Chattakari

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Chattakari (1974) was a famous Malayalam film. It is a love story of a Anglo Indian girl (Laxmi (actress) and a Hindu boy (Mohan) who consummate the relationship. She has a child out-of-wedlock in secret.

[edit] Backstory

It was the first Malayalam film of Laxmi (actress) and also the start of her romance with co-star Mohan. This film bagged the Kerala State best actor award for Adoor Bhasi who played Laxmi's alcoholic father, and the regional best film award from Filmfare. Storywriter Pamman received the state award for best story. It has the distinction of being the first Malayalam film to run continuously for 40 weeks in a Bangalore theatre. Pamman’s story was published in "Jay Keralam" a weekly published in Chennai. Producer M.O. Joseph bought the rights. He signed director Sethumadhvan, cinematographer Balu Mahendra and scriptwriter Thopil Bhasi for the film. The director suggested Laxmi (actress) as heroine and Mohan who had acted in P.N. Menon’s art film as hero. Sukumari was Laxmi's mother in the film. Laxmi played an Anglo Indian girl who wore short skirts throughout the film, which made her a sex symbol as well. The sensuous songs and the youthful pair set the box office on fire. After thirty years from the publication of his story, writer Pamman revealed that his novel’s ending was very different from that in the film. He said that the Hindu boy deserts his Anglo Indian girlfriend who is pregnant and never comes back but in the films, he comes back to accept her. Similarly, Julie's father in the film is shown as an innocent train engine driver who is always drunk. In the novel the father is a womanizer. Rahim, an admirer of Julie whom she had rejected, tries to influence her father by giving him booze and due to this the old man vomits blood and dies. In the film Rahim has no role in the death of the old man. Pamman said that he did not know about the climax change and when he came to know about it he did not know how to handle it.

[edit] Remakes

1. The Hindi remake became very famous in 1975. Laxmi (actress) repeated her role by playing the title role in Julie (1975 film). She received the Filmfare Best Actress Award. The music composed by Rajesh Roshan won him Filmfare Best Music Director Award award, and his songs "Dil Kya Kare" and "My heart is beating" are still evergreen hits. Nadira (actress) won Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for playing Julie's mother. Future superstar Sridevi played Julie's younger sister.

2. Laxmi (actress) also starred in the Telugu remake titled Miss Julie Prema Katha (1975).

3. The Kannada remake had Ramya in the title role of "Julie" (2006) and Dino Morea as her lover, but the film didn't do well.