

North India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

. She is running away from a wanted criminal Raja who has posed a threat to her life. Rani and Padmini meet on a bus and a memorable journey starts with the pleasantness of simple interpersonal relations. Together they try to find Giri while simultaneously trying to evade capture by Raja's gang.

Cast

as Padmini *

as Rani *

as Giri *

Sajitha Madathil Sajitha Madathil is an Indian film and theatre actor. Her performance in Joy Mathew's feature film '' Shutter'' (2012) won her the State film award for second best actress. She is the head of the department of Acting at the K. R. Narayanan Na ...

as Lalithamma *

Dileesh Pothan Dileesh Philip (born 19 February 1980), also known as Dileesh Pothan is an Indian film director, actor and producer, who works in Malayalam cinema. He made his directorial debut with the 2016 comedy drama film '' Maheshinte Prathikaaram'', star ...

as Ullas Menon *

Sreenath Bhasi Sreenath Bhasi (born 29 May 1988) is an Indian actor, disco jockey and singer who works in Malayalam films. He started his career as a Radio Jockey in Red FM 93.5. At the same time he worked as a Video Jockey. He gained recognition in the film ' ...

as Trekker * Sandeep Narayanan as Hulk *

Soubin Shahir Soubin Shahir (born 12 October 1983) is an Indian actor and director who works in Malayalam cinema. He began his film career as an assistant director in 2003 and worked under several directors. Soubin made his acting debut in 2013 with a suppo ...

as Madan *Sooraj Harris as Sharukh Khan *

Binu Pappu ''Binu Pappu'' (born December 13, 1982), is an Indian actor and assistant director primarily working in the Malayalam movie industry. He is the son of legendary actor Kuthiravattam Pappu. He is mainly noted for his performances in the movies Hel ...

as Kareem *

Kunchan Kunchan is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Kunchan Nambiar Kunchan Nambiar was a prominent Malayalam poet of the 18th century (1705-1770). Apart from being a prolific poet, Nambiar is also famous as the originator of the da ...

as Shankaran Vaidyar *

Ambika Mohan Ambika Mohan is an Indian actress known for her work in Malayalam cinema and television series mostly in supporting roles. She made her debut in the film, ''Meghamalhar ''Meghamalhar'' is a 2001 Indian Malayalam-language romance film writ ...

as Padmini's mother *

Srinda Ashab Srinda (born 20 August 1985) is an Indian actress, model, and dubbing artist who predominantly works in the Malayalam cinema. Her debut film was '' Four Friends'' (2010). She is best known for her roles in Malayalam movies ''22 Female Kottayam'' ...

as Nandhini *

Sana Althaf Sana Althaf is an Indian actress who works in Malayalam and Tamil films. Career She was born in Kochi, Kerala to Althaf and Shameena Althaf. She attended Bhavan's Adarsha Vidyalaya in Kochi. She was a TV host before starting an acting career. ...

as Trekker * Aleena Shaji *Vivek Bhaskar as Rana Sherghill *

Subbalakshmi Subbalakshmi is an acclaimed Carnatic musician, composer and an actress in Malayalam movies. She is one of the prominent supporting actresses currently handling grand mother roles in Malayalam movies. She is noted for her performance in '' Kal ...

as Rani's grandmother/Suresh *

Ivana Ivana ( sr, Ивана) is a feminine given name of Slavic origin that is also popular in southern Ireland, France, French-speaking Canada, the Mediterranean and Latin America. It is the feminine form of the name Ivan, which are both the Slavic ...

Production

The official launch of the film was held at a function in

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

on 14 April 2015. Filmmakers

Lal Jose Lal Jose is an Indian director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Direc ...

