''Kammatipaadam'', alternatively spelled as ''Kammatti Paadam'', is a 2016 Indian
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...
-language
action drama film directed by
Rajeev Ravi
Rajeev Ravi is an Indian cinematographer, director, and producer from Kochi, Kerala. He's best known for his work in Hindi and Malayalam films.
After graduating from Film and Television Institute of India, Pune in 1997, he started his career ...
and written by
P. Balachandran. The film stars
Dulquer Salmaan
Dulquer Salmaan (born 28 July 1986) is an Indian actor, playback singer and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam and Tamil films, in addition to Telugu and Hindi films. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in business manageme ...
,
Vinayakan,
Shaun Romy,
Manikandan R. Achari,
Vinay Forrt
Vinay Kumar, professionally credited as Vinay Forrt is an Indian film and stage actor. He hails from Fort Kochi, Kerala and is a theatre activist with more than a decade's worth of experience in the theatrical field as well as a postgraduate in ...
,
Shine Tom Chacko
Shine Tom Chacko (born 15 September 1983) is an Indian actor and former assistant director who works in Malayalam cinema. After working as an assistant to director Kamal for about 9 years, he forayed into acting through the film. ''Gaddama''. ...
, and
Suraj Venjaramoodu.
The songs were composed by
K,
John P. Varkey and
Vinayakan while the background score was composed by K.
The film centers on
Kammattippaadam, a slum locality 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 ...
,
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 ...
. It focuses on how the
Dalit
Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming ...
community was forced to give up their lands to real-estate mafias and how modern urbanisation of
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 ...
metro-city took place over the plight of the Dalits.
The film won four awards at the
47th Kerala State Film Awards, including Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Art Director and Best Film Editing. It has been listed by several publications as one of the
best Malayalam films of the decade and a defining movie of the
New Wave Movement.
Plot
Krishnan, who works in a security firm in Mumbai, receives a call from his childhood friend Ganga. The call indicates that Ganga is in danger and needs Krishnan's help. Later, Krishnan travels to Kerala to find Ganga. During his journey, Krishnan recalls the memories of his hometown Kammattippaadam.
In the early 1980s, Krishnan, a primary school student befriends Gangadharan/Ganga, a kid who belongs to a Dalit family. Ganga's brother Balan/Balan Chettan is a thug and is involved in smuggling spirit. Both Krishnan and Ganga are introduced to violence at a very young age. Krishnan is in love with Anitha, a relative of Ganga (Anitha is Ganga's bride as per custom).
Krishnan, Ganga, Balan Chettan, Venu and others form a gang working for a local real estate conman named Surendran Aashaan. After the gang is involved in a fight, Krishnan kills a police officer while trying to save Ganga. He then goes to jail and returns to Kammattippaadam only to discover that the gang is now more advanced and are smuggling spirit under the leadership of Surendran Aashaan. The gang creates a lot of enemies, which includes Johnny. Krishnan discovers that Ganga is also in love with Anitha and is planning to get married soon. The gang threatens the local people to leave their homes at low price. Ganga's grandfather is devastated at his grandchildrens' involvement in it and he dies grief-stricken at their disrespect.
Balan who is now a changed man after his grandfather's death wants to stop everything. One night Balan's wife demands to go to medical shop to get some supplies. They are accompanied by both Ganga and Krishnan. Balan Chettan says that he wants to stop his criminal activity and simply wants to live happily with his family in Kammattippaadam by starting a travel agency. During their conversation about Anitha, Balan mentions his wish to see Krishnan marry her and this causes Ganga and Balan to end up in a fight. Ganga gets out of the car. Later, Balan, Krishnan and Balan's wife Rosamma reach the nearby medical shop. Rosamma and Krishnan get out of the car and walk towards the medical shop. Balan, too intoxicated stays in the car which moments later gets hit by a truck, explodes and leaves Balan Chettan dead. Ganga blames Krishnan for his brother's death and both their friendship is torn apart.
