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'''''Pushpaka Vimana''''' ({{Translation|The Flower Chariot}}) is a 1987 Indian [[comedy film]] written and directed by [[Singeetam Srinivasa Rao]], who co-produced it with [[Shringar Nagaraj]]. The film, which has no dialogue, stars [[Kamal Haasan]], [[Amala Akkineni|Amala]] and [[Tinnu Anand]]. It revolves around an unemployed graduate who encounters a drunken millionaire on a roadside and takes over his lifestyle by impersonating him. However, he does not realise the dangers into which he has brought himself because a hired [[Contract killing|hitman]] is trying to murder the millionaire.
'''''Pushpaka Vimana''''' ({{Translation|The Flower Chariot}}) is a 1987 Indian [[comedy film]] written and directed by [[Singeetam Srinivasa Rao]], who co-produced it with [[Shringar Nagaraj]]. The film, which has no dialogue, stars [[Kamal Haasan]], [[Amala Akkineni|Amala]] and [[Tinnu Anand]]. It revolves around an unemployed graduate who encounters a drunken millionaire on a roadside and takes over his lifestyle by impersonating him. However, he does not realise the dangers into which he has brought himself because a hired [[Contract killing|hitman]] is trying to murder the millionaire.


Singeetam's desire to make a dialogue-less film came when he was working as an assistant director in a film where a character had to emote fear without dialogue in a scene. Once the idea for ''Pushpaka Vimana'' materialised, Singeetam wrote the screenplay within two weeks. The film was the only one produced by Nagaraj. Cinematography was handled by [[B. C. Gowrishankar]], and the background score by [[L. Vaidyanathan]]. The film was shot in [[Bangalore]].
Singeetam's desire to make a dialogue-less film came when he was working as an assistant director in a film where a character had to emote fear without dialogue in a scene. Once the idea for ''Pushpaka Vimana'' materialised, Singeetam wrote the screenplay within two weeks. The film was the only one produced by Nagaraj. Due to the lack of dialogue, Singeetam was able to cast actors from different parts of India. Cinematography was handled by [[B. C. Gowrishankar]], and the background score by [[L. Vaidyanathan]]. The film was shot in [[Bangalore]].


