''Yakshi'' is a 1968

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

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting. In terms of context and co ...

film, directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan and written by

Thoppil Bhasi Thoppil Bhaskara Pillai, known as Thoppil Bhasi (8 April 1924 – 8 December 1992) was an Indian Malayalam-language playwright, screenwriter, and film director. He was associated with the communist movement in Kerala and his play '' Ningalenne ...

, based on

Malayattoor Ramakrishnan K. V. Ramakrishna Iyer, better known by his pen name, Malayattoor Ramakrishnan (27 May 1927 – 27 December 1997), was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature, cartoonist, lawyer, judicial magistrate, and Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of ...

's novel of the same name. The film stars Sathyan, Sharada,

Adoor Bhasi K. Bhaskaran Nair (1 March 1929 – 29 March 1990), known by his stage name Adoor Bhasi, was an Indian actor and film director from Kerala. Adoor Bhasi was almost always cast as the man who stands next to the hero. His hilarious actions and role ...

N. Govindan Kutty N. Govindan Kutty was a Malayalam film actor. He has appeared in around 100 films, acting mainly in villain roles. Background Kutty was born at Fort Kochi in 1924, Ernakulam as the son of Sankara Narayanan and Nanukutty Amma. He was a natura ...

Bahadoor Padiyath Kochumoideen Kunjalu (1930 22 May 2000), known by his stage name Bahadoor, was an Indian actor and comedian who, along with Adoor Bhasi, redefined the way in which comedy and funny scenes were perceived in the Malayalam cinema. They ...

, Ushakumari,

Sukumari Sukumari Amma (6 October 1940 – 26 March 2013) was an Indian actress best known for her works in Malayalam and Tamil films. In a career spanning more than five decades, She has appeared in more than 2500 films predominantly in Malayalam, Tam ...

, Rajakokila and Radhika. It is considered by historians to be the first psychological thriller in

Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema is an 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, ''Elippathayam' ...

Plot

A college lecturer Sreenivasan ( Sathyan) is doing research on the unscientific and superstitious topic of the

Yakshi ''Yakshinis'' or ''yakshis'' (यक्षिणी sa, yakṣiṇī or ''yakṣī''; pi, yakkhiṇī or ''yakkhī'') are a class of female nature spirits in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious mythologies that are different from devas and ...

s. He is disfigured in an accident in his college lab. Everyone adored him begins to hate him and keep away from him for his looks. He meets a beautiful woman, Ragini ( Sharada). She is willing to accept him despite his disfigurement. Sreenivasan marries Ragini and they lead a happy life. After a while, Sreenivasan has doubts about the identity of his wife; he suspects that she is a Yakshi. He dreams that Ragini wants to murder him to gain immortality by drinking his blood. Sreenivasan allows her to take his life, but because of the strong passion and love towards him, Ragini lets him live and disappears. When Sreenivasan wakes up from the dream, policemen take him to a psychiatrist on the basis of the missing of Ragini and Sreenivasan's retarded behaviour. Sreenivasan tells them cops that, Ragini is a Yakshi and disappeared in front of him. But no one believes him. The psychiatrist reveals to the cops that, Sreenivasan is mentally ill because of his constant thoughts about Yakshis. He confesses that he murdered Ragini while she was dressing up due to his mental illness.

Cast

* Sharada as Ragini * Sathyan as Professor Sreenivasan (Sreeni) *

Sreelatha Namboothiri Sreelatha Namboothiri (born Anjilivelil Vasantha) is an Indian actress and playback singer who works in Malayalam cinema and television. She has acted in more than 300 films. ''Khadeeja'' in 1967 was her debut movie. Early life Sreelatha was ...

as Vanaja *

as Ananthan *

as Kalyani *

as Paramu * N. Govindankutty as Chandran *Radhika *

Rajakokila Rajakokila/Rajkokila was an Indian actress. She was a prominent lead actress during the 1970s in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu films. She was well noted for her glamorous roles. She is married to Crossbelt Mani. The actress Meena is her ...

as Chandran's Wife *

Vennira Aadai Nirmala Vennira Aadai Nirmala (born as A. B. Shanthi in Kumbakonam) is an Indian actress who has appeared in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. She was a prominent lead actress from 1960s and 70s. She is credited as Ushakumari in Malayalam film indust ...

as Vijayalakshmi

Soundtrack

The music was composed by

G. Devarajan Paravoor Govindan Devarajan (1927–2006), popularly known as G. Devarajan or Devarajan master, was an Indian music composer and Carnatic singer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Indian film music. He sco ...

and the lyrics were written by

Vayalar Ramavarma Vayalar Ramavarma (March 25, 1928 – October 27, 1975), also known as Vayalar, was an Indian poet and lyricist of Malayalam language. He was known for his poems which include ''Sargasangeetham'', ''Mulankaadu'', ''Padamudrakal'', ''Aayisha'' a ...

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0255706 1960s Malayalam-language films 1960s psychological thriller films 1968 films Films based on Indian novels Films directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan Indian psychological thriller films