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Pingami
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Wikipedia article
'Pingami' is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Sathyan Anthikkad and written by Reghunath Paleri based on his own short story 'Kumarettan Parayaatha Kadha'. It was produced by Mohanlal through the company Pranavam Arts, and stars himself along with Kanaka, Puneet Issar, Jagathy Sreekumar, Thilakan, Sukumaran, Innocent, Janardhanan and Oduvil Unnikrishnan in supporting roles. The music was composed by Johnson.
The film follows Captain Vijay, who forms a close bond with Kumaran, a severely injured man. However, when he dies, Vijay decides to investigate the cause of his death. The film was release on 27 May 1994 and was an average success at the box office. In a retrospect review in 2019, 'Kerala Kaumudi' described 'Pingami' as the most underrated film ever in Malayalam cinema. and over the years, the film has attained a cult following.
Plot
Captain Vijay Menon is an orphaned army officer, who returns on his annual leave to stay with his maternal aunt and uncle, who raised him and his younger sister after the untimely deaths of their parents and youngest sister. One day, Vijay sees a social worker named Kumaran who is lying on the road after an accident and is moaning for help. He takes Kumaran to a hospital, but is unable to save his life. From there, Vijay develops a strong bond between Kumaran and Vijay, who later finds out that Kumaran's accident was really a pre-planned murder. With the help of his friend Kutti Hassan, he starts on a trail to find out the mystery behind the murder and in the midst, he finds out the missing links of his own life.
It is revealed that Kumaran was murdered by the same people, who killed Vijay's father, an honest IFS officer, who caught smuggling of forest trees. Vijay's father's murder was witnessed by Kumaran, who tried to find justice for Vijay's family. This revelation prompts Vijay to seek vengeance on his father's killers in his own ways while simultaneously falling in love with Kumaran's daughter Sridevi. Through Kumaran's diary and his own investigations, Vijay finds out that his mother and sister aren't dead, as Kumaran had rescued them and admitted his sister and mother, who became mentally ill after witnessing his father's brutal murder, in a charity home where he regularly visited them. Vijay is able to reunite with his family and successfully finishes Kumaran's mission for justice.
Cast
*Mohanlal as Captain Vijay Menon
*Kanaka as Sridevi, Kumaran's daughter
*Puneet Issar as Edwin Thomas / Achayan (voiceover by Prof. Aliyar)
*Jagathy Sreekumar as Kutti Hassan
*Thilakan as Illipanath Narayanan Kumaran / Kumarettan
*Sukumaran as George Mathews / George Achayan, an influential politician
*Innocent as Advocate Iyengar
*Janardhanan as Retd SP Koshy Varghese
*Oduvil Unnikrishnan as Menon, Vijay's maternal uncle
*Kuthiravattam Pappu as Achuthan
*Sankaradi as Muthappan
*Mala Aravindan as Velichappadu
*Meena as Menon's wife and Vijay's aunt
*Kunchan as Auto driver Khader Kutty
*Vinduja Menon as Ganga / Mary / Chinnumol, Vijay's youngest sister
*Paravoor Bharathan as Advocate
*T. P. Madhavan as Newspaper editor
*V. K. Sreeraman as Police officer
*Poornam Viswanathan as Varma, Revenue Intelligence officer
*Sadiq as Studio owner
*Ottapalam Pappan
*Seetha as Parvathi, Vijay's younger sister
*Santhakumari as Kumarettan's wife and Sridevi's mother
*Meena Ganesh as Kuttyhasan's mother
*Santha Devi as Mother Superior
*Abu Salim as Muthu
*Bindu Varappuzha as Rukhiya
*Devan as Vijay's father, a government officer
*Shanthi Krishna as Subhadra, Menon's younger sister and Vijay's mother
*Antony Perumbavoor as Car driver Devasikutty
Production
'Pingami' was based on Raghunath Paleri's short story 'Kumarettan Parayatha Katha'. He also wrote the screenplay. Sathyan Anthikkad made a genre change with 'Pingami' who was usually known for making comical family dramas.
Music
The film features songs composed by Johnson and written by Kaithapram.
Release
The film was released on 27 May 1994.
Reception
Box office
It was an average success at the box office.Critical response
Upon release the film received mixed reviews. However, modern reception has been more positive.References
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