''Pushpaka Vimana'' was released on 27 November 1987 with different titles for different regions such as '''''Pesum Padam''''' ({{trans|Talking Picture}}) and '''''Pushpak''''' ({{trans|Flower}}). The film received critical acclaim and became a major commercial success; it film had a 35-week theatrical run in Bangalore. It later won the [[National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment]] and in three categories at the [[35th Filmfare Awards South]]: [[Filmfare Award for Best Film – Kannada|Best Film]], [[Filmfare Award for Best Director – Kannada|Best Director – Kannada]] (Singeetam) and [[Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada|Best Actor – Kannada]] (Haasan).
''Pushpaka Vimana'' was released on 27 November 1987 with different titles for different regions such as '''''Pesum Padam''''' ({{trans|Talking Picture}}) and '''''Pushpak''''' ({{trans|Flower}}). The film received critical acclaim and became a major commercial success; it film had a 35-week theatrical run in Bangalore. It later won the [[National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment]] and in three categories at the [[35th Filmfare Awards South]]: [[Filmfare Award for Best Film – Kannada|Best Film]], [[Filmfare Award for Best Director – Kannada|Best Director – Kannada]] (Singeetam) and [[Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada|Best Actor – Kannada]] (Haasan).
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== Cast ==
== Cast ==
<!-- arranged per Pushpak intro credits -->
<!-- arranged per Pushpak intro credits -->
* [[Kamal Haasan]] as the unemployed graduate<ref name="telugucinema1" />
* [[Kamal Haasan]] as the unemployed graduate
* [[Amala Akkineni|Amala]] as the magician's daughter<ref name="telugucinema1" />
* [[Amala Akkineni|Amala]] as the magician's daughter
* [[Tinnu Anand]] as the hitman<ref name="telugucinema1" />
* [[Tinnu Anand]] as the hitman
* [[Sameer Khakhar]] as the millionaire<ref name="telugucinema1" />
* [[Sameer Khakhar]] as the millionaire
* K. S. Ramesh as the magician<ref name="telugucinema1" />
* K. S. Ramesh as the magician
* [[Loknath]] as the hotel owner<ref name="telugucinema1" />
* [[Loknath]] as the hotel owner
* [[Pratap K. Pothen]] as the lover of the millionaire's wife<ref name="telugucinema1" />
* [[Pratap K. Pothen]] as the lover of the millionaire's wife
* [[P. L. Narayana]] as the beggar
* [[P. L. Narayana]] as the beggar
<!-- * Mandeep Roy as
<!-- * Mandeep Roy as
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=== Casting ===
=== Casting ===
Since the film had no dialogue, Singeetam chose to cast actors from all over India.<ref name="telugucinema2" /> [[P. L. Narayana]] was cast as a beggar and [[Sameer Khakhar]], who became popular with the [[Hindi]] television series ''[[Nukkad]]'', was cast as the drunk millionaire. [[Amala Akkineni|Amala]] was selected as lead actress after attempts to sign [[Neelam Kothari]] had failed.<ref name="scroll" /><ref name="telugucinema2" /> [[Pratap K. Pothen]], known for dark characters, portrayed a comic character in this film.<ref name="ss" />
Since the film had no dialogue, Singeetam chose to cast actors from different parts of India.<ref name="telugucinema2" /> Haasan, a native of [[Tamil Nadu]], was cast as the protagonist, an unemployed graduate.<ref name="scroll" /> [[Telugu people|Telugu]] actor [[P. L. Narayana]] was cast as the beggar and [[Sameer Khakhar]] as the drunk millionaire, similar to his character in the [[Hindi]] television series ''[[Nukkad]]''. Singeetam initially wanted [[Neelam Kothari]] to be the female lead, but she wanted to wear "glittering costumes" like in typical [[Bollywood]] films. As such inclusions would not suit the film, Singeetam did not cast her. After seeing [[Amala Akkineni|Amala]] compere an awards function at Chennai, enquiring about her and getting to know about her [[Kalakshetra Foundation|Kalakshetra]] background, Singeetam approached her and she accepted.<ref name="telugucinema2" />

Ramya played the drunk millionaire's wife.<ref name="telugucinema1" /> [[Pratap K. Pothen]], then known mainly for portraying dark characters, portrayed a comic character in this film,<ref name="ss" /> the extramarital lover of Ramya's character.<ref name="telugucinema1" /> [[Tinnu Anand]] portrayed the hitman employed by Pothen's character. Singeetam initially wanted [[Bengalis|Bengali]] magician [[P. C. Sorcar]] to portray the female lead's magician father,<ref name="scroll" /> but ultimately chose P. S. Ramesh after seeing his performance in a magic show on television in Bangalore, where the story is set.<ref name="telugucinema2" /> [[Farida Jalal]], who was then visiting Bangalore, was cast as the female lead's mother.<ref name="scroll" /> [[Loknath]] appeared as the owner of the hotel where the story is set.<ref name="telugucinema1" />


=== Filming ===
=== Filming ===

Revision as of 11:23, 4 December 2019

Pushpaka Vimana
Theatrical release poster in Kannada
Directed bySingeetam Srinivasa Rao
Written bySingeetam Srinivasa Rao
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyB. C. Gowrishankar
Edited byD. Vasu
Music byL. Vaidyanathan
Production
company
Mandakini Chitra
Release date
  • 27 November 1987 (1987-11-27)
Running time
131 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageSilent
Budget₹3.5 million (US$42,000)[2]

Pushpaka Vimana (transl. The Flower Chariot) is a 1987 Indian comedy film written and directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, who co-produced it with Shringar Nagaraj. The film, which has no dialogue, stars Kamal Haasan, Amala and Tinnu Anand. It revolves around an unemployed graduate who encounters a drunken millionaire on a roadside and takes over his lifestyle by impersonating him. However, he does not realise the dangers into which he has brought himself because a hired hitman is trying to murder the millionaire.

