''Pancha Thanthram'' is a 1974 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

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by

J. Sasikumar Nambiathusseril Varkey John (14 October 1927 – 17 July 2014), better known by his stage name, screen name Sasikumar, was an Indian film director who worked in Malayalam cinema. He has directed more than 141 films in his career which began in ...

and produced by E. K. Thyagarajan. The script was written by Sasikumar, Sreemoolanagaram Vijayan, music by G. Devarajan and lyrics by Sreekumaran Thampi. The cast includes Prem Nazir, Jayabharathi, Adoor Bhasi, Jose Prakash, Sankaradi, Sreelatha, T. R. Omana, T. S. Muthaiah, Bahadoor. K. P. Ummer and Vincent were in guest appearances. The film was released on 22 March 1974.

Plot

The story pivots around the mysterious death of Raja Vamana Varma, the king of a small city-state in Kerala. A huge bronze statue of the king murders several people with a sword. It is believed that the ghost of the king enters the statue and commits the murders. The statue attempts to murder the queen, Gayathri Devi, and her five-year-old son. The queen escapes and the prince runs away from the palace. She shifts to the annex of the palace. Years roll by. The government appoints anthropologist Dr. Menon (K. P. Ummer) to investigate the murders in and around the palace. Menon comes to the palace with his daughter Sindhu (Jayabharathi) and his assistant Krishnankutty (Adoor Bhasi) to investigate the mystery. The ghost murders Menon. Sindhu decides to stay back in the palace to solve the mystery behind the murders by the king's 'ghost'. The ghost also murders a police officer appointed for the investigation. Detective officers Rajendran (Prem Nazir) and Gupta (Bahadur) are sent by the Central Government for the investigation. Rajendran centres his investigation on Hotel Ding Mona, owned by a Chinese woman Kochang Farooka (Meena). Hotel dancer Julie (Sadhana), receptionist Charlie (Kaduvakkulam Antony), a regular visitor to the hotel – Sardar Garnayal Singh (Jose Prakash) are the prime suspects in the mystery behind the murders. Rajendran falls in love with Sindhu. Rajendran's lookalike and brother, Shekhar, comes to the hotel and joins the suspects in the murder case. And several twists and turns in the investigation unravel the facts behind the mysteries around the palace. It turns out that the palace manager Kurup (Sankaradi) and the queen's faithful servant Kochu Paru (Meena) are the real culprits. Their aim is to unearth treasures – gold, gems and diamonds – hidden in the palace by the king's faithful servant Dinesh Chandran (Muthiah). Kochu Paru disguised as Kochang Farooka and Kurup disguised as an Arab were implementing their plan to find the hidden treasure. Dinesh Chandran, held captive by them does not reveal where the treasure is hidden. Rajendran succeeds in solving the mystery and it turns out that he is none other than the prince who ran away from the palace years ago. The queen identifies him by the scar on his chest. It is revealed that Shekhar, Rajendran's lookalike brother, was in fact Rajendran himself. It was all a part of his plan to crack the mystery murders. Kurup and his men murdered the king and the 'ghost' was Kurup himself. Kurup committed the murders by getting into a bronze mould identical to the statue. The dancer Julie is none other than Vimala Gupta, Rajendran's assistant Gupta's wife. She took up the job at the hotel, which was the culprits' hangout, in order to uncover their plans. The culprits get arrested and Rajendran marries Sindhu.

Cast

* Prem Nazir as Rajendran *

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 ...

as Sindhu *

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 Krishnankutty *

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 Gupta *

Jose Prakash Jose Prakash (14 April 1925 – 24 March 2012) was an Indian actor and singer who worked in Malayalam cinema. He was a singer turned actor who had appeared in more than 300 films mostly in antagonist roles. He was awarded with the J. C. Daniel ...

as Sardar Garnayal Singh *

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 ...

* Sankaradi as Kurup * Sreelatha Namboothiri * T. R. Omana * Sadhana as Julie * T. S. Muthaiah *

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 ...

*Baby Vijaya *

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 Charlie *Lakshmanan *

M. G. Soman M. G. Soman (28 September 1941 – 12 December 1997) was an Indian actor and former Indian Air Force officer who appeared in Malayalam films. He was one among the leading star actors doing hero roles in Malayalam Cinema during the late 1970s an ...

Meena Meena () is a sub-group of Bhils. They speak Meena language. They started adopting the Brahmin worship system. Its name is also transliterated as ''Meenanda'' or ''Mina''. Historians claim that they belong to the Matsya tribe. They got the st ...

*Vijaya *

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 Professor(Guest appearance) *

Vincent Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer''). People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor *Vincent van Gogh ...

Soundtrack

The music was composed by G. Devarajan with lyrics by

Sreekumaran Thampi Sreekumaran Thampi (born 16 March 1940) is an Indian lyricist, music director, director, producer, and screenwriter in Malayalam cinema. He also writes poetry and is a recipient of the Vallathol Award. In 2017, he was awarded the J. C. Daniel ...

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0279309 1970s Malayalam-language films 1974 films Films directed by J. Sasikumar