Vaasthavam
| Vaasthavam | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | M. Padmakumar |
| Produced by | Shrichakra Films Private Ltd. |
| Written by | Babu Janardhanan |
| Starring |
Prithviraj Kavya Madhavan Samvrutha Sunil Murali Jagathi Sreekumar Sindhu Menon Sadiq Sudheer Karamana Usha Shaalin |
| Music by |
Alex Paul Rajamani |
| Cinematography | Manoj Pillai |
| Edited by | L. Boominathan |
| Distributed by | Shrichakra Films Release |
Release dates | 10 November 2006 |
Running time | 145 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
Vaasthavam (English: The Reality) is a 2006 Malayalam film written by Babu Janardhanan and directed by M. Padmakumar. The film revolves around a youth Balachandran Adiga (Prithviraj) and follows his rise and fall in politics. The story is loosely based on Thakazhi's novel 'Enippadikal'.[1]
Prithviraj won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for his performance.
Plot
Raghavan Master (Sreeraman), a scion of a high Adiga Brahmin family and an ardent communist, is now in crisis as his Tharavadu is devoid of the fame and fortune it once had. Balachandran Adiga is his only son, who has the burden of looking after the family and his four sisters. He is aware of the difficulties involved in bringing the family back from the brink of nothingness and in marrying off his sisters. Balachandran's eldest sister Shobha does some tailoring and manages a low earning with which the family is kept out of hunger. Balachandran is engaged to Sumithra (Kavya Madhavan) his cousin. But in the turn of events Thripran Namboodhiri (Salim kumar) comes with an offer to marry his niece to Balachandran, agreeing to offer him a job in the secretariat and thereby save his family from dire straits. Sumithra forces Balchandran to give up their dreams for the sake of his family. He marries Surabhi(Samvrutha Sunil), a girl from a rich family, to tackle the serious economic adversities that his family faces. Notwithstanding the family chaos, Balachandran's younger sister Shubha walks out with Adivasi leader Sreedharan on the day of Balachandran’s marriage, causing irreparable damage to the family reputation, following which his mother dies. Sumithra marries a cruel and corrupt police officer who constantly doubts the character of his wife.
At this juncture, Balachandran joins the job at the Secretariat. He lives with seventy-year-old Unnithan Asan who acts as his guide all through the corruption-filled secretariat. His financial needs force him to become a corrupt officer who is always in the lookout for money and power. He deliberately pretends to be a bachelor, to encourage the affections of Vimala, a divorcee. With the help of Vimala, the niece of the nee revenue minister Pattam Raveendran, Balachandran quickly climbs the ladder of bureaucracy. What follows next is a series of events that turns Balachandran's mind so as to tear off his new life and go back to his native to lead a simple, peaceful life with his wife(Samvrutha Sunil) and family.
Reception
The movie received positive reviews from critics.