Anwar Rasheed Anwar Rasheed is an Indian film director and producer who works in Malayalam films. He made his debut in 2005 with ''Rajamanikyam''.He continued to do successful action-comedy films, such as '' Chotta Mumbai'' (2007) and '' Annan Thambi'' (20 ...

and

Sameer Thahir Sameer C. Thahir ISC (born 7 November 1976) is an Indian cinematographer, screenwriter, and film director and producer who works mainly in the Malayalam cinema while also having worked in a few Tamil films. He is a graduate of Maharajas ...

were present at the function along with actors Shekhar Menon,

Maqbool Salmaan Maqbool Salmaan is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. The son of television actor Ibrahimkutty and the nephew of actor Mammooty, Maqbool made his acting debut by playing a short role in A. K. Saajan's '' Asuravithu'' (2012). H ...

and Siddique. Talking about the subject in an interview, Actress Manju said that, many would consider it as a women's empowerment movie with two female in the lead, it is not. "It is a visual treat with a lot of humor in a feminine tone and celebration of all-rounder aspect of women's capability, who can care, comfort and in even dire situations be a guiding force". Apart from

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, the film was shot extensively in

Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the ''Vale of Kashmir'', is an intermontane valley concentrated in the Kashmir Division of the Indian- union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The valley is bounded on the southwest by the Pir Panjal Range and ...

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

and

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

. The first look poster was released on 23 July. The first official trailer released on 9 October.

Critical reception

Veeyen of Nowrunning.com wrote that "

's go-girl tour-de-force is syrupy without ever being saccharine and tugging without ever being overwhelming. It's a film with the actress' proofed script for re-entry and strengthening of yesteryear female leads in Mollywood. It is intriguing with retrospection, and bolstered by a sharp planning and a helms a scrupulous director that can strike chords of the heart." Paresh C Palicha of Rediff.com stated that the film is an entertainer, and that "director

takes up the gamble of making a film with no male superstar."

Box office

The film collected on its first day of release and collected 1.66 crore within 4 days. It grossed in 14 days.

Music

The songs were released by the music label

Muzik 247 Muzik 247 based out of Chennai, acquires music rights for South Indian Cinema films, mainly Tamil, Malayalam and Tulu. The company was founded in 2012 by Naveen Bhandari, and has achieved a large market share of the Malayalam film music. About ...

on 14 October. Featuring four tracks, the music was composed by

with lyrics written by

Rafeeq Ahammed Rafeeq Ahmed (born 17 December 1961) is a Malayalam poet, lyricist and novelist. He has won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry and is a five-time winner of the Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyrics. With more than 600 songs in his cr ...

and Nellai Jayantha ("Puthu Puthu"). The first video song titled "Varu Pokaam Parakkaam" was released on 28 September. The song features childhood of Rani and Padmini.

Awards

;

Vanitha Film Awards The Vanitha Film Awards are presented annually by ''Vanitha'', an Indian magazine from the ''Malayala Manorama'' group in the south Indian state of Kerala. The awards ceremony has been instituted to honour both artistic and technical excellence i ...

*Special Performance (female) -

;

5th South Indian International Movie Awards The 5th South Indian International Movie Awards is an awards event held at Suntec Convention Centre, Singapore on 30 June and 1 July 2016. SIIMA 2016 will recognize the best films and performances from the past year, along with special honors ...

*Nominated - Best Actress in a Supporting Role -

*Nominated - Best Music Director - Bijipal ;

63rd Filmfare Awards South The 63rd Filmfare Awards South ceremony honouring the winners and nominees of the best of South Indian film industry, South Indian cinema in 2015 is an event held on 18 June 2016 at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre. List of nominee ...

*Nominated - Best Actress -

*Nominated - Best Playback Singer Female - Chitra Arun - "Oru Makaranilavay" ;

Asianet Film Awards The Asianet Film Awards is an award ceremony for films presented annually by Asianet, a Malayalam-language television network from the south-Indian state of Kerala. Asianet says that awards ceremony has been instituted to honour both artis ...

*Best Actress -

- Nominated (shared with

Ennum Eppozhum ''Ennum Eppozhum'' () is a 2015 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Ranjan Pramod based on a story by Raveendran. It was produced by Antony Perumbavoor under the production company Aashirvad ...

) *Best Character Actress -

- Nominated

References

External links

* * {{Aashiq Abu Indian road movies 2010s Malayalam-language films 2010s road movies Films set in Himachal Pradesh Films shot in Himachal Pradesh Films shot in Delhi Films shot in Jammu and Kashmir Indian feminist films Indian chase films Indian female buddy films 2015 films Indian adventure films Climbing films 2010s adventure films Films with screenplays by Syam Pushkaran Films about women in India Films set in Manali, Himachal Pradesh Films directed by Aashiq Abu