Later, Krishnan starts a travel agency and Ganga still remains a thug. The gang later hanging out in a bar, a discussion cracks out among the gang members, one among them asks whether Krishnan remembers how much he has vomited while coming back from a trip at Alappuzha & he says the stain of Krishnan's vomit is still persistent on the bathroom wall, meanwhile they meet a friend Sumesh & the discussion turns to be serious when they learn that Johnny was the one who planned Balan's murder. An enraged Krishnan and Ganga stab Johnny, landing them in trouble, chased by the police. Krishnan gets arrested saving Ganga. Meanwhile, Ganga marries Anitha and then Krishnan relocates to Mumbai.
In the present, Krishnan learns about the mishaps created by Ganga and tries to find him with the help of Rosamma. Rosamma reveals that it could be Johnny who is behind Ganga's problems and Krishnan sets on a journey to find Johnny. Johnny who is paralysed after Ganga stabbing him says that he is not aware of Ganga's whereabouts. Krishnan beats down all of Johnny's gang members but the fight ends with Krishnan getting stabbed by Johnny's brother Sunny.
Later, Krishnan is left heartbroken when he hears that Ganga's dead body has been found. He later seeks the help of Aashaan who is now a big business entrepreneur to find the real killer only to discover that he is the one who murdered Ganga. Aashaan reveals that he killed Ganga due to his constant disturbance and demands for money. Aashaan is killed by Krishnan kicking him out the window of his high storey apartment built on the swamps on Kammattippaadam.
Cast
*
Dulquer Salmaan
Dulquer Salmaan (born 28 July 1986) is an Indian actor, playback singer and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam and Tamil films, in addition to Telugu and Hindi films. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in business manageme ...
as Krishnan
*
Vinayakan as Gangadharan
*
Shaun Romy as Anitha (voice over by
Srinda Arhaan )
*
Manikandan R Achari
Manikandan R. Achari is an Indian actor who has appeared in many Malayalam films and theatre productions. He made his film debut in the 2016 film ''Kammatipaadam''.
Personal life
Manikandan was born in 1980 at Thrippunithura, Kerala. He marr ...
as Balakrishnan/Balan Chettan
*
Vinay Forrt
Vinay Kumar, professionally credited as Vinay Forrt is an Indian film and stage actor. He hails from Fort Kochi, Kerala and is a theatre activist with more than a decade's worth of experience in the theatrical field as well as a postgraduate in ...
as Venu
*
Shine Tom Chacko
Shine Tom Chacko (born 15 September 1983) is an Indian actor and former assistant director who works in Malayalam cinema. After working as an assistant to director Kamal for about 9 years, he forayed into acting through the film. ''Gaddama''. ...
as Johnny
*
Anil Nedumangad
Anil Nedumangad (also known as P. Anil; 30 May 1972 – 25 December 2020) was an Indian actor who appeared in Malayalam films.
Acting career
He made his debut in '' Thaskaraveeran'' with an uncredited appearance. His breakthrough was in the ...
as Surendran aka Aashaan
*
Amalda Liz as Rosamma
*
P. Balachandran as Krishnan's father
*
Rasika Dugal
Rasika Dugal (born 17 January 1985) is an Indian actress. She is known for her roles in several Indian movies and television shows.
She made her screen debut with a small role, in the film '' Anwar'' (2007). And then she went onto star in many ...
as Juhi
*
Suraj Venjarammood
Suraj Vasudevan (born 30 June 1976), professionally credited as Suraj Venjaramoodu, is an Indian actor, comedian, impressionist, and television presenter, who appears in Malayalam films, television and stage plays. He has acted in more than 2 ...
as Sumesh
*
Alencier Ley Lopez as Mathai
*
Anjali Aneesh
Anjali Nair (born 16 July 1988) is an Indian actress and model who predominantly works in Malayalam film industry. She is a recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for Best Character Actress at Kerala State film Awards in 2015.
Early and per ...
as Krishnan's mother
*
Muthumani
Muthumani Somasundaran is an Indian actress who mainly works in Malayalam films. She made her cinematic debut through the Malayalam film ''Rasathanthram'' directed by Sathyan Anthikkad's in 2006.
