Thirakkatha (Malayalam: തിരക്കഥ, English: Screenplay) is a 2008 Malayalam romantic drama film co-produced, written, and directed by Ranjith.

The film is a tribute to the yesteryear actresses who had been graceful, popular figures in cinema during their younger age with patronage and later got completely disregarded by the industry, media and the masses alike. Ranjith has drawn inspiration from the life of many actresses but especially from the romantic link-up of the late actress Srividya with actor Kamal Haasan. He has adopted a special narrative style for the film. The story shifts between the present and flash back through the perspective of different characters. The story is divided into three monologues which meet in the climax. The film has garnered positive reviews from the critics and audiences alike.

The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam (Ranjith and Maha Subair). And Priyamani won the Filmfare Awards South for Best Actress.

Plot summary[link]

Akbar Ahmed (Prithviraj) is a film director. Friends call him 'Akky'. After his highly successful first film, he becomes the most wanted director in the Malayalam film industry. Akky and his girl friend Devayani (Samvrutha Sunil) along with a group of friends all share a passion for cinema. It was with them that Akbar directed and produced his first film, which went on to become a huge success. Akbar also runs a cafe called Casablanca named after the classic Hollywood film. For Akbar cinema is not a job, it is his passion. Akbar decides to choose a very different kind of story for his second film and he sets on a journey in search of it.

Akbar decides to base his second film on the life of yesteryear actress Malavika (Priyamani), who was once a very popular actress and whose present whereabouts are unknown. Akbar and his friends go tracking Malavika’s biography. Her husband was Ajaya Chandran (Anoop Menon). Currently Ajayachandran is the reigning super star of the industry. Akbar starts his search from the late film director Aby Kuruvila’s (Ranjith) house. Kuruvila’s son gives his father’s old letters and diaries to Akbar from which he starts learning about the whirlwind romance of Malavika and Ajayachandran which led to marriage. How differences between them led to a breakup and how this affected their careers along with Akbar's efforts to find Malavika form the major plot of the film. The film ends in a touching yet marvelous climax with a poetic narration.

Cast[link]

Reception[link]

The film was received well with the audiences and critics alike. Some of the major reviews in the media were all praises for the film. Nowrunning.com opined that "It is a charming film that's plainly life-affirming without being overly pretentious or markedly melodramatic".^[1] Paresh C Palicha at Rediff.com opined that "It is exciting to see Ranjith bounce back to form with his best effort so far."^[2] Almost all reviewers were unanimous about the brilliant performances of the lead stars, especially of Priyamani, Anoop Menon and Prithviraj.

The film fetched Anoop Menon the State Government award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role and Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Priyamani.

Music[link]

The score and soundtrack of the movie were composed by Sharreth. The soundtrack featured five songs and has received positive reviews.

1. Oduviloru - K. S. Chithra
2. Oduviloru - Sharreth
3. Palappoovithalil - Swetha Mohan, Nishad
4. Onnodonnu - Haridas, Shankar Mahadevan, Renjini Haridas
5. Arikil - Madhu Balakrishnan
6. Arikil - Teenu Telence
7. Manjuneeril - Kalpana

Rendition of Oduviloru by K. S. Chithra got huge appreciation and she got a Filmfare Award for her extremely soulful rendition. The song Onnodonnu was sung by Renjini Haridas, a popular Television anchor from Kerala.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Thirakkatha at the Internet Movie Database

Santhosh Pandit
Santhosh Pandit in 2011
Native name	സന്തോഷ് പണ്ഡിറ്റ്
Born	(1973-04-08) April 8, 1973 (age 39) Peruvannamuzhi,[1] Kozhikode, Kerala, India
Nationality	Indian
Other names	Alien star [2]
Citizenship	India
Occupation	Film actor, Producer, Director
Years active	2011–present
Parents	Appunni Pandit Sarojini[1]
Website
www.santhoshpandit.com[citation needed]

Santhosh Pandit (Malayalam: സന്തോഷ് പണ്ഡിറ്റ്) is a Malayalam film actor and director. He is known for his directorial debut film Krishnanum Radhayum in which he appeared in the lead role and handled almost all the major departments of the film. The songs and trailers of the film went viral in YouTube after it was released there before the release of the film.

As per Google Trends, he was the 10th most popular search from India on November 10, 2011.^[3] However, his website claims that he was at the 6th on Google Trends,^[4] probably due to fluctuations in ranking during the course of the day. India stood only fifth among the countries that had searched for him. NRI Malayalees gave more attention to him, as Qatar stood top of the list, followed by Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.^[5]

Career[link]

Santosh Pandit's first movie Krishananum Radhayum, which got released on 21 October 2011,^[6][7] became an unexpected crowd puller and saw some success in theaters. Some critics attribute the moderate success of the film to the general curiosity after the unprecedented abuses and negative comments posted on the YouTube clips related to the songs in the film.^[8][9] Santhosh is credited as an actor, director, script-writer, editor, music director, lyric writer, editor and playback singer in the film and he stands a chance for entering record books for the maximum credits for a single person in a released film.^[10][11] Currently he is engaged in the production of his second film, Jithu Bhai Enna Chocolate Bhai,^[12] where again he is handling all the major departments in production.But the film name was later changed to "Superstar Santhosh Pandit" because the name 'Jithubhai enna chocolate bai' was already registered by someone else.^[13][14] Amidst criticism, Santosh Pandit received some praise from National Award winner Salim Kumar, complimenting his effort and commented "This is indeed a big achievement considering the fact that even superstar flicks are continuously bombing at the box office these days." ^[15]

Awards[link]

For handling 8 departments of the film from direction to acting, Santhosh Pandit received the 2011 Ekalavya Karma Sreshta Award by Ekalavya Charitable Trust. The award was presented by veteran Malayalam actor Madhu^[16] in the presence of K.B. Ganesh Kumar, Minister for Forests & Environment, Sports and Cinema, Government of Kerala.

Personal life[link]

Santhosh was born in Peruvannamuzhi village^[1] and was brought up in Kozhikode city.^[1] He went to school at Chelannur AKKR High School and the Government Arts College. After his parents died, he inherited three houses, one of which he sold to raise funds for his first film.Even though he was a Hindu by birth he is living as an atheist. He is divorced and has a son.^[17]

Filmography[link]

TeleFilm[link]

1. Premaswaroopanum Koottukarum (director)
2. Kalyaniyude Kalayanam (director)

Discography[link]

References[link]

Kozhikode, Kerala, India