Singeetam's desire to make a dialogue-less film came when he was working as an assistant director in a film where a character had to emote fear without dialogue in a scene. Once the idea for Pushpaka Vimana materialised, Singeetam wrote the screenplay within two weeks. The film was the only one produced by Nagaraj. Due to the lack of dialogue, Singeetam was able to cast actors from different parts of India. Cinematography was handled by B. C. Gowrishankar, and the background score by L. Vaidyanathan. The film was shot in Bangalore.

Pushpaka Vimana was released on 27 November 1987 with different titles for different regions such as Pesum Padam (transl. Talking Picture) and Pushpak (transl. Flower). The film received critical acclaim and became a major commercial success; it film had a 35-week theatrical run in Bangalore. It later won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and in three categories at the 35th Filmfare Awards South: Best Film, Best Director – Kannada (Singeetam) and Best Actor – Kannada (Haasan).

Plot

An unemployed graduate aspires to lead a reasonably affluent livelihood free of the insecurities and humiliations he has to face because of his poverty. A girl smiles upon him when he impromptuly takes up the identity of a rich man, stoking the desire of becoming rich in him even more. After stumbling upon a millionaire drunk by the roadside, the graduate abducts and takes the millionaire into his room alongside a roof terrace in a dilapidated building. He assumes the millionaire's identity to taste the opulence and starts staying at the plush five-star hotel suite rented by the latter.

The millionaire's wife has an extramarital lover, who hires a hitman to kill the millionaire to usurp his wealth. The hitman, who has never seen the millionaire, believes the graduate is his target. The wife herself is not in the loop about the murder plan. Posing as the millionaire, the graduate meets the girl, who is the daughter and assistant of a magician, who is residing in the same hotel with his daughter and wife. The girl is not initially interested in the graduate and on one occasion even slaps him because of a misunderstanding where he appeared to her as being unmannered. But later, after the hotel owner suddenly dies, the two meet while paying tribute at his funeral and mend ways. They gradually get into a romantic relationship.

The hitman, in the meantime, comes up with an ingenious way of stabbing with a knife entirely made of water frozen into ice, to kill the graduate, but falls in his own trap every time he makes an attempt. All this time, the graduate remains unaware about the dangers in his life. One day, however, he realises that the hitman is in the hotel to kill someone, but is unable to find the identity of his target. Later the hitman intrudes into his suite and gets non-fatally electrocuted while trying to stab the graduate from behind. Finally he comes to know about the murder plan hatched by the lover of the millionaire's wife when he follows the hitman to their bungalow and eavesdrops the hitman informing the lover about his failure. The two conspirators also realise that they were targeting the wrong man all the time. At this time, the millionaire's wife learns of her lover's treachery, and has a change of heart. She ends her relationship with him.

In a montage shown about the hotel owner, the graduate realises that he was a poor man, just like him. Seeing what the hotel owner achieved by fair means, the graduate begins to question his actions. Some time later, a roadside beggar dies and municipality people come to take his dead body. However, seeing the beggar's stash, they abandon his body on the pavement and start taking the money. The graduate decides to make things right. He sets the millionaire free. He explains the situation to the millionaire in a letter. The millionaire and his wife reunite. After that, the graduate decides to come clean to the magician's daughter as well. He learns that the magician and his family are about to leave the hotel.

The graduate confesses the truth to the magician's daughter, but to his surprise she forgives him. While leaving the hotel, she drops a rose wrapped in a paper from her car. The graduate obtains the rose, but before he can obtain the paper, a gust of wind takes it away and it rolls all the way down the gutter. Some time later, the graduate is shown standing in a line applying for a job.

