| Yoddha | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Sangeeth Sivan |
| Produced by |
V. C. George Sreenivasa Shenoy A. P. Antony |
| Screenplay by | Sasidharan Arattuvazhi |
| Story by | Sangeeth Sivan |
| Starring |
Mohanlal Madhoo Siddharth Lama Jagathy Sreekumar Puneet Issar Urvashi |
| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
| Cinematography | Santosh Sivan |
| Edited by | A. Sreekar Prasad |
Production company |
Saga Films |
| Distributed by | Saga Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 149 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
Yoddha, also spelled Yodha is a 1992 Malayalam-language Indian sword & sorcery film directed by Sangeeth Sivan and written by Sasidharan Arattuvazhi from a story envisioned by Sivan. Mohanlal plays Thaiparambil Ashokan, the saviour destined to rescue the Rimpoche of a Nepalese Buddhist monastery from sorcerers practicing black magic. Additional cast include Madhoo, Siddharth Lama, Jagathy Sreekumar, Puneet Issar, and Urvashi. Santosh Sivan was the cinematographer and A. Sreekar Prasad was the editor. The original film score and soundtrack were composed by A. R. Rahman. Saga Films produced and distributed the film.The film grossed around 2 cr in its final run and is placed 3rd in the list of top malayalam grossers of 1992.
Yoddha was released in India on 3 September 1992. It was later dubbed and released in other regional Indian languages—Dharam Yoddha in Hindi, Ashokan in Tamil, and Yoddha in Telugu. The film received four Kerala State Film Awards for Best Child Artist (Lama), Best Editor (Prasad), Best Sound Recordist (Arun K. Bose), and Best Male Singer (M. G. Sreekumar).
Contents
Plot
In an unknown location on the Himalayan Nepal, a mystical boy is about to be crowned the Rimpoche of a Buddhist monastery, when a gang of sorcerers led by Vishaka, abduct the child. Vishaka is in service to a mysterious enchantress, who needs to make a human sacrifice of the Rimpoche to attain invincibility, to be performed before the solar eclipse. The monks expect the advent of a saviour, the man with ears as weapon, across the Himalayas to rescue the child as they are prophesied. In meantime, Rimpoche manages to escape through the course and reaches Kathmandu.
At the other end of the subcontinent, in a village in Kerala, Ashokan (Mohanlal), a youngster spent his time competing his cousin Appukuttan (Jagathy Sreekumar) in a series of games conducted by a sports club. Appukuttan finds himself on the losing side each time, but strongly optimistic of his win, competes again. Appukuttan feels fooled and heartbroken when he suspects an affair brewing between Ashokan and his fiancée Damayanthi. Ashokan is sent to his uncle Krishnankutty Menon in Nepal by his mother Sumanthi after a palm reader predicts that he will commit murder if stays in Kerala. Unbeknownst to Ashokan, Appukuttan flees to Nepal beforehand and masquerades as Ashokan before their uncle. Ashokan in turn is cast out onto the streets, where he meets the boy and forms a bond with him.
Uncle's daughter, Ashwathi, is a researcher into Nepalese traditions and history. As a payback to Ashokan, Appukuttan attempts to plot his way into marrying her, who in turn is Ashokan's bride-to-be by their custom, but not engaged. Ashokan, with Unnikuttan's (as he calls the boy) assistance, manages to cast doubt into the mind of uncle about the credibility of Appukuttan's claims and wins over Ashwathi's love and trust.
Ashokan and Ashwathi witness one of sorcerers' confederate combatant kidnapping the boy. Upon following him into a forest, they end up confronting the unnamed man. In an ensuing fight, the man grievously wounds Ashwathi and blinds Ashokan using a substance, and leaves the two to die. Ashokan is rescued by a tribe affiliated with the monks that train warriors tasked with protecting the monastery. Ashokan is discovered as the "chosen one" and is given training in Kung fu by a master, to overcome his blindness and enhance his hearing skills. At the same time, Appukuttan was also captured by another evil tribe while following the two.
