Devaasuram

Devasuram
File:Devasuram poster1.jpg DVD cover
Directed by	I. V. Sasi
Written by	Ranjith
Produced by	V. B. K. Menon
Starring	Mohanlal Revathi Innocent Napoleon Nedumudi Venu
Cinematography	V. Jayaram
Edited by	K. Narayanan
Music by	M. G. Radhakrishnan (songs) S. P. Venkatesh (background music)
Production company	Anugraha Cine Arts
Distributed by	Anugraha Release
Release date	August 29, 1993 (1993-08-29)
Running time	159 minutes
Language	Malayalam

Devasuram (Malayalam: ദേവാസുരം, English: The God-Demon) is a 1993 Indian Malayalam film written by Ranjith and directed by I. V. Sasi. The rivalry between Mangalassery Neelakantan (Mohanlal) and Mundakkal Shekaran (Napoleon) is the main theme of the film. It became one of the most successful Malayalam films of all time and the story, dialogues, and characters have achieved cult status.

Plot

Neelakantan (Mohanlal) is the heir to the well-known Mangalassery family. He squanders away his father's largesse and good name, but is loved by the people who know him well. Neelakantan has been the archrival of Shekaran of the Mundakkal family since childhood. During a minor ruckus, one of Neelakantan's aides accidentally kills Shekaran's uncle (Janardanan). This incites Shekaran to plan to avenge the death of his uncle. Meanwhile, Neelakantan offends Bhanumathi (Revathi), a talented Carnatic dance graduate, by forcing her to dance in front of him in his house. In retaliation, Bhanumathi quits dancing and curses Neelakantan for desecrating the art so dear to her. Later he feels regretful and helps her family in many ways and tries to persuade Bhanumathi to take up dancing again, but she doesn't budge. Meantime, Neelakantan visits his widowed mother intending to bring her back home, but she passes away after revealing a terrible secret; that he was born of another man, out of wedlock. This fact crushes him, and only Bhanumathi finds out this secret when he curses drunkenly (at the car of his deceased "father") that the ancestral heritage which he is proud of, is actually not his. She is surprised by the vulnerable side of Neelakantan.

He visits Banumathi at her home to persuade her to take up dancing again, only to be refused like before, telling him that she will resume dancing only after his death. That night while returning home from the visit, Shekaran and his aides ambush (by hitting him with a car from behind) and injure him seriously after also inflicting several wounds with swords and wooden sticks.

Neelakantan survives the attack, but his left hand and right leg are badly injured and as a cure he undergoes ayurvedic treatment to rejuvenate his legs. It is during this time that Bhanumathi falls in love with him (she is also regretful for having cursed him, feeling a bit guilty that the attack was somehow related to her curse). Neelakantan convinces Bhanumathi to dance and he arranges for a dance event for her at Delhi. He refuses to marry Bhanumathi considering her future, but in the end she and Warrier (his elderly right hand man) persuade him to do so. Neelakantan tries to forget all the past events and his rivalry with Shekaran, but Shekaran is not satisfied and wants to defeat Neelakantan in front of the whole village. For this he kidnaps Bhanumathi and forces Neelakantan to take blows in front of the public during a village festival organised by the Mundakkal family. Meanwhile Neelakantan's friends rescue Bhanumathi and after this Neelakantan mauls Shekaran badly and cuts off Shekaran's right hand, claiming "Shekeran, I want to live peacefully..." so that he will not again come up with revenge later.

Cast (in credits order)

• Mohanlal as Mangalassery Neelakandan
• Revathi as Bhanumathi
• Nedumudi Venu as Appu Master (Bhanumati's father)
• Innocent as Warrier
• Napoleon as Mundakkal Shekaran
• Sreeraman as Kuruppu
• Manian Pillai Raju as Bharathan
• Augustine as Hydhrose
• Chitra as Subhadramma
• Seeta as Sarada
• Bharathi Vishnuvardhan as Neelakandan's mother
• Cochin Haneefa as Achuthan
• Delhi Ganesh as Panikkar
• Janardhanan as Mundakkal Kunjikrishnan Nambiar
• Sankaradi as Kuttikrishnan Nair
• Oduvil Unnikrishnan as Peringodu Sankara Marar
• Raghu as Chacko
• Sreenath as C. S.
• Jagannatha Varma as Adiyodi
• Jose Prakash as Ezhuthachan
• Jagannathan as Poduval
• Vanitha as Bhanumati's sister

Soundtrack

The film includes songs written by the late lyricist Gireesh Puthenchery and composed by M. G. Radhakrishnan. Background music was composed by S. P. Venkatesh. The songs became chartbusters.

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Length
1.	"Angopangam"	K. S. Chithra
2.	"Medapponaniyum"	M. G. Sreekumar
3.	"Sooryakireedam"	M. G. Sreekumar
4.	"Sri Paatham Ragaathiramai"	M. G. Sreekumar
5.	"Vande Mukunda Hare" (Edakka by Krishnakumar)	M. G. Radhakrishnan

The song "Vande Mukunda Hare" is picturised on Oduvil Unnikrishnan, and is considered the most dramatic scene in the film. Though Oduvil Unnikrishnan plays only a small role, it was his performance that got the most applause. He plays the role of a wandering Edakka musician who frequently visits Neelakandan. The Edakka featured in the background of the song is played by Krishnadas.

Sequels and impact

Devasuram had a sequel, Ravanaprabhu, in 2001. Because of the success of this film, a number of movies of the same genre (called Thamburan movies) were made, but only two of them, both starring Mohanlal — Aaram Thamburan (1997) and Ravanaprabhu (2001) — were blockbusters.

Trivia

The protagonist "Mangalaserry Neelakandan" is a real-life character sketch of Mullasserry Rajagopal, who passed away in 2002. Supposedly, some notable scenes in the movie are real-life incidents. He was an ardent music lover and the "Mullasserry Raju Music Award" was instituted in his memory. Music directors Ouseppachan, Sharath and Bijibal have been recipients of the award. Director Jayaraj once said in an interview that "Ranjith had not managed to show even half of what he [Mullasserry Rajagopal] did in his life".

External links

• Devasuram at IMDb