Cast

Production

Development

Singeetam Srinivasa Rao was an assistant director to K. V. Reddy, in a film where there was a scene requiring a character to emote fear without dialogues.[3] Singeetam wondered, "Why not do a whole film this way?!". The idea for the film that would become Pushpaka Vimana came to Singeetam when he was in a shower, after which he wrote the screenplay within two weeks. Kamal Haasan agreed to work on the film after being impressed by the script.[4] Pushpaka Vimana thus became the first full-length dialogue-less film in India after the "silent era" of cinema.[5] The film however struggled to find a producer, prompting Singeetam to take over production himself.[6]

When Kannada actor Shringar Nagaraj, a friend of Singeetam, heard that Singeetam was producing a film on his own, he asked about the subject; Singeetam narrated the same, Nagaraj showed excitement and joined as co-producer,[6] with the film being produced under Mandakani Chitra.[7] Pushpaka Vimana was the only film he had produced in his entire career.[8] Cinematography was handled by B. C. Gowrishankar, editing by D. Vasu, and art direction by Thota Tharani.[4] Singeetham called Pushpak as a personal film because "that's the life I lead".[8]

Casting

Since the film had no dialogue, Singeetam chose to cast actors from different parts of India.[6] Haasan, a native of Tamil Nadu, was cast as the protagonist, an unemployed graduate.[9] Telugu actor P. L. Narayana was cast as the beggar and Sameer Khakhar as the drunk millionaire, similar to his character in the Hindi television series Nukkad. Singeetam initially wanted Neelam Kothari to be the female lead, but she wanted to wear "glittering costumes" like in typical Bollywood films. As such inclusions would not suit the film, Singeetam did not cast her. After seeing Amala compere an awards function at Chennai, enquiring about her and getting to know about her Kalakshetra background, Singeetam approached her and she accepted.[6]

Ramya played the drunk millionaire's wife.[4] Pratap K. Pothen, then known mainly for portraying dark characters, portrayed a comic character in this film,[8] the extramarital lover of Ramya's character.[4] Tinnu Anand portrayed the hitman employed by Pothen's character. Singeetam initially wanted Bengali magician P. C. Sorcar to portray the female lead's magician father,[9] but ultimately chose P. S. Ramesh after seeing his performance in a magic show on television in Bangalore, where the story is set.[6] Farida Jalal, who was then visiting Bangalore, was cast as the female lead's mother.[9] Loknath appeared as the owner of the hotel where the story is set.[4]

Filming

Thota Tharani constructed a street set for the film, beside the Hyland Hotel in Bangalore. The little ramshackle room where Haasan lived, and the building itself, was constructed above the hotel. Most of the shooting was done in Windsor Manor Hotel in Bangalore.[6]

Music

The film had no songs, only background score. Singeetam wanted a composer who could work as per his demands and requirements for the scenes, for this L. Vaidyanathan was chosen to compose the score.[8] Sitar exponent Janardhan Mitta contributed to the re-recording using two other instruments apart from minimal orchestration.[10]

Release and reception

Pushpaka Vimana was released on 27 November 1987.[11] The film was released under different titles for different regions: its original title in Karnataka, Pushpaka Vimanam in Andhra Pradesh, Pesum Padam in Tamil Nadu, Pushpak for Hindi-speaking regions and Pushpakvimanam in Kerala.[6][12] In Andhra Pradesh, it was distributed by Sravanthi Ravi Kishore, and in Mumbai by actor Rajendra Kumar.[6]

The film received critical acclaim.[13] Reviewing Pesum Padam, the Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan said that to make a silent film needs a lot of courage and the filmmaker needs to be congratulated for that, and rated it 50 out of 100.[14] N. Krishnaswamy of The Indian Express said, "For [Kamal Haasan], the film is yet another achievement. For Singeetam, always the bold experimenter [...] Pesum Padam should provide both critical and commercial mileage. It is music director L. Vaidyanathan's task to provide the 'silent' film a worthy musical foil to match its varied moods and needs: this he does with panache."[15] Filmmaker Satyajit Ray applauded the film and told Singeetam, "You have created a love scene around a dead body", referring to the scene where the graduate and the magician's daughter walk around the deceased hotel owner's body during his funeral several times just to spend some time together.[9] The film was also a commercial success, it film had a 35-week theatrical run in Bangalore.[16]

The film premiered at the International Film Festival of India, 1988 Cannes Film Festival in the International Critics' Week,[17][16][18] and retrospective at the Shanghai International Film Festival, and Whistling Woods International.[19]

