| Vanaprastham | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Shaji N. Karun |
| Produced by | Mohanlal Pierre Assouline |
| Screenplay by | Shaji N. Karun Reghunath Paleri |
| Story by | Pierre Assouline |
| Starring | Mohanlal Suhasini Mani Ratnam Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar Kukku Parameswaran Venmani Haridas Kalamandalam Gopi Venmani Vishnu |
| Music by | Zakir Hussain |
| Cinematography | Santosh Sivan Renato Berta |
| Editing by | A. Sreekar Prasad Joseph Guinvarch |
| Running time | 119 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam, English, French, German |
Vanaprastham - The Last Dance (English title: Pilgrimage, Malayalam: വാനപ്രസ്ഥം) (1999) is an Indian-French-German produced feature film[1] directed by Shaji N. Karun. It stars Mohanlal, Suhasini Mani Ratnam, Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar, Kalamandalam Gopi and Venmani Haridas. The film's music is composed by Zakir Hussain.[2] The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival (AFI Fest) in 1999.[3] It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.[1] It is considered one of Mohanlal's best performances and gave him international acclaim. For this film he studied the art form Kathakali in 6 months.
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The story revolves around a male Kathakali dancer Kunhikuttan (Mohanlal), an admirable and respected performer but a member of a lower caste. He struggles to come to terms with the rejection and estrangement of his father, a member of an upper caste who disapproves of his son. Poor, unhappy, and stuck in an arranged marriage that provides no relief, he gets by for the sake of his daughter. One night, whilst performing as Arjuna from the epic Mahabarata on stage, his dance is witnessed by Subhadra (Suhasini), a well educated member of an upper caste family. Defying the norms of India's rigid caste system, they have a son, but it soon becomes clear that Subhadra loves the character Arjuna from his stage performances, and not Kunhikuttan the dancer. More in love with the valiant, noble hero of the Mahabarata, than the dancer Kunhikuttan, she rejects him and refuses to let him see his son. Denied access to his son, and rejected by his father, Kunhikuttan returns to the stage, leaving behind his hero roles to play demonic characters, reaching within the dark corners of his mind, becoming increasingly resentful and full of anger, until one last dance which brings the feature to a stunning end.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Mohanlal | Kunhikuttan |
| Suhasini Mani Ratnam | Subhadra |
| Mattannur Sankarankutty Marar | Raman |
| Kukku Parameswaran | Savithri |
| Venmani Haridas | Vasu Namboothiri |
| Kalamandalam Gopi | Kunju Nair |
| Venmani Vishnu | Pisharadi |
| Kalamandalam Kesavan | Thirumeni |
| Bindu Panicker | Bhageerathi |
The film has been nominated for the following awards since its release:
The film has won the following awards since its release:
2000 Istanbul International Film Festival (Turkey)
2000 Bombay International Film Festival (India)
2000 National Film Awards (India)
1999 Filmfare Award
Other Awards
| Song | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arjunavallabhayallo | Manoj Kuroor | Zakir Hussain | Venmani Haridas |
| Bhavatheeya Niyogam | Kottayathu Thampuran | Traditional | Kalamandalam Sukumaran |
| Dark Melody | Zakir Hussain | ||
| Enanka Dinam | Irayimman Thampi | ||
| Inimelil Janikunna | Ittiraarisa Menon | Traditional | |
| Kaaminee Mama | Manoj Kuroor | Zakir Hussain | Kottakkal Madhu |
| Karyamavanodu | Kalloor Namboothirippad | Traditional | |
| Kallinodu Thulya | Kilimanoor Cherunnikoyi Thampuran | Traditional | |
| Kandu Njan Thozhee | Manoj Kuroor | Zakir Hussain | K. Omanakutty |
| Kunhikuttan | Zakir Hussain | ||
| Medoorabhakthiyulla | Muringoor Sankara Potti | Traditional | |
| Mindidaathathenthe | Irayimman Thampi | ||
| Pushkara Vilochana | Muringoor Sankara Potti | Traditional | |
| Smile | Zakir Hussain | ||
| Sodara Balin | Kottayathu Thampuran | Traditional | |
| Subhadra | Zakir Hussain | ||
| Subhadra 2 | Zakir Hussain | ||
| Sukumaara Nandakumaara | Aswathi Thirunal Rama Varma | Traditional | |
| Thaal Manthra | Zakir Hussain |
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