Early life and education
Muthumani was born in ...
as Krishnan's sister
* Sreekanth Chandran as Martin (Police Officer)
*
Shane Nigam
Shane Nigam is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. Having made his debut with the 2013 road film '' Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi'' (2013), he went to receive wider attention for his performances in various successful drama ...
as Sunny, Johnny's brother
*
Ganapathi
Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu d ...
as Charlie
* Vijay Kumar as Paranki Majeed
*
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 Karate Biju (extended cameo)
*Sidharth Rajendran as Thola Benny.
*Divya Gopinath as Paranki Majeed's wife
*
Shalu Rahim Shalu may refer to:
*Shalu (sari), regional variant of the sari from Banaras (Varanasi), India
*Shalu Monastery, or Ṣalu Monastery, in Shigatse, Tibet
*Shalu District, district in Taichung, Taiwan
*Shalu railway station
Shalu () is a ra ...
as young Krishnan
*Vishnu raghu as Abu
*Sudarshan Appangad as Achachan
Background
Ernakulam was a small town during the early 1950s, and during the
first communist government of EMS Namboodiripad in 1957, small tracts of farm land were given to all landless community, mainly to the
Dalit
Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming ...
community, under the
Land Reforms Ordinance Act. But in the later years, Ernakulam boomed into a metro city, and real estate skyrocketed. The swamps and paddy fields were converted to housing boards, luxury villas and apartments.
''Kammatipadam'' shows how the Dalits were forced by their own brethren (depicted in the film as Balan Chettan and gang) to sell out their lands to the real estate mafia, of which the members were born among them (represented by Surendran aka Aashaan in the film). It is an irony that Balan Chettan and Gangadharan who work as goons of the mafia themselves are grandsons of a staunch Communist grandfather (Achachan in the film). Father of Gangadharan is also depicted as strong believer of Communism, who reads only
Deshabhimani
''Deshabhimani'' is a Malayalam newspaper and the organ of the Kerala State Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). It started as a weekly in Calicut on 6 September 1942 and converted to a daily in 1946. The paper now has ten diffe ...
, the official Communist daily. By the time Balan and the gang understood the reality, literally, they lost the ground under their feet and even their lives. Dalits had no right over the lands through generations, but when they got it, their own next generation's irresponsible and uncivil deeds, despite the warning from elders, led to losing those rights. The events in the movie show how undesirable events unfold within a community that does not understand the meaning of
liberty
Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom.
In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...
and lacks unity and civility. Because of the rude deeds of few uncivil minds in their own community, the history of Dalits repeats, as most of them lose their lands and existence itself. Although the film upholds intercaste friendship and marriage values, the main characters' lives are depicted to be wasted due to their irresponsible and impulsive behaviour.
Rajeev Ravi wrote in an article in ''Deshabhimani'' few days after the release of the movie that the word ‘Pulayan’ was not allowed to be used even once in the movie by the Censor Board.
Production
The film started production in September 2015 in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
.
The title ''Kammattipaadam'' was announced in February 2016.
The filming was completed on 10 March 2016 and the release was scheduled for May 2016. A one-minute twenty five second long trailer of film was released on 16 May in YouTube.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack features songs composed by three composers, namely
K,
John P. Varkey and
Vinayakan. The
background score was composed by
K.
Release and reception
''Kammatipaadam'' released in theatres on May 20, 2016. The DVDs and VCDs of the film were released on 10 August 2016.
Critical reception
Anurag Kashyap has stated that ''Kammatipaadam'' is one of the best gangster movies ever made in India. He also appreciated the brilliant performance of actors in the movie.
Gowtham VS of ''
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split be ...
'' wrote: "Rajiv Ravi has dismantled all conventional concepts of Malayali aesthetics by capturing the unadulterated beauty of black skin through characters who portrayed the lives of Dalits. The director has continued to use his anarchic concepts of visualisation, which include shaky shots, blurred frames and sometimes abrupt sequences. The realistic and daring approach of Rajiv Ravi deserves standing ovation at times when the paper tigers in this industry still fear to come up with something different from the old mould." A critic from ''Indiaglitz.com'' described it as "one classy movie which needs to be applauded for its passion and intensity".
