The storyline of Bhoothakkannadi
A coward, he is scared of darkness and snakes. He is also extremely possessive about his only daughter, Sreekutty. His lack of courage forced him to marry a girl of his father's choice and bury his childhood love for Sarojini. Again, his lack of assertiveness makes him cower before his overpowering and aggressive elder sister.
Snakes haunt him and scare him not only in his dreams but also when he is awake. He strongly believes that it is the mate of a snake, which he along with other children had stoned to death in school, that killed his wife and continues to haunt him.
"We also stoned the cobra but nothing happened to our wives. Don't believe in such stupid things," his friends tell him. He has answers ready for that too, "It might be my stone that killed the snake."
Sarojini's beautiful 15-year-old daughter also teases him about his fears but he is not ashamed. He prefers to remain a coward than become prey to his nemesis.
Vidyadharan walks cautiously through the narrow lanes of the village, with either an umbrella or a long torch to guard him during day. At night, he allows Sarojini's daughter to escort him home and return every night to her home all alone.
One night, Sarojini's daughter is gang-raped and killed. After this incident, Vidydharan's fear grows. He begins fearing for the safety of his little daughter too. He hides himself in the attic, keeping his little one close to him, away from the cruel eyes of all the rakshasas. Lohithadas uses the image of a hunter who heartlessly shoots down birds to depict evil in society.
Both Vidyadharan and his daughter believe it was the hunter who killed Sarojini's daughter. In an unexpected encounter with the hunter, Vidyadharan unintentionally pushes him deep down the hillside to his death. The movie starts with Vidyadharan in jail and the story is unfolded through well crafted
flash backs.
Standing close to the huge, rising wall of the jail, he hears the giggles of a young girl from outside. With the help of his magnifying glass, he looks through a small hole in the wall (the hole exists only for him) and sees a blind family of four. He notices that only the young girl has sight. The fantasy world of Vidyadharan, the hill and the family is beautifully portrayed by Lohitadas. One day, the frightened Vidyadharan hears the wild cry of the young girl and he sees the girl being raped.
As the real world of Vidyadharan merges into the frightening, cruel fantasy, he becomes a wreck. He is unable to recognise Sarojini and his grown-up daughter who have to come to take him home. Through
the glass, he looks at them and asks, 'Who are you?" Now Vidyadharan's world is enveloped by only one emotion, fear.
The movie should have ended here. The only place where Lohitadas has faltered is here. It is rumoured that for commercial success, he added a train scene in which all three of them go back home. A trivial scene which mars the otherwise serene beauty of the film.
Unitl now Lohitadas had written only screenplays, almost all of them highly successful too, like Bharatham, Kireedam and Thaniavarthanam. The most satisfying part of this film is that the screenplay writer in Lohitadas did not dominate the director at any point of time. One should mention the unparalleled contribution by the national award-winning cinematographer, Venu. It is his camera that has given life and perspective to the village in a soft and subtle way.
Except for Mammotty, all the other actors are newcomers. All of them have played their parts wonderfully well. Srilakshmi may be a beginner, she may be young, but her performance is on par with a veteran like Mammotty. And, Mammotty! He is just great in the role of Vidyadharan, the schizophrenic watch repairer who always complains about quartz watches flooding the market. Mammotty lives the role. The way he walks, talks and looks, there is a kind of hesitation, a kind of fear and a kind of search for something unknown which we do not see in the movements of an ordinary being. A superlative performance in a brilliant film.
Vidyadharan, a watch repairer, is an odd man in a small, uncomplicated village in Kerala. He is extremely finicky about cleanliness, sometimes he even goes to the extent of mistaking coffee power for tiny ants in a cup of coffee.
Mammotty as Vidyadharan in Bhoothakkannadi. Click here for bigger pic!
In the claustrophobic atmosphere of prison, Vidyadharan's fears multiply. Through Sarojini's frequent visits, he find out that his daughter suffers at the hands of her uncles. This news shatters him. He was one father who did not let anyone pierce his daughter's ears for fear of hurting her. He weeps in agony and helplessness. His fears aggravate when Sarojini informs him that she has matured.
Click here for bigger pic!
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