''Nellu'' () is a 1974

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 Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

film directed by

Ramu Kariat Ramu Kariat (1 February 1927 – 10 February 1979) was an Indian film director for almost three decades from the 1950s to the 1970s, who directed many acclaimed films in the Malayalam cinema. His noted films include ''Neelakkuyil'' (1954), ''Mi ...

from a screenplay by

K. G. George Kulakkattil Geevarghese George (born 24 May 1946) is an Indian film maker and screenwriter who worked in the Malayalam cinema. He was the founder of a new school of film making in Malayalam cinema, along with Bharathan and P. Padmarajan, in ...

based on the 1972 award-winning novel of the same name by P. Valsala. It features an ensemble cast of

Prem Nazir Prem Nazir (born Abdul Khader; 7 April 1926 – 16 January 1989) was an Indian actor known as one of Malayalam cinema's definitive leading man, leading men of his generation. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential actors in the histo ...

Jayabharathi Jayabharathi is an Indian actress. She is a two-time recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for best actress. Jayabharathi's first leading role was given by director P. Bhaskaran for his movie Kattukurangu in 1969. Later she became one of ...

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 from t ...

Sankaradi Chandrashekaran Menon, better known by his screen name Sankaradi (14 July 1924 – 8 October 2001), was an Indian actor. He was a veteran Malayalam comedian and character artist, who had over 700 Malayalam films to his credit. He dominated the ...

and

Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair N. Sreedharan Nair (11 September 1922 – 19 October 1986), popularly known as Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair or just Kottarakkara, was an Indian actor who appeared Malayalam movies. He hailed from Kottarakkara in Kollam district of Kerala. Sree ...

. The film portrays the life of the Adiyar community, a tribe of the forests in the Wayanad hills of

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 ...

, through the eyes of an outsider. In 1972, Kariat approached Valsala for permission to adapt the novel, and when she agreed, he asked

, S. L. Sadanandan and Valsala to write separate scripts based on the novel and in the end, took certain portions from all the three and made the film.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

commenced in 1972 with filming taking place in various villages near

Thirunelli Thirunelly is a village in Wayanad district in the state of Kerala, India. Thirunelli Temple is a very famous temple located in this village. Demographics India census, Thirunelly had a population of 11719 with 5774 males and 5945 females. ...

Wayanad Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of Indian state Kerala with administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, the southern ...

. The film has music composed by

Salil Chowdhury Salil Chowdhury (19 November 1925 – 5 September 1995) was an Indian music director, songwriter, lyricist, writer and poet who predominantly composed for Bengali, Hindi and Malayalam films. He composed music for films in 13 languages. This incl ...

, cinematography by

Balu Mahendra Balanathan Benjamin Mahendran (19 May 1939 13 February 2014), commonly known as Balu Mahendra, was a Sri Lankan-born Indian cinematographer, director, screenwriter and film editor who worked predominantly in Tamil cinema. Widely regarded as ...

and editing by

Hrishikesh Mukherjee Hrishikesh Mukherjee (30 September 1922 – 27 August 2006) was an Indian film director, editor and writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema. Popularly known as ''Hrishi-da'', he directed 42 films during his car ...

and Appu. ''Nellu'' was released theatrically on 23 August 1974; it received critical acclaim, primarily for the script and making, and was a box office success, running for more than 100 days in theatres. The film marks the debut of cinematographer

although not his first release. He won the

Kerala State Film Award for Best Photography The Kerala State Film Award The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have bee ...

(Colour).

and Appu won the award for Kerala State Film Award for Best Editing. The film also won the 1974

Filmfare Award for Best Film - Malayalam ''Filmfare'' is an Indian English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, reviews, events, an ...

Plot

On his pilgrimage to Thirunelli temple and to immerse the ashes of his mother in the sacred river Papanashini that flows beside the temple, Raghavan Nair befriends the family of Savithri Warasyar, a widow. He stays with the family at her request. Nair comes across the life of the tribals. Their struggle against Nature, superstitions, the servility and exploitation they put up with, all of this become notes in his diary. The story is narrated through Nair’s observations. Kurumatti , is a tattooist of the tribal community and is married to Chathan. She tries to seduce Mallan, a handsome tribal youth. Chundeli who was away from Thirunelli for a long time returns to the village with his wife Pembi and daughter Mara. Mallan and Mara fall in love with each other. Chundeli and Pembi agree to their marriage. Kurumatti is upset by this. She spreads rumors that Mara and Mallan belong to same gothra or clan and so, according to the tribal traditions, cannot marry. The tribal chief, imposes a ban on their marriage. Mara runs away with Mallan. The tribal community turns against them and the chief imposes a penalty for their breaking the traditions. Mallan leaves Thirunelli in order to earn money to pay the penalty. Mara stays in a storeroom at Savithri’s house. Savithri’s younger brother Unnikrishnan is drawn towards the charming Mara. On a rainy day he rapes Mara and leaves the village. Mallan is afflicted by malaria but reaches the village with the money. He dies of the disease. The tribal chief sentences Mara to be lapidated and driven away from the tribal colony. Raghavan Nair intervenes and promises to keep Mara away from the colony. He requests Savithri help Mara and she accepts the tribal woman as her daughter. The film ends with Raghavan Nair leaving Thirunelli.

