''Aakasha Gopuram'' ( ''Castle in the Air'') is a

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

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

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by

K. P. Kumaran K. P. Kumaran is an Indian film maker who works in the Malayalam cinema. He co-authored the script of '' Swayamvaram'' directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. Kumaran's first directorial venture was ''Athithi''. His major films include ''Rugmini'' (win ...

. It is a cinematic adaptation of

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

writer

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

's 1892 play ''

The Master Builder ''The Master Builder'' ( no, Bygmester Solness) is a play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It was first published in December 1892 and is regarded as one of Ibsen's more significant and revealing works. Performance The play was published ...

''. The film stars

Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeare ...

Nithya Menen Nithya Menen (born 8 April 1988) is an Indian actress and singer who has acted in more than 50 feature films and in six different languages: Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, English, and Telugu.In her acting career, Nithya has won three Film ...

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 ...

Manoj K. Jayan Manoj Kadampoothramadom Jayan also known as Manoj K.Jayan is an Indian actor of Malayalam and Tamil films. He has also done a few Telugu and Kannada films and has also acted in a Bollywood film. Manoj has won three Kerala State Film Award for Se ...

Sreenivasan Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such as ' ...

Geetu Mohandas Gayatri Das (born 8 June 1981), known professionally as Geetu Mohandas, is an Indian actress and director known for her works in Malayalam cinema and Bollywood. In 2013, she directed the socio political film '' Liar's Dice'' which has received ...

, and

Shwetha Menon Shwetha Menon is an Indian actress, model and television anchor. She won '' Femina Miss India Asia Pacific 1994''. She has predominantly acted in Malayalam and Hindi language films, besides appearing in a number of Telugu and Tamil Language Fil ...

Santosh Thundiyil Santosh Thundiyil is an Indian cinematographer. He is best known for films like ''Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'' (1998), ''Devadoothan'' (2000), ''Krrish'' (2006), '' Pinjar'' (2003), ''Rowdy Rathore'' (2012) and '' Jai Ho'' (2014). Early life and educat ...

handled the cinematography of the film, while British composer John Altman composed the music. Lyrics was written by Rajeev Alunkal. The film received positive response from critics and was also the official

and acting debut for actress

. Music was praised by the audience.

Plot

Akasha Gopuram is set among the Indian immigrant community in London and tells the story of Albert Samson, a middle-aged architect who has clawed his way to prominence. His single-minded focus on his job, however, has hardened him and prevented him and his wife Alice from having a meaningful family life. The costs of Samson's ambition are also symbolized in his assistant, Abraham Thomas, Samson's own former employer whom he treated badly to reach the top. Thomas, now dying, wants his son Alex to have more independence in the firm. Samson, however, fears that he will be eclipsed by a younger generation of architects, and refuses to allow Alex either to design original houses or to leave the firm and strike out on his own. Into this tense situation, enter Hilda Varghese, a vivacious young woman who idolized Samson ten years ago when, in the early stages of his career, he built a large church in her hometown and climbed to the top of its tower during its dedication ceremony. At that time Samson had promised "a kingdom" to Hilda, then a girl of twelve; now, Hilda who earnestly believes his word has come to collect her kingdom. As Samson struggles with the destructive consequences of his pursuit of glory and his growing fear that he has lost his creative powers, the mysterious Hilda helps him gain a glimpse of his former self.

Cast

as Albert Samson *

as Hilda Varghese *

Shweta Menon Shwetha Menon is an Indian actress, model and television anchor. She won '' Femina Miss India Asia Pacific 1994''. She has predominantly acted in Malayalam and Hindi language films, besides appearing in a number of Telugu and Tamil Language Fil ...

as Alice *

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 ...

as Abraham *

as Dr. Isaac *

as Alex *

as Catherine

Release

It had a premiere 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 ...

. It was selected for the Indian Panorama section at the

International Film Festival of India The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually, currently in the state of Goa, on the western coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common pla ...

References

External links

Official website
* {{authority control 2008 films 2000s Malayalam-language films Films based on works by Henrik Ibsen Films set in London 2008 drama films