Vaanaprastham (1999)

Director:

Shaji N. Karun

Writers:

Pierre Assouline (story)
Shaji N. Karun (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

13 October 1999 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Caste System | Mythic | Illegitimate Son | Family Relationships | Adultery

Awards:

5 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Mohanlal	...	Kunhikuttan
Suhasini	...	Subhadra
Mattanoor Shankara Marar	...	Raman
Kalamandalam Gopi	...	Kunju Nair
Venmani Haridas	...	Namboodiri
Kukku Parameshwaram	...	Savithri
Venmani Vishnu	...	Pisharadi
Kalamandalam Kesavan	...	Thirumeni
Bindu Panikkar	...	Bhageerathi

Also Known As:

Pilgrimage (International: English title)
The Last Dance (Europe: English title)
Vaanaprastham - Der letzte Tanz (Germany)
Vanaprastham (India: Malayalam title) (alternative transliteration)
Vanaprastham - La dernière danse (France)

Runtime:

119 min | Argentina:120 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

France | India | Germany

Language:

Hindi | Malayalam

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

India:U | France:U | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Argentina:13

Company:

CLT-UFA International

Trivia:

The title stems from Sanskrit and alludes to the place where all artists need to be, free of all emotional attachments and material possessions.

A forgotten era !!

Do people view cinema as an art form?...you cannot give a definite YES as an answer.....But, Watch Vanaprastham and you simply cannot resist calling it a wonderful piece of art. The movie belongs to the forgotten era of art that affects you. And the effect is so pleasant and elevating, that the movie is sure to stay with you forever if you can appreciate it. Like a book you will remember for your lifetime, like a painting that you can never erase from your mind, like a song that comes to your head at least once a day, everyday.

The director has blended Kathakali and Indian Mythology into the storyline like milk and honey and the product is a treat to the senses. No words to describe Zakir Hussain's score and Santosh Sivan's camera..They just elevate the movie to a totally different level. The message that Dance is a form of self-expression has been very elegantly and poignantly told in the film, yet, there is a subtlety about every aspect in the movie that gives you something more in each and every frame than what actually is conveyed in each scene. The actors are tailor-made for their roles, with Mohanlal giving an almost flawless performance. He plays the role of Kunhikuttan with the right body language, emotions and expressions. He is impressive in those scenes where his dialogues are few because the actor knows just how to speak with his facial expressions. Suhasini as Subhadra is perfect with her performance.

The movie does not have a narrator yet you can sense a mute voice narrating the life of Kunhikuttan. This is primarily due to the acting and the Background score which deserve a lot of acclamation. After watching the movie you sense a deep heavy feeling which leaves a lasting impression on you. The story can very well be summed up in a line, but it is a lot more. The movie is slow-paced and rightly so because it also tells you that nothing happens suddenly in life. There are always a series of events leading to every minute of your life. And the life of Kunhikuttan is explained thus. At the end, you cannot help but wonder at the poignant performance, the message you never knew was being sent and yet you perceive all this in a span of 2 hours. One of the best movies ever to be made in India !!