Cast

as Raghavan Nair *

as Perumal *

as Damoradara Varrier *

as Chundeli *

Mohan Sharma Mohan Sharma is an Indian film and television actor, film producer, director and screenwriter, who works in South Indian films. He has produced more than 15 films in Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada. He became noted through his role in '' C ...

as Mallan *

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 ...

as Thapaal Nanu *

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 ...

as Saidu *

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 "Vedikkaran" Ouseph *

Kedamangalam Ali Kedamangalam Ali was an Indian actor in Malayalam movies during the 1960s and 1970s. Born in 1932 in Kedamangalam near North Paravur in Ernakulam District, Kerala, his popular movies are ''Mudiyanaaya Puthran'' (1961), '' Ninamaninja Kaalppaa ...

as Baddamaran * Shihab as Ezhuthappottan *

S. P. Pillai S. P. Pillai (28 November 1913 – 12 June 1985) was an Indian film and stage actor, best known for his comic roles in Malayalam films. Biography S. Pankajakshan Pillai alias S. P. Pillai was born in 1913 in the temple town of Ettumanoor in ...

as Vaattuvelu (guest appearance) *

Prem Nawas Prem Nawas (born Abdul Wahab) was an Indian actor and producer in Malayalam cinema, and the younger brother of Malayalam cinema actor Prem Nazir. His parents were Shahul Hameed and Asmabeevi. He lost his mother at a very young age, and his fath ...

as Unnikrishnan * J. A. R. Anand as Chathan *

as Mara *

Kaviyoor Ponnamma Kaviyoor Ponnamma is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam films and television. She began her career performing in theatre dramas before foraying into cinema. She has also acted in TV serials and commercials and has playback singing cred ...

as Savithri Varassyar *

Kanakadurga Kanakadurga is an Indian actress best known for her work in Malayalam cinema. She hails from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. She debuted in the Malayalam movie ''Nellu'' as Kurumatti. She has acted in a few Tamil, Kannada and Telugu movies as wel ...

as Kurumatti *

Adoor Bhavani Adoor Bhavani (1927 – 25 October 2009) was an Indian actress in Malayalam cinema, best known for her appearance in the National Award-winning film ''Chemmeen'' (1965), directed by Ramu Kariat. She had acted in about 450 films, including ''Mudi ...

as Pembi *

Rani Chandra Rani Chandra (1949 – 1976), born in Kochi, Kerala, was a Malayalam film actress and winner of the Miss Kerala Title. She died in a plane crash in 1976. She acted in several landmark films such as '' Nellu'' (Malayalam, 1974), ''Bhadrakali'' ...

as Javani *

K. V. Shanthi K. V. Shanthi (June 25, 1937 – September 21, 2020) known by her stage name Shanthi was an Indian actress acted in Malayalam, Telugu, Hindi and Tamil movies. She was a prominent lead actress and dancer in Indian Cinema during the late 1950s, 1 ...

* Sumithra as Safiya * Chelavoor Krishnankutty *

Innocent Innocence is a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence is to the lack of legal guilt of an individual, with respect to a crime. In other contexts, it is a lack of experience. In relation ...

Shanthi Williams Shanthi Williams is an Indian film and television actress who has played supporting roles in various Tamil and Malayalam movies and serials. Career Williams came into the industry as a child artist at the age of 12. Williams started her acting ...

Production

P. Valsala wrote the novel after a rejuvenating experience in

. It was published in 1972 by Sahithya Pravarthaka Cooperative Society. It went on to become a best-seller and won the Kumkumam Award for Best Novel in 1973. Kariat approached Valsala for permission to adapt the novel, and when she agreed, he asked

S. L. Puram Sadanandan S. L. Puram Sadanandan (15 April 1928 – 16 September 2005) was an Indian playwright and film scriptwriter from Kerala, India. Career In 1967, he got the first ever National Film Award for Best Screenplay for the film '' Agniputhri''. Dea ...

and Valsala to write separate scripts based on the novel and in the end, took certain portions from all the three and made the film. Noted South Indian actress Sharada was originally chosen for the role of Mara. She turned down the offer when Kariat insisted that she dress like the tribal women of Wayanad. Later, Kariat fixed Jayabharathi, another leading actress of the time, for that role. ''Nellu'' marked the debut of actor Mohan Sharma who went on to act in about 100 films in Malayalam. Ramu Kariat was impressed by ''A View from the Fort'', Balu Mahendra's diploma film at the FTII and cast him as the cinematographer of the film. The film's production occurred at various villages near

. It was produced by N. P. Ali under the banner of Jammu Films International.

Soundtrack

The song " Kadali Chenkadali" was sung by Lata Mangeshkar and is her only song in Malayalam.

Awards

Filmfare Award for Best Film – Malayalam The Filmfare Best Film Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lak ...

won by N.P. Ali (1974)

References

External links

*
''Nellu''
at Malayalam Movie Database