Peruvazhiyambalam (1979)
The Roadhouse – (Lit. Translation)
Released : 06/08/1979
The directorial debut of P Padmarajan and the onscreen debut of actor Ashokan, Peruvazhiyambalam spoke of an emaciated adolescent, who, in an act of vengeance becomes the village’s idol of masculine bravado, when he stabs the village rowdy to death and flees. A local harlot’s tenement in a neighboring village becomes his refuge, as he is carted off in a concerted effort by the villagers, mostly strangers to him, all united in their hatred towards his now-victim. Peruvazhiyambalam (1979) won the debut director the State Award for the Second Best Feature Film for the year and the National Award for the Best Regional Feature Film at the 27th National Film Awards.
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More about Peruvazhiyambalam (1979)
| Ashokan [ Debut ] |
| KPAC Azeez |
| Bharat Gopy |
| Sukumari |
| KPAC Lalitha |
| Jose Prakash |
| Krishnankutty Nair |
| Adoor Bhavani |
| Santhakumari |
| P Ananthapadmanabhan |
| Madhavikkutty |
| Director | P Padmarajan |
| Producer | Prem Prakash |
| Banner | Bhadra Movie Makers |
| Story | P Padmarajan |
| Screenplay | P Padmarajan |
| Dialog | P Padmarajan |
| Lyrics | Kavalam Narayana Panicker |
| Music | MG Radhakrishnan |
| Singers | Jayalakshmi Sreenivasan, Haripad Saraswathi Amma |
| Background Music | MG Radhakrishnan, Guna Singh |
| Cinematography | Kannan Narayanan |
| Editing | Ravi |
| Art Direction | Purushothaman |
| Design | Bharathan |
| Distribution | Kumara Swamy & co |
Raman, a simple boy, lives with his sister in a village. Prabhakaran Pillai, the villainous rapist covets the sister and persecutes Raman, who alone stands up to the bully and kills him in a fight. A teashop owner and a prostitute help him to hide form the police. Raman replaces the villain as the local idol for hero worship, for his macho qualities. However, he is struck with remorse when faced by the children of the man he killed. – ( Deep Focus in Cinema of Malayalam )
Shyamaprasad (Director) on Peruvazhiyambalam
There’s no match for Padmarajan as a story teller. The power and beauty of his film lie essentially in the unique story he presents. Each one, with its typical rural ambiance and characters who are so idiosyncratic and rare, that one falls in love with this world immediately. Peruvazhiyambalam is the story of a young man’s coming to terms with the cruel and unfair world around him. Superb acting by Asokan and Gopy are the highlights of this violent drama set in rural Kerala.
As a filmmaker, it’s the first of Padmarajan. Technical imperfections do not mar the rustic power and intense danger of the theme and characterizations.
27th National Film Awards.
Best Feature Film in Malayalam
Kerala State Film Awards – 1979
Second Best Film – 1979
Best Story – P Padmarajan
A Video Clipping from Peruvazhiyambalam (1979)
How can you not fall in love with this actor ?
Mathrubhumi News TV‘s tribute to Peruvazhiyambalam (1979) in its segment on 100 years of Indian Cinema in 2013.
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Watch Peruvazhiyambalam (1979)
Bharat Gopy as Vishwambharan Nair : An Overview
Vishwambharan Nair is the tea-shop owner at the neighboring village who takes the lead in “receiving” the young murderer on the run, and whole-heartedly arranges for his stay underground till the matter cools down.
He holds a personal grudge (nay, that would be too simple a term) against Prabhakaran Nair who met his nemesis at the end of a country dagger held by a lad who in turn was driven by his personal demons.
Canny, crafty and powered with native wisdom, Vishwambharan Nair helps the young one on the run through the social maze that threatens to betray the accused to the authorities. The widower however, breaks down in rage in an unguarded moment with Raman, taking him by surprise.
is enough to put the entire life story of the man and his actions in perspective, as Raman starts to look at him in a new light.
The endearing and yet mesmerising quality of Peruvazhiyambalam’s narrative is its set of characters that are no different from real life, all harboring their own private islands of grief, unbridled lust, despondency and vengeance. P Padmarajan’s characters, from his early movies are all part of this visual milieu and he serves it to you in a delightful pastiche that makes each one of them memorable. Vishwambharan Nair is no different.
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