Rajavinte Makan
| Rajavinte Makan | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Thambi Kannanthanam |
| Screenplay by | Dennis Joseph |
| Story by | Rajeev |
| Produced by | Thambi Kannanthanam |
| Starring | Mohanlal Suresh Gopi Ratheesh Ambika Mohan Jose |
| Cinematography | Jayanan Vincent |
| Edited by | K. Sankunni |
| Music by | S. P. Venkatesh |
Production company | Sharon Pictures |
| Distributed by | Jubilee Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 132 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
Rajavinte Makan (transl. Son of the king) is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language gangster film directed and produced by Thampi Kannanthanam and written by Dennis Joseph. It stars Mohanlal as crime boss Vincent Gomes, and also features Suresh Gopi, Ratheesh, Ambika and Mohan Jose in supporting roles. The plot revolves around the rivalry between an underworld don, Vincent Gomes and the Home minister of Kerala, N. Krishnadas. The music was composed by S. P. Venkatesh.[1]
Rajavinte Makan was one of the major successes of the year 1986. The film was a milestone in the Malayalam film industry, achieving cult status in Kerala. The film was significant in heightening the stardom of Mohanlal.[1] The character became a cult figure and his dialogues became popular among the youth.[2]
It was remade in Tamil as Makkal En Pakkam,[3] and in Kannada as Athiratha Maharatha, with Ambika reprising her role in both the versions. It was also remade in Telugu as Ahuthi and in Hindi as Kanwarlal. Some critics consider the story to be a loose adaptation of the 1980 novel Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon.[4]
Plot
 | This article needs an improved plot summary. (February 2016) |
The story begins with Krishnadas becoming the Kerala Minister of Home Affairs. After college graduation, Krishnadas started working for the crime boss Vincent Gomes. But soon, he cheats Gomes to gain favour among the people as well as the party. Thus, Krishnadas becomes the Home Affairs Minister of the state and becomes an enemy of Gomes. Gomes plans a payback and he successfully manages to do so by manipulating Nancy, an advocate who carries the case of his file which if submitted to the court may lead to imprisonment for several years. Gomes realises that Nancy has struggled a lot in life as an orphan and later, a single mother. However, because of Gomes's plan, Nancy loses her job. Gomes, now remorseful of his actions, makes amends to Nancy and become friends. He confesses to Nancy and tells her that he wants to halt all his activities, and asks for her hand in marriage. However, Nancy denies telling that she cannot accept anyone else as her husband.
Krishnadas goes after Gomes with his political power and Gomes ends up losing all his wealth. Gomes plans to kill Krishnadas and entrusts the duty to Kumar and Peter, the trusted gangsters of Gomes. But Kumar and Peter get killed during the assassination attempt against Krishnadas. The loss of his trusted friends makes Gomes extremely violent and vengeful. He alone drives towards the guest house where Krishnadas resides, opens fire and kills many policemen and Krishnadas's political aides. When he was about to kill Krishnadas, Nancy begs for Krishnadas's life and proclaims that Krishnadas is the father of her child. While Gomes stands stunned, cops reach the site and shoot and kill him. He dies before Nancy could do anything. The story ends as Nancy stares at a picture of Vincent Gomes.
Cast
- Mohanlal as Vincent Gomes, a crime boss
- Suresh Gopi as Kumar, loyal accomplice to Vincent Gomes
- Ratheesh as Krishnadas C. K., Democratic Party member who becomes Minister of Home Affairs
- Ambika as Nancy, an advocate
- Mohan Jose as Peter, loyal accomplice to Vincent Gomes
- K. P. A. C. Azeez as Panicker, Advocate of Vincent Gomes
- Adoor Bhasi as the priest / warden of the orphanage
- Kanakalatha
- Kundara Johnny as a gangster
- K. P. A. C. Sunny as K. Venkitachalam, Public Prosecutor
- Alex Mathew as Student leader
- Jose Prakash as Chief Minister
- Kunchan as Krishnankutty
- Prathapachandran
- Chaplin as Hotel Staff
Music
| Rajavinte Makan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 1986 | |||
| Genre | Popular music | |||
| Length | 12:34 | |||
| Language | Malayalam | |||
| Label | Ranjni Audios | |||
| Producer | S. P. Venkatesh | |||
| S. P. Venkatesh chronology | ||||
| ||||
The soundtrack features three songs composed by S. P. Venkatesh, with lyrics penned by Shibu Chakravarthy. Venkatesh got his break from this film.
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Vinnile Gandharva" | Unni Menon | 03:52 |
| 2. | "Paadam Njan Aa Ganam" | Lathika | 04:30 |
| 3. | "Devangane" | Unni Menon, Lathika | 04:12 |
| Total length: | 12:34 | ||
Production
The role of Vincent Gomes was initially offered to Mammootty but he rejected it due to some personal issues with director Thampi Kannanthanam.
Release
The film was released on 16 July 1986. The film was certified with a U certificate. The film was later remade in other languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.
Reception
According to a trade analysis written by Sridhar Pillai and published in India Today on February 28, 1987, Rajavinte Makan had a production cost of ₹ 15 lakhs and was expected to collect ₹ 75 lakhs by the end of its run.[5] A second article published by Malayala Manorama much later on 2 October 2018, on the event of Thambi Kannanthanam's passing, cites the production and distribution budget as ₹40 lakhs, with a final gross of ₹85 lakhs at the box office.[1][6]
Legacy
Rajavinte Makan is considered to be the turning point in Mohanlal's career as it shot him into superstardom in Malayalam cinema. Even the dialogues from the movie are still famous today, such as: "My phone number is 2255." This dialogue was referenced in the 2022 film Aaraattu.[7] The character of Vincent Gomes portrayed by Mohanlal has over the years attained a cult status in Malayalam cinema. In an interview, the writer Dennis Joseph states: "He is not one of those loud, flamboyant dons. He is soft-spoken yet menacing in an understated way. That’s what makes Vincent Gomez so iconic.”[8]
Trivia
- Thampi Kannanthanam's dream to remake Rajavinte Makan didn't succeed due to his failing health.
- Rajavinte Makan is also said to be a landmark film in Mohanlal's career as the film established the actor as the new superstar of Malayalam cinema. In fact, it was in the same year (1986), Mohanlal delivered 28 super hits at the box office.
References
- ^ a b c ഒറ്റ ദിവസം കൊണ്ട് മോഹൻലാലിനെ സൂപ്പർസ്റ്റാറാക്കിയ തമ്പി കണ്ണന്താനം. Malayala Manorama (in Malayalam). 2 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ "Malayalam film makers in Kerala transposes real life into reel life". India Today.
- ^ Narayanan, Sujatha (26 December 2016). "From Drishyam to Oppam, why Mohanlal's films are remade in other languages often". Firstpost. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- ^ "From Shakespeare to Sidney Sheldon — Malayalam films inspired by Foreign books".
- ^ "Malayalam film makers in Kerala transposes real life into reel life".
- ^ https://i.imgur.com/2g39B3V.png [bare URL image file]
- ^ "31 years of Rajavinte Makan". Catch News. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ "31 years of Rajavinte Makan : Interesting facts about the classic thriller that made Mohanlal a superstar". CatchNews.com. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
