''Kayamkulam Kochunni'' is a 1966 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 wa ...

-language period drama film written, produced and directed by P. A. Thomas. Dialogues were written by Jagathy N. K. Achary. It is based on the life of the 19th century thief

Kayamkulam Kochunni Kayamkulam Kochunni (born 1818) was a heroic outlaw from Kayamkulam, who lived during the late 19th century. He was active in the Travancore area in the present-day Kerala, India. He is said to have stolen from the rich and given to the poor. Le ...

, who is known for stealing from rich and giving to poor. The film stars Sathyan,

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 ...

and

Manavalan Joseph Manavalan Joseph was a Malayalam film actor. He is an actor who worked in many movies during the 1950s and 1960s. He died in 1986 Background Manavalan Joseph was born at Fort Kochi then in the Malabar District of the Madras Presidency of Briti ...

and K. J. Yesudas. The soundtrack was composed by B. A. Chidambaranath. ''Kayamkulam Kochunni'' released on 29 July 1966 was a commercial success at the box office. Its sequel, '' Kaayamkulam Kochunniyude Makan'', was released in 1976.

Cast

* Sathyan as

as Ochira Pachu Pillai *

as Thommichan * K. J. Yesudas as Khader, A Suruma seller *

Muthukulam Raghavan Pillai Muthukulam Raghavan Pillai (1900–1979) was a Malayalam dramatist, poet, screen play writer and actor who was well known in the role of Ashaan in Kavyamela. He was born in 1900 in Muthukulam, a small village near Haripad in Alappuzha Distri ...

as Achuthan Nair *

T. R. Omana T. R. Omana is an Indian actress in Malayalam films. She mainly acts in supporting roles and mother roles. She has acted in more than 500 films. Personal life T. R. Omana was born as eldest among five children to T R Gopala Pillai, Timber mer ...

as Achuthan Nair's wife *

K. P. Ummer Kachinamthoduka Puthiyapurayil Ummer known as K. P. Ummer (Malayalam: കെ.പി. ഉമ്മർ) was an Indian actor from Thekkepuram quarter of Kozhikode, Kerala, India. He was active in the Malayalam cinema from early sixties until late ...

as Diwan *

Kaduvakulam Antony Kaduvakkulam Antony (9 November 1936 – 4 February 2001) was an Indian actor from Kerala who performed in more than 300 films as a comedian during the 1960s and 1970s. One journalist considers him to have been one of the best and most popular ...

as Bava *Kamaladevi as Ayisha *

Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair (16 October 191611 March 1997) was an Indian poet, playwright, script writer, lyricist, orator, film director and actor, though he is best known as an actor in Malayalam cinema. He is the recipient of Padma Shri ...

as Kunjunni Panikkar *

Ushakumari 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 industr ...

as Nabeesa *

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 ...

as Vazhapilli Janaki Pillai *

Paul Vengola Paul Vengola was an Indian actor in Malayalam cinema. He mainly acted in comedy roles and supporting roles. He was an active comedian during the 1970s and 1980s in Malayalam film. Career He was a drama artist before coming into film industry and ...

as Kuttan Moosu Thirumeni *

Prathapachandran Prathapachandran (1941–2004) was an Indian actor, who worked predominantly in Malayalam film industry, though he acted in a few Tamil and Telugu movies as well. He known for the portrayal of villainous and character roles in over 300 movies. ...

as Kallada Kochu Naanu

Production

It was the first Malayalam film about the famed highwayman

, a

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 Ca ...

equivalent of

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

. P. A. Thomas who scripted and directed the film produced it under the production banner, Thomas Pictures. The dialogues were written by Jagathy N. K. Achary. The film marks the acting debut of singer Yesudas, who played a pivotal role. The film was shot at the Shyamala Studios in

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

Soundtrack

The music was composed by B. A. Chidambaranath and the lyrics were written by P. Bhaskaran and

Abhayadev Abhayadev (25 June 1913 – 26 July 2000) was an Indian poet and lyricist during the 1970s in Malayalam movies. He wrote lyrics for around 500 films and dialogues for 25 Malayalam movies. He was born as Ayyappan Pillai, to Karimalil Kesava Pillai ...

Reception

The film was a commercial success at the Kerala box office.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0254488 1960s historical drama films 1960s Malayalam-language films 1966 films Films about outlaws Films directed by P. A. Thomas Films set in the British Raj History of Kerala on film Indian historical drama films ^Kochunni1