'' Sandhya Mayangum Neram'' () is a 1983 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 film directed by

Bharathan Bharathan (14 November 1946 – 30 July 1998) was an Indian film maker, artist, and art director. Bharathan is noted for being the founder of a new school of film making in Malayalam cinema, along with Padmarajan and K. G. George, in th ...

, written by John Paul and produced Boban Kunchakko. Starring

Bharat Gopy Gopynathan Velayudhan Nair (2 November 1937 – 29 January 2008), popularly known by the stage name Bharat Gopy, was an Indian actor, producer and director. He was one of the first actors to be associated with the New Wave cinema movement in K ...

Sreenath Sreenath (26 August 1956 – 23 April 2010) was an Indian film and television actor. He has acted in many Malayalam films, including ''Shalini Ente Koottukari'', ''Ithu Njangalude Katha'', ''Oru CBI Diary Kurippu'', and '' Kireedam''. Sreenat ...

T. G. Ravi T. G. Ravindranathan (born 16 May 1944), popularly known as T. G. Ravi, is an Indian actor, mainly noted for his roles as a villain in Malayalam cinema. He along with Balan K. Nair played most of the negative roles in Malayalam cinema during t ...

Jayabharathy Jayabharathi is an Indian actress. She is a two-time recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for best actress. Jayabharathi's first leading role was given by director P. Bhaskaran for his movie Kattukurangu in 1969. Later she became one of ...

Philomina Philomina (1926 – 2 January 2006) was an Indian actress, who worked in the Malayalam film industry. She acted in more than 750 films in her career. She played mostly character and comedy roles, besides that of mother and grandmother. She star ...

and

Unni Mary Unni Mary (born 12 March 1962) is an Indian actress who works mainly in Malayalam films. She has also worked in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films, where she had used the screen name Deepa. Personal life Unnimary was born to Augustine Fernandes a ...

. Film critic

Kozhikodan K. Appukuttan Nair (1925–2007), better known as Kozhikodan, was a film critic and writer from Kerala, India. He began writing on films from the early 1950s. He started writing in ''Mathrubhumi'' and '' Chandrika'', and later became a regular co ...

included the film on his list of the 10 best Malayalam movies of all time.

Plot

Bharath Gopi Gopynathan Velayudhan Nair (2 November 1937 – 29 January 2008), popularly known by the stage name Bharat Gopy, was an Indian actor, producer and director. He was one of the first actors to be associated with the New Wave cinema movement in ...

