''Swapaanam'' (English translation: ''The Voiding Soul'') is a 2014 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

Shaji N. Karun Shaji Neelakantan Karun (born 1 January 1952) is an Indian film director and cinematographer. His debut film '' Piravi'' (1988) won the Caméra d'Or – Mention d'honneur at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. He was the premiere chairman of the Keral ...

and produced by M. Rajan for Horizon Entertainments. The film features

Jayaram Jayaram Subramaniam, (born 10 December 1965) known mononymously as Jayaram, is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam,Tamil films, along with a few Telugu films. He is also a chenda percussionist, mimicry artist, and occasiona ...

and Kadambari in the lead roles, alongside Siddique,

Vineeth Vineeth Radhakrishnan (born 23 August 1969) is an Indian actor, classical dancer, voice artist and choreographer who primarily works in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu language films. He has also starred in a few Kannada and Bollywood films. He h ...

Lakshmi Gopalaswamy Lakshmi Gopalaswamy is an Indian actress from Karnataka and a classical dancer, qualified in Bharatanatyam. She has mainly acted in Malayalam films, while also appearing in few Tamil and Kannada films. She has also acted in several television s ...

in supporting roles. The music was composed by

Sreevalsan J Menon Sreevalsan J. Menon is an Indian Carnatic vocalist and a music composer from Kerala. Biography After initial training under Rajalakshmi Krishnan (disciple of Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar) and violinist T.V. Ramani at Thrissur, Menon had mu ...

, while the script was written by Harikrishnan and Sajeev Pazhoor, based on Shaji’s own story. The film was screened in the

Dubai International Film Festival The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF, ar, مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي) is the leading film festival in the Arab region. The 12th edition of DIFF took place from December 9 – 16, 2015. In 2018, the DIFF announce ...

. The film released with Auro 3D sound in selected theatres, becoming the first Malayalam movie and fourth Indian film to employ the technology after '' Maryan'' (Tamil), ''

Vishwaroopam ''Vishwaroopam'' (titled ''Vishwaroop'' in Hindi; ) is a 2013 Indian action spy film directed and produced by Kamal Haasan, who also enacts the lead role, and is written by Kamal Hassan, Chakri Toleti and Atul Tiwari. The film has Rahul Bose, ...

''(Tamil) and '' 1- Nenokkadine'' (Telugu).

Plot

The rhythm of life, even for a master drummer, is at the same moment disrupted and harmonized by the love, passion, jealousy, hate and spite of those around. Unequaled in the art of playing the

Chenda The Chenda ( ml, ചെണ്ട, ) is a cylindrical percussion instrument originating in the state of Kerala and widely used in Tulu Nadu of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in India. In Tulu Nadu (Coastal Karnataka), it is known as ''chende''. ...

, Unni, and Nalini, peerless in

Mohiniyattam Mohiniyattam, ( ml, മോഹിനിയാട്ടം), is an Indian classical dance form that developed and remained popular in the state of Kerala. Kathakali is another classical dance form of Kerala. Mohiniyattam dance gets its name fr ...

, are drawn to each other by an affection that transcends the devotion to their arts and the love for each other. The pulse of their passion cannot hold up against the tumults of Unni’s life. A brother and a father figure, whose love sours to jealousy and hate, a wife who despises his drumming and a mother from whom the truth about his birth is not forthcoming all hasten the tempo of a mental imbalance rooted in Unni’s childhood to an inevitable dark end.

Cast

as Unni * Kadambari as Nalini * Siddique as Narayanan Namboodiri *

as Thuppan Namboodiri * Sharath Das as Prakashan * Ashwini Ranga as Unni’s Mother * P.D.Namboodiri as Achyuthan * Udayan Namboodiri as Kuttan *

as Kalyani *

Indrans Indrans is an Indian actor and former costume designer, who appears in Malayalam films.His mentor was Shiyas M S, a law college student. He started his film career as a costume designer and actor in 1981 and got a breakthrough in 1994 with the ...

as Selvam *

P. Sreekumar P. Sreekumar is an Indian actor, scriptwriter, director and producer who appears in Malayalam movies. He has acted in more than 150 Malayalam films. Presently he is serving as the Chairman of Kerala Cultural Activists Welfare Fund Board. Backgro ...

as Shankaran Marar *

Namboothiri The Nambudiri (), also transliterated as Nampoothiri, Nambūdiri, Namboodiri, Nampoothiri, and Nampūtiri, are a Malayali Brahmin caste, native to what is now the state of Kerala, India, where they constituted part of the traditional feudal el ...

as Temple Priest * K. Suresh Kurup as Pookatri Thirumeni *

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 Kuttan’s Wife *

Margi Sathi Margi Sathi (official name P. S. Sathi Devi) (1965 - 2015) was an exponent of Nangiǎr Kūthu which is a form of performing art derived from Koodiyattam and which is traditionally performed by the female members of the Chakkyar community of Keral ...

as Achyuthan’s Wife * M.Thankamani (Retd. AIR Staff) as Vineeth's Mother

Soundtrack

Awards

National Film Award for Best Audiography The National Film Award for Best Audiography is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several awards pres ...

- D. Yuvaraj

References

External links

* {{Shaji N. Karun , state=collapsed 2010s Malayalam-language films Films shot in Thrissur Films shot in Palakkad Films shot in Ottapalam Films scored by Sreevalsan J. Menon Films directed by Shaji N. Karun Films that won the Best Audiography National Film Award