| Classmates | |
|---|---|
DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Lal Jose |
| Produced by | Prakash Damodaran P. K. Muralidharan |
| Written by | James Albert |
| Starring | Prithviraj Narain Indrajith Jayasurya Kavya Madhavan Jagathy Sreekumar Balachandra Menon Radhika |
| Music by | Alex Paul |
| Cinematography | Rajeev Ravi |
| Editing by | Ranjan Abraham |
| Studio | Arya Films |
| Distributed by | Lal Release |
| Release date(s) | August 25, 2006 |
| Running time | 150 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Box office | 23 crore (US$4.37 million)[1] |
Classmates (Malayalam: ക്ലാസ്മേറ്റ്സ്, classmates ?) is a 2006 Malayalam film directed by Lal Jose and written by James Albert. The film has an ensemble cast starring Prithviraj, Narain, Indrajith, Jayasurya, Kavya Madhavan, Jagathy Sreekumar, Balachandra Menon and Radhika.[2] The music is composed by Alex Paul with the lyrics by Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma.[3] The cinematography was by Rajeev Ravi[4] and the editing by Ranjan Abraham.
The story revolves around the college graduate class of 1992. In 2006, working in different corners of the world, the friends get together for a class reunion to revive the joy and laughter of their student days. Shockingly on the night of the reunion one of the classmates gets almost murdered and goes into a coma.[5]
It is known as one of the biggest blockbusters in the Malayalam film industry and is frequently referenced in Keralite popular culture.[6] The film went on to win the Kerala State Film Awards for Best Popular Film (Prakash Damodaran and P. K. Muralidharan) and Best Story (James Albert).[7]
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Murali (Narain) has a beautiful voice and is the college singer. P. Sukumaran (Prithviraj) is a firebrand student leader with empathy towards the left front. Satheesan (Jayasurya) leads the opposite faction, and is sympathetic towards a more capitalist outlook, and Vasu (Vijeesh) is his trusted friend. Pius (Indrajith), a rich and spoiled brat and son of Gulf settled parents, is the campus Romeo and Sukumaran's best friend. Thara Kurup (Kavya Madhavan) is the daughter of Muvattupuzha MLA and a danseuse who keeps on winning awards for the college with her performance. Fr. Esthappanachan (Jagathy Sreekumar) is a professor.
It was Murali's dream that these classmates should have a reunion ten years from the date of graduation. However, Murali dies under mysterious circumstances. His parents, Prof. Iyer (Balachandra Menon) and Lakshmi Teacher (Shobha Mohan), who both teach at the college, decide to fulfill their departed son's dream and bring his classmates together for a reunion. Sukumaran is now a diamond dealer in Mumbai. He had married but later got divorced for personal reasons. Satheesan is now an MLA, following his dreams to become a political leader while Vasu continues to be his sidekick. Pius is now settled in the Middle East, while Thara, still unmarried, now runs a dancing school.
The coming together of these classmates is an occasion for the participants to relive the past and go nostalgic. It also brings out the story of the friend's death and subsequent events lead to the suspicion that the death of the classmate might not have been an isolated incident.[8]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Prithiviraj | Sukumaran |
| Indrajith | Pius George |
| Kavya Madhavan | Thara Kurup |
| Narain | Murali |
| Jayasurya | Satheesan Kanjikuzhi |
| Radhika | Raziya |
| Vijeesh | Vaalu Vasu |
| Jagathy Sreekumar | Esthappanachan |
| Balachandra Menon | Professor Iyer |
| Sobha Mohan | Lakshmi |
| Suraj Venjaramood | Ousepp (as Suraaj) |
| V.K.Sriraman | Raziya's father |
| Sukumari | Sukumaran's mother |
| Anoop Chandran | 'Pazhanthuni' Koshi |
The film was a run-away box office success. It created box office records and spawned a whole new genre of college-based films in the Malayalam film industry. It had a record run of 150 days at Thiruvananthapuram theatre multiplexes. The film went on to gross 23 crores with a 125 day run.[9]
Classmates garnered significant critical acclaim and mass popularity. The well-told story showcased believable characters, who were wonderfully portrayed by the ensemble cast of a younger generation of artists. However, the immense popularity of the movie can be mainly attributed to the portrayal of college life in Kerala, with which most of the target audience were able to identify. Many viewers responded that the movie was almost like a walk down memory lane. Also, the technique of flashback, used throughout the movie, added to the suspense and visual charm that Lal Jose had managed to maintain.
Rather than giving importance to a pivotal character, the movie incorporated many prominent young actors of Malayalam cinema and was a mix of various aspects of a campus movie, such as romance, politics, songs, action and comedy. All of the songs in this movie were popular, especially "Ente Khalbile".
The performance of actress Radhika (Raziya) was highly appreciated. Classmates has been remade in Tamil as Ninaithale Inikkum, with Prithviraj playing the lead again. Narain is replaced by Shakthi Vasu and Kavya is replaced by Priyamani.[10] and Telugu Classmates (2007 film) with sumanth playing the lead, sada in place of kavya in 2007.
The songs were written by Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma and composed by Alex Paul.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classmates_(2007_film)