Spadikam

Spadikam (English: Prism) is a 1995 Indian Malayalam crime drama film written and directed by Bhadran, starring Mohanlal in the lead role of a village rowdy Thomas Chacko aka Aadu Thoma. The film's name "Spadikam" means "crystal" or "prism", the splitting of light by a prism being a metaphor for human nature. The film also stars Thilakan, Urvashi, Spadikam George, KPAC Lalitha, Rajan P. Dev, Silk Smitha, Nedumudi Venu, and Chippy. This film was the highest-grossing film of the year in Kerala and was the longest running movie of the year.^[1] It was later remade in all major south Indian languages.

Mohanlal won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor and Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the young man who becomes a thug, estranged from his narcissistic father Chacko Master (Thilakan), upon failing to meet the latter's high expectations.^[2][3]

Plot

Thomas Chacko, or "Aadu Thoma" as he is widely known, is a local thug and a quarry owner, who is notorious for being the undefeated champion in his confronts and the unrivaled contender in the trade. He is feared in the locality for his atypical practices, like drinking the blood of black male goats before fights (an act that is believed to be the source of his strength) and using his dhoti as a weapon during fights. In spite of his frightening nature, he is known to have a good heart, gambling with his life for just cause. He is the son of the retired school headmaster Chacko (Chacko master), the President’s medal winner in mathematics. Thoma is the never-ending headache of his ‘respectable’ father, both never getting along on any occasion. His mother and sister are caught in the row, left to choose between sides; while Chacko master’s brother – Manimala Vakkachan, supports Thoma whatsoever. Pookoya, a local baron, is the newly-made enemy of Thoma, along with his sub-inspector (S.I.) friend Kuttikkadan; for supporting Pookoya’s daughter’s relationship with a penniless teacher. Due to Thoma’s relationship with a prostitute, revealed when the police shame him publicly, the arranged marriage of his sister almost fail, further angering his father. This force him to rat his son out to the police on a later occasion, thrashing him with a cane like he used to do in the early days; surprising even the S.I. with the act.

Chacko master had always been a very strict teacher, who emphasized on memorization and discipline at the expense of analysis and creativity. His achievements made him narcissistic as a father, wanting to make his son as good a mathematician as himself. His pride blinded him to his son’s aspirations and talents. Unlike his father Thomas was not good at math, but was very creative and productive in designing mechanical and electronic gadgetry like a mechanical timer school bell, something the admirers call “miracle bell” (for its excellence and innovation). He even made an AM radio receiver inside a soap case, at a time when phonographs were the fad of the time. Thomas’s talent astonished others, whereas his father saw them as a waste of time, or even as insults showered at him. He destroyed each one of them and was angry at him for converting his mathematical instrument box into a mechanical toolbox. Chacko master, who punished his students ruthlessly, treated his son worse – assuming him to be behind every mischief in school and punishing him until the actual culprit gives in. He always compared his son to the best student in the class – Balu (the son of a ‘simple’ police constable), adding to his pressure. Thomas worked hard, and did well in his language paper, but his father asked his language teacher Ravunni master to grade his paper so as to fail him, on the belief that only low grades will provoke him to study harder. His language teacher did as asked (regretting it later on). When Thomas found out that even his most beloved language teacher was biased against him, he became outraged and ran away from the village; after stabbing Balu on the palm with a compass. Fourteen years later, he returned as a changed man, no longer interested in clockwork or gadgetry. His father still hate him and profess to love his sister more, who lived up to the expectations. Thomas’s only regret is that he couldn’t get a chance to apologize to Balu, who died in a bike-accident; for which he feels his father is to blame, as he praised the boy too much so as to bring an early death upon him.

The relationship between the two further decline due to the incident, whereby entering into a fit of rage Thoma cuts off the sleeves of his father’s shirts (an act equivalent to cutting his arms). Chacko master on the other hand, repaint his son’s lorry with the name “Chekuthan” (meaning devil) and plant a coconut tree in front of the house, calling it his son – further rejecting him. Meanwhile, Ravunni master, who resigned after Thomas’s run-away, comes back with his daughter Thulasi (Thomas’s childhood friend) and see how bad the situation has become. Thulasi as well as the Vicar of the church and Vakkachan, try to mediate between the two by trying to get Thomas invited by his father to his sister’s wedding. Thomas who came hoping for the better, gets further insulted by his father by stating that his old student – the current Chief Secretary of the State will come for the wedding, whom he prefers more. This incident finally make Jhansy, Thoma’s sister stand against her father, stating she prefers her brother’s small necklace to her father’s high dowry in marriage. While the necklace was actually a gift from Thulasi given in the name of Thoma, this leads her to be deserted on the day of her wedding. Her mother, who was waiting for the wedding, leave him as well. With his pride struck the worst blow, Chacko master is left all alone to rethink on his actions. He now slowly understand, the pulse of the world is not in mathematics as he always believed.

Not so long after, Thoma gets stabbed by another goon employed by Pookoya, when he helps his daughter elope with her lover. Thoma almost face death and Chacko master regret his actions. The ice slowly melt and he secretly visit his son in the hospital. Coming back to health, Thoma’s attempt at revenge is foiled when Thulasi interfere. On learning that she loves him, he try to prevent her. He feels that his end is near and his deeds are soon to ricochet back at him. With her help, he tries to back out from his wrong course of life. Filled with the guilt of ruining his son’s life, Chacko master attempts suicide, which Thomas see and foil. He apologize to his son for the first time and the two reconcile. With a newfound joy, they together bring back his mother.

The happiness doesn’t last long, for they were too late for the retreat. Thomas’s enemies unite against him. In a tragic turn of events, Chacko master is shot by S.I. Kuttikadan while targeting Thoma, who in turn gets killed by him. Chacko master succumbs to his injuries and Thomas is taken into police custody on charges of murder, leaving the hapless family in tears.

Cast

Filming

The film was mostly shot in and around the town of Changanassery. Most of the locations still look exactly as depicted in the film and some of the place names used in the story are also real.

Awards

Kerala State Film Awards

• Best Actor - Mohanlal

Filmfare Awards South

• Best Actor - Mohanlal
• Best Director - Bhadran

Remakes

The film was remade in Telugu as Vajram with Nagarjuna, in Tamil as Veerappu with Sundar C. and in Kannada as Mr. Theertha with Sudeep.

Soundtrack

The songs were written by renowned lyricist P. Bhaskaran and composed by S. P. Venkatesh.

References

External links

• Spadikam on IMDb