Sphadikam

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Sphadikam(Prism) is a malayalam movie starring Mohanlal in the role of real life rowdy Thomas Chacko aka Aadu Thoma.

[edit] Plot

Chacko Master (Thilakan) is a high-school math teacher who is a president's medal winner in Mathematics. He is a very strict teacher and emphasizes memorization and discipline at the expense of analysis and creativity in school. He punishes his students ruthlessly and is no different to his son Thomas who is also a student in his class. Chacko always assumes that his son is behind every mischief in class, and punishes him until the actual culprit confesses gives himself in.

Unlike his dad, Thomas is very bad at math (he cannot memorize algebraic identities) but he is very creative and productive in designing mechanical and electronic gadgetry. For instance, he impresses his mother and sister by developing a AM radio receiver at a time when Phonographs were more prevalent in his village. When his dad finds out about the receiver he throws it into flames and destroying it; he forces his son to focus on his studies instead of being an inventor. Thomas works hard, and he does well in his language paper, but his dad asks his language teacher to grade his paper with no leniency, so that he gets low grades. When he finds out that even his most beloved language teacher was biased against him he becomes outraged. He runs away from home.

Many years later, he returns to his village. Thomas, by now, had changed into a totally different person. He was no longer interested in clockwork and gadgetry; he owned a stone quarry and had become a well known rowdy wanted by the authorities as a prime suspect in many unsolved crimes. His dad still hated him and never accepted him as family.

But as the movie progresses, both dad and son, regrets for what they had done to each other. In an interesting turn of events both dad and son reunite.

The movie's name "Sphadikham" which means "Prism" is metaphor for the human nature. Just like how white light gets split into many colors by a prism, every human transforms himself when faced with experiences in life.