Ashokan now enlisted as a warrior, infiltrates the sorcerer's location and rescues Unnikuttan from a bewitched sheathe. The boy then, aided by an ailing old monk, restores Ashokan's eyesight. As the solar eclipse nears, the monks begin the coronation ceremony of the boy. Vishaka rushes to the monastery to terminate it. But Ashokan stands in his way and, in a climactic fight, kills the man. The boy is coronated as the Rimpoche. Ashokan discovers that Ashwathi was indeed saved by the tribe, and is alive and healthy. Appukuttan returns as Ashokan-esque trained warrior, but before he could stand a chance, he is beaten by Ashokan.
Cast
- Mohanlal as Thaipparambil Ashokan Menon
- Siddharth Lama as Rimpoche / Unnikuttan
- Madhoo as Aswathi Menon
- Jagathy Sreekumar as Arassumoottil Appukuttan Menon
- Puneet Issar as Vishaka, a black magician (villain of the film)
- Urvashi as Dhamayanthi
- M. S. Thripunithura as Krishnankutty "Kuttymama" Menon
- Oduvil Unnikrishnan as Gopalan Menon, Appukuttan's father
- Jagannatha Varma as Raghavan Menon, Ashokan's father
- Sukumari as Sumathi, Ashokan's mother
- Meena as Vasumathi, Appukuttan's mother
- Beena Antony as Ashokan's sister
- Yubaraj Lama as Sorcerer's confederate combatant
- Vineeth Anil as Vikru, Ashokan's hometown buddy
- Gopal Bhutani as Ashokan's trainer
Production
Siddharth Lama debuted in the film playing Rimpoche. His father Yuvraj Lama also acted in the film as the long-haired henchman, an abductor sent by Puneet Issar's villain character. Cinematographer Santhosh Sivan found Sidharth Lama accidentally, who happened to see him when he visited actor Yuvraj Lama. At the time, they were searching for a suitable child actor to play the role of Rimpoche. Sivan invited "little" Lama to the film, who without hesitation said, yes. While filming, Lama shaved his head at least 20 times for the film. Every three days he had to shave.
Soundtrack
| Yoddha | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by A. R. Rahman | ||||
| Released | 2 August 1992 | |||
| Recorded | 1992 | |||
| Venue | Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu | |||
| Studio | Panchathan Record Inn | |||
| Genre | Filmi | |||
| Label | Tharangini Records | |||
| Producer | A. R. Rahman | |||
| A. R. Rahman chronology | ||||
| ||||
The original score and songs were composed by A. R. Rahman; the lyrics were penned by Bichu Thirumala. Apart from the original Malayalam version, the soundtrack was also released in Tamil (as Asokan), Hindi (as Dharam Yoddha) and Telugu (as Yoddha). The respective soundtracks featured versions of all songs except "Mamboove", which was not featured in the film. "Mamboove" was later reused for the Tamil movie Pavithra as "Sevvanam". The lyrics were written by Vairamuthu, P. K. Mishra and Veturi respectively for the Tamil, Hindi and Telugu versions. The Hindi version was added with five songs composed by Pappu Khan, none of which was featured in the film.
The original soundtrack was released by Tharangini in 1992. The Tamil dubbed version, Asokan by Pyramid in 1994, the Hindi version by BMG Crescendo in 1996 and the Telugu version in 1995. The Hindi version was re-released in 1997 with five new songs added.
Track listing
All lyrics written by Bichu Thirumala.
| Yoddha (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Maampoove" | K. J. Yesudas, Sujatha Mohan | |
| 2. | "Padakaali" | K. J. Yesudas, M. G. Sreekumar | |
| 3. | "Theme" | Malgudi Subha | |
| 4. | "Kunu Kune" | K. J. Yesudas, Sujatha Mohan | |
All lyrics written by Vairamuthu.
| Ashokan (Tamil dubbed) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Kulu Kulu Endru" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra | 03:50 |
| 2. | "Om Kari" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 04:23 |
| 3. | "Nilavuku Pakkam" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 06:51 |
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