Varavelpu
Varavelpu (transl. Welcoming) is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language black comedy film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan, starring Mohanlal, Revathi, Sreenivasan, Thilakan, Murali, Innocent, and Jagadish. The film was produced by K. Rajagopal. The film depicted trade union problems plaguing Kerala in a satirical dark comedy.
| Varavelpu | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Sathyan Anthikad |
| Produced by | K. Rajagopal |
| Screenplay by | Sreenivasan |
| Starring | Mohanlal Revathi Sreenivasan Murali Innocent Thilakan |
| Music by | Johnson |
| Cinematography | Vipin Mohan |
| Edited by | K. Rajagopal |
Production company | K. R. G. Movie International |
| Distributed by | K. R. G. Enterprises |
Release date |
|
Running time | 145 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
The film was based on a real-life incident in Sreenivasan's father's life. The film was a commercial and critical success, becoming one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of the year. The movie was remade in Hindi as Chal Chala Chal.
Plot
Murali (Mohanlal) returns back to his home town after spending 7 long years in gulf with an intention to settle down peacefully in his hometown. Much against to the greedy wishes of his family members, he decides to buy a second hand bus that comes along with a route permit. This is when he faces a lot of hurdles. From an inefficient driver to cheating conductor to a cunning union leader, Murali's life is taken for a toss with ever growing challenges one after the other.
Cast
- Mohanlal as Muraleedharan
- Revathi as Rema (Voice dubbed by Anandavally) Murali's love interest
- Sreenivasan as Vehicle Inspector
- Murali as Prabhakaran, a greedy and wicked politician
- Jagadish as Valsan, a former friend turned to a traitor
- Thilakan as Labour Officer Ramakrishnan, friend of Murali
- Innocent as Chathukutty, the bus driver
- Janardhanan as Kumaran
- Oduvil Unnikrishnan as Narayanan
- Mamukkoya as Hamsa, Murali's assistant
- Sankaradi as Murali's Uncle
- K. P. A. C. Lalitha as Santha, /Kumaran's wife
- Meena as Rukmini
- Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair as Govindan Nair
- Bobby Kottarakkara as Pappan
- Krishnan Kutty Nair as Rema's father
- Praseetha Menon
- Sindhu Varma
Production
The film was based on a real-life incident in Sreenivasan's father's life. Sathyan Anthikkad got the story idea while listening to Sreenivasan when he recalled how his family ended in financial debt after his communist father was labeled as a capitalist after he bought a bus.[1] The film was initially planned to be directed by actor Prem Nazir before his death.
Soundtrack
All lyrics are written by Kaithapram Damodaran; all music is composed by Johnson.
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Doore Doore Sagaram Thedi" | K. J. Yesudas | |
| 2. | "Doore Doore Sagaram Thedi" | K. S. Chithra | |
| 3. | "Vellara Poomala Mele" | K. J. Yesudas |
Reception
In 2003, the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee mentioned the film and Mohanlal in his inaugural speech at the Global Investor Meet held in Kerala. He said: "I am told that there is a Malayalam movie called Varavelppu in which your famous actor Mohanlal acts as a Gulf-returned Keralite. He invests his savings in a small business venture with high hopes. But in the end, he is forced to close it down after going through many unpleasant experiences. Therefore, this conference should serve as an occasion for introspection".[2]
References
- രാജീവ്, സ്വാതി (21 June 2019). "'വരവേല്പി'ലെ മോഹന്ലാലുമാര് ഇപ്പോഴും; ചിലര് ആത്മഹത്യ ചെയ്യുന്നു: 'ആന്തൂരി'ല് അന്തിക്കാട്". Manorama News (in Malayalam). Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- "Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Inaugural Speech at the Global Investor Meet : Speeches : Prime Minister of India - Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee". Archivepmo.nic.in. 18 January 2003. Retrieved 19 July 2019.