Box office
The film has collected on its opening day at the Kerala box office, becoming the fifth Malayalam film of 2016 with highest first day collection after ''
Kali
Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In this tra ...
'', ''
King Liar
''King Liar'' is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film with a story by Siddique, screenplay by Siddique-Lal and directed by Lal. The stars Dileep, Lal, Asha Sharath and Madonna Sebastian in the lead roles. It was produced by ...
'', ''
Darvinte Parinamam
''Darvinte Parinamam'' () is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language action comedy film directed by Jijo Antony. It stars Prithviraj Sukumaran, Chemban Vinod Jose, Chandini Sreedharan, and Balu Varghese. Written by Manoj Nair, it revolves around th ...
'' and ''
Action Hero Biju
''Action Hero Biju'' is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language police procedural comedy film directed by Abrid Shine. The film stars Nivin Pauly, Anu Emmanuel, Saiju Kurup, Joju George, Alexander Prasanth , Kalabhavan Prajod, Rony David and Sohan S ...
'' and within three days of release from the Kochi multiplexes and from the Chennai box office. It collected from all over India in its first week. The film collected around within 12 days from all India box office. The film collected during its third weekend in the U.S. market. The film was a super hit collecting from Kerala box office, the budget was .
Awards
;
Kerala State Film Awards (
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
)
*
Best Actor –
Vinayakan
*
Best Character Actor –
Manikandan R. Achari
*
Best Film Editor – B. Ajithkumar
*
Best Art Director – Gokuldas N. V., S. Nagaraj
;
Filmfare Awards South (
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
)
* Won,
Critics Award for Best Actor –
Dulquer Salmaan
Dulquer Salmaan (born 28 July 1986) is an Indian actor, playback singer and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam and Tamil films, in addition to Telugu and Hindi films. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in business manageme ...
* Won,
Best Supporting Actor – Vinayakan
** Nominated,
Best Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
– ''Kammatipaadam''
** Nominated,
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to:
Film awards
* AACTA Award for Best Direction
* Academy Award for Best Director
* BA ...
–
Rajeev Ravi
Rajeev Ravi is an Indian cinematographer, director, and producer from Kochi, Kerala. He's best known for his work in Hindi and Malayalam films.
After graduating from Film and Television Institute of India, Pune in 1997, he started his career ...
** Nominated,
Best Lyricist –
Anwar Ali for "Para Para"
;
South Indian International Movie Awards
South Indian International Movie Awards, also known as the SIIMA Awards, rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to appre ...
(
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
)
* Won, Best Film – ''Kammatipaadam''
** Nominated, Best Director – Rajeev Ravi
** Nominated, Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Vinayakan
** Nominated, Best Debut Actor – Manikandan R. Achari
** Nominated, Best Lyricist – Anwar Ali for "Puzhu Pulikal"
;
IIFA Utsavam
The annual IIFA Utsavam rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. The ceremony is organised by Wizcraft International, the team behind the IIFA Awards, and represents Tamil cinema, Telugu cinema, Malay ...
(
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
)
* Won, Best Performance In A Supporting Role - Male – Vinayakan
** Nominated, Best Picture – ''Kammatipaadam''
** Nominated, Best Direction – Rajeev Ravi
** Nominated, Best Story – Rajeev Ravi
** Nominated, Best Performance In A Negative Role – Anil Nedumangad
** Nominated, Best Music Direction –
John P. Varkey
** Nominated, Best Lyrics – Anwar Ali for "Para Para"
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, 5458088, Kammatti Paadam
2016 films
2016 action drama films
Indian action drama films
Films about friendship
Films about missing people
Films set in Mumbai
Films shot in Mumbai
Films set in Kerala
Films scored by K (composer)
2010s Malayalam-language films
Films scored by John P. Varkey
Films scored by Vinayakan