List of awards and nominations
Award Date of ceremony[a] Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
National Film Awards April 1988 National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, Shringar Nagaraj Won [20]
Karnataka State Film Awards 1987–88 Best Editor D. Vasu Won [citation needed]
Best Music Director[b] L. Vaidyanathan Won
Karnataka State Jury's Special Award Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, Shringar Nagaraj Won
Filmfare Awards South 1988 Filmfare Award South for Best Film Shringar Nagaraj Won [21]
[22]
Filmfare Award for Best Director – Kannada Singeetam Srinivasa Rao Won
Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada Kamal Haasan Won

Legacy

Amala listed Pushpaka Vimanam among Vedham Pudhithu (1987), Agni Natchathiram (1988), Siva (1989) and Karpoora Mullai (1991) as her most memorable films.[23] The film is listed among CNN-IBN's "hundred greatest Indian films of all time".[24] The film was listed by Rediff in its list "Singeetham's gems before Christ".[25] On Kamal's birthday, 7 November 2015, Latha Srinivasan of Daily News and Analysis considered Pushpaka Vimanam to be one of the "films you must watch to grasp the breadth of Kamal Haasan's repertoire".[26]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.
  2. ^ For background score only.

References

  1. ^ Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 1998, p. 481.
  2. ^ Manigandan, K. R. (18 October 2012). "ShotCuts: What's worrying Kamal?". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 November 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  3. ^ Warrier, Shobha (19 April 2001). "'Little John, lot of fun!'". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e Sri (28 September 2009). "Retro : Pushpaka Vimaanam (1988)". Telugu Cinema. p. 1. Archived from the original on 30 December 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  5. ^ "Pushpaka Vimanam was India's first silent film". The Times of India. 29 April 2014. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Sri (28 September 2009). "Retro : Pushpaka Vimaanam (1988)". Telugu Cinema. p. 2. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  7. ^ "Malayalam film industry is the best we have: Singeetam Srini". Sify. 22 September 2009. Archived from the original on 30 November 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d Gopalakrishnan, Aswathy (29 October 2016). "Singeetam Srinivasa Rao Interview: "The Golden Rule Of Cinema Is That There Is No Golden Rule"". Silverscreen. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  9. ^ a b c d Ramnath, Nandini (7 November 2017). "The film 'Pushpaka Vimana' is the one time Kamal Haasan said a lot without saying anything at all". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  10. ^ Swaminathan, G. (29 March 2018). "Pt. Janardhan Mitta on music, life in Chennai and more". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  11. ^ "Pesum Padam". The Indian Express. 27 November 1987. p. 4.
  12. ^ Limca Book of Records. Bisleri Beverages Limited. 2003. p. 114.
  13. ^ Singh, Nonika (9 December 2017). "Sound of silence". Tribune. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  14. ^ "பேசும் படம்". Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). 20 December 1987.
  15. ^ Krishnaswamy, N. (27 November 1987). "Worthwhile". The Indian Express. p. 5.
  16. ^ a b Pudipeddi, Haricharan (17 September 2012). "Pushpak completes 25 years: Tinnu Anand, Amala go down memory lane". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 30 November 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  17. ^ Biswas, Nilosree (6 May 2007). "Need for a universal story". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 November 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  18. ^ "Sakhya Indian Cinema Club: Pushpaka Vimanam (The Love Chariot)". Graduate Union. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.
  19. ^ "Celebrate Cinema" (PDF). Whistling Woods. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  20. ^ "35th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  21. ^ "35th Annual Filmfare Awards | Regional Films". Filmfare. Retrieved 30 November 2019 – via Internet Archive.
  22. ^ Dave, Kajol (20 July 2013). "Filmfare trivia: Kamal Haasan". Filmfare. Archived from the original on 24 July 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  23. ^ Kannan, Uma (17 May 2010). "'I'm strictly against authority'". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  24. ^ "100 Years of Indian Cinema: The 100 land mark Indian films of all time". CNN-IBN. 17 April 2013. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  25. ^ Srinivasan, Pavithra (7 September 2010). "Singeetham Srinivasa Rao's gems before Christ". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 28 August 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  26. ^ Srinivasan, Latha (7 November 2015). "Birthday special: Films you must watch to grasp the breadth of Kamal Haasan's repertoire". Daily News and Analysis. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.

Bibliography

External links

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