''Yathra Chodikkathe'' (

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 ...

: യാത്ര ചോദിക്കാതെ, meaning ''Without Bidding Farewell'') is a 2016

film directed by Aneesh Varma, starring

Kalabhavan Mani Kunnisseri Veettil Raman Mani (1 January 1971 – 6 March 2016), better known by his stage name Kalabhavan Mani, was an Indian actor and singer. Mani started his career as a mimicry artist with the Kalabhavan comedy troupe. He had starred in ov ...

and Reena Basheer. This was Kalabhavan Mani's last movie. The film was released posthumously on 8 April 2016 and met with negative reviews. ''Yathra Chodikkathe'' had a fifteen day theatrical run. The film was released after Kalabhavan Mani's death.

Synopsis

The story is about a

Kuttanadu Kuttanad ( ml, കുട്ടനാട്‌) is a region covering the Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta Districts, in the state of Kerala, India, well known for its vast paddy fields and geographical peculiarities. The region has the lo ...

girl named Ponnu (Minu Kurian), who studies in Kochi. She is the daughter of Balan (

) and Indira (Reena Basheer). Her roommate, Sandra, keeps insisting to meet her Auntie, but she is so focused on studying that she ignores Sandra's request. Balan occasionally came to the city to meet his daughter. Balan's friend, Maniyappan (

Sadiq Sadiq is a male name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Ja'far al-Sadiq, the 8th-century Muslim scholar and scientist, considered as an Imam and founder of the Ja'fari school of jurisprudence by Twelver and Isma'ili Shi’as, and a major fi ...

), offers him a mobile phone as a gift to Ponnu, but she is also given a phone by her Aunty. Ponnu learns about Sanju, Aunty's nephew, who expressed interest in marrying Ponnu. Ponnu then falls for Sanju who has deep affection for Ponnu, which is expressed by his willingness to marry her once her studies are completed. When Balan comes to the hostel to offer the mobile, Ponnu asks him to stop visiting her so frequently, which hurts Balan. She rejects Balan's phone. Balan returns dejected. Ponnu is taken to her aunt's house by Sandra, to meet Sanju's father. She is molested there by a person claiming to be Sanju's father. She is forced into prostitution by her Aunty, in order to not to lose Sanju. Sanju, however, is unaware of this arrangement. During one encounter, she is arrested by the police. Maniyappan's friend who is in the police informs him about the incident. Maniyappan takes Balan to the police station to identify Ponnu. Balan takes her home and asks her to discontinue her studies. Balan plans to marry her to a local man, despite opposition from his wife. Ponnu flees to a hostel. She learns that Sanju is not related to Aunty. Balan goes to the hostel and forcefully brings her home. Ponnu resists, causing a scene. The police arrive and seek to understand the situation. Sandra claims that Balan repeatedly molested Ponnu at her house, which is why she is unwilling to go with him. They are both taken into police custody. Newspapers publish Balan's story as narrated by Sandra, and Balan's reputation is badly damaged. Indira leaves to stay with her siblings. After paying his bail, Balan and Maniyappan go to Balan's house. On the way, he is treated badly. He is shocked to see that his wife, Indira, has left him. Unable to bear the humiliation, he hangs himself from a tree.

Cast

as Balan *

as Maniyappan *

Anil Panachooran Anil Panachooran (20 November 1969 – 3 January 2021) was an Indian lawyer, poet and lyricist, who worked in the Malayalam film industry. While undergoing treatment for COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in India, he died on 3 January 2021, f ...

as Shivan * Reena Basheer as Indira * Suryakanth as Sanju * Sreekumar *Manuraj as Murali * Kannan Pattambi as Chandran * Jolly Mothedan as Aunty/Usha * Gopu Kesav * Surya Kiran as Sandra *

Nisha Sarang Nisha Sarang (born 2 July 1970) is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam films and television serials. She is best known for playing the character of Neelima in the TV sitcom ''Uppum Mulakum'', broadcast on Flowers. She won the Kerala State ...

as Suma * Minu Kurian as Ponnu

References

{{Reflist 2016 films 2010s Malayalam-language films