Classmates (2006 film)

Classmates
DVD cover
Directed by	Lal Jose
Produced by	Prakash Damodaran P. K. Muralidharan
Written by	James Albert
Starring	Prithviraj Narain Indrajith Jayasurya Kavya Madhavan Jagathy Sreekumar Balachandra Menon Radhika
Music by	Alex Paul
Cinematography	Rajeev Ravi
Editing by	Ranjan Abraham
Studio	Arya Films
Distributed by	Lal Release
Release date(s)	August 25, 2006 (2006-08-25)
Running time	150 minutes
Country	India
Language	Malayalam
Box office	23 crore (US$4.66 million)[1]

Classmates (Malayalam: ക്ലാസ്‌മേറ്റ്സ്, Klāsmēṯṯs ^?) is a 2006 Malayalam musical mystery-thriller film directed by Lal Jose and written by James Albert. The film has an ensemble cast starring Prithviraj, Narain, Indrajith, Jayasurya, Kavya Madhavan, Jagathy Sreekumar, Balachandra Menon and Radhika.^[2] The music is composed by Alex Paul with the lyrics by Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma.^[3] The cinematography was by Rajeev Ravi^[4] and the editing by Ranjan Abraham.

The story revolves around the college graduate class of 1992. In 2006, working in different corners of the world, the friends get together for a class reunion to revive the joy and laughter of their student days. Shockingly on the night of the reunion one of the classmates gets almost murdered and goes into a coma.^[5]

It is known as one of the biggest blockbusters in the Malayalam film industry and is frequently referenced in Keralite popular culture.^[6] The film went on to win the Kerala State Film Awards for Best Popular Film (Prakash Damodaran and P. K. Muralidharan) and Best Story (James Albert).^[7]

Synopsis

Murali (Narain) has a beautiful voice and is the college singer. P. Sukumaran (Prithviraj) is a firebrand student leader with empathy towards the left front. Satheesan (Jayasurya) leads the opposite faction, and is sympathetic towards a more capitalist outlook, and Vasu (Vijeesh) is his trusted friend. Pius (Indrajith), a rich and spoiled