plays the role of a Judge, Balgangadhara Menon, who retires with his last judgement - a capital punishment to a man he once knew. He had sentenced ten people to their death, and later in the evening of his life remorse sets in and he becomes obsessed with whether he was right in hanging all those people. The story begins with the death verdict in a court in Kerala by Balgangadhara Menon. With narrators adding passive commentary on his character of detachment and obsession, the plot is depicted with multiple frames of characteristics. He comes back from the court announcing to his children to ''go spread the word that dad is not going to court anymore.'' B. M. has three kids, two daughters and a son. His wife's sister also stays at the same house. After the verdict, B. M. is seen troubled with himself, arguing his guilt towards announcing the death of ten men (he refers to them as breadwinners) in his private chamber circled with books and typical red shade of the court with a centrally placed judge's chair. Eventually, you see the romance of the wife's sister Rohini with a Man named Mohan. Yashodha is seen approving, blushing and walking away from the tingling moments, whenever. On the day of B. M.'s retirement reception, he angrily speaks to the audience about how demeaning the role of a judge who has to write off ten lives is. A psychiatrist and police friend of B. M. are seen dragging him off the stage while Yashodha breaks in hushed weeps. Afterwards, the police friend convinces B. M. to meet the psychiatrist. B. M. is seen recalling his memory of visiting one of the families of the felons he'd convicted to death. The family abuses and curses at him when he offers money for the penance. He is seen fleeing the seen after getting beaten up by the large fatherless family. The doctor is seen counselling him and prescribing a few tablets while B. M. argues how a man wouldn't become insane after such a horrible life. The doctor contacts Yashoda and enquires about his behaviour at home. Yashoda confesses that B. M. does not have a healthy sexual appetite and it has been 7–8 years since their last congress. She narrates how he began to feel scared of people in the room since their last child and they do not sleep together anymore. Doctor suggests Yashoda to revive the sexuality in B. M. in her own ways. Yashoda tries to approach B. M. when he is sleeping by laying next to him and caressing his forehead. B. M. wakes with a smile but instantly begins to see sudden series of flashes of the families of the people whom he killed. He then jumps off the bed and demeans the sexuality of Yashoda. Upon reaching home, he witnesses a glimpse of the Rohini-Mohan Romance. He also notices Yashoda talking to Mohan while the latter was leaving the house. He begins to imagine Mohan and Yashoda together. After a family trip that B. M. did not attend with Yashoda, the kids, Rohini and Mohan to fix the lovebirds' marriage, B. M.'s delusions began unfolding fiercely. B. M. shares his thoughts of Yashoda's extra-marital affairs with the doctor and the psychiatrist, but both shush him up and warn him not to share it with anyone. He lashes out at Yashoda and Rohini for seducing the same person, regardless of their blood relations. Another day, Yashoda, Rohini and the kids go for a marriage reception. Yashoda apparently hastily went off mid-way when she received a call and authorized Rohini to take the kids home. B. M. is shocked at the news when the Rohini and the kids reach home but emphasizes that he will wait for her. In the morning, there is no Yashoda and B. M. is seen complaining how he did not sleep awaiting the call or knock on the door by Yashoda. He calls the psychiatrist and the police and they begin the investigation. They find that Mohan is also missing. Several tidbits add to the assumption that Yashoda and Mohan must have eloped and B. M. is right. But, the police officer does not cease his investigation. In the climax, he informs B. M. that Yashoda was dropped by a Taxi in front of the house on the night of the reception. B. M. tries to join random dots to frame that Yashoda is a shrewd woman who cleverly eloped without a clue left behind. However, midway through his rant, B. M.'s brain begins to autofire and he pauses. B. M. continues with the story of how he was the one who called Yashoda to come back home on the night of the reception. He also told Yahoda to call Mohan to come home as well as her brother Ramu had come from far to meet both for her sister's marriage. When she reaches he takes her to the chamber and begins to make out using a feather and so on. Midway, he caresses Yashoda's neck and suddenly begins to strangle her. After B. M. comes out of the chamber, Mohan is seen entering the house. B. M. invites Mohan into the chamber and kills him using the door. Another monologue continues, B. M. where his attire is transformed into that of a man convicted for death sentence. He praises the noose across his neck and the black clothes as he believes the same emphasizes that he is truly one amongst the felons. The story is seen ending with him and the ten felons dancing in the aforementioned black robe and noose in the desert, hand-in-hand.

Cast

as Balagangadhara Menon *

as Yasodha *

as Mohan *

Unnimary Unni Mary (born 12 March 1962) is an Indian actress who works mainly in Malayalam films. She has also worked in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films, where she had used the screen name Deepa. Personal life Unnimary was born to Augustine Fernandes a ...

as Rohini *

as Ramu *

Prathapachandran Prathapachandran (1941–2004) was an Indian actor, who worked predominantly in Malayalam film, Malayalam film industry, though he acted in a few Tamil and Telugu movies as well. He known for the portrayal of villainous and character roles in o ...

as Varma * Sudha as Shanthi * Raghavan as Dr. Cheriyan *

Santhakumari Santha Kumari (born Vellaala Subbamma; 17 May 1920 – 16 January 2006) was an Indian musical artist and actress. She was married to the Telugu film director and producer P. Pullayya. Early years Vellaala Subbamma was born in Proddatur town, ...

Achankunju Achankunju ( ml, അച്ചൻകുഞ്ഞ്) (1930 - 16 January 1987) was an Indian actor in Malayalam cinema. He started his career in the 1980s, mainly portraying villainous roles. He acted in more than 50 films in Malayalam. Backgrou ...

as Poulosekutty *Ponnambili as Sharada

Soundtrack

The music was composed by

Shyam Shyam is a name of Krishna and an Indian masculine given name and surname. Notable people with this name include: ;Shyam *Shyam (actor), Indian Hindi film actor *Shyam (composer), an Indian music composer from Kerala * Shyam Benegal, Indian film di ...

and the lyrics were written by

O. N. V. Kurup Ottaplakkal Neelakandan Velu Kurup (known as O. N. V. Kurup; 27 May 1931 – 13 February 2016) was a Malayalam poet and lyricist from Kerala, India, who won the Jnanpith Award, the highest literary award in India for the year 2007. He receive ...

References

External links

* {{Bharathan 1980s Malayalam-language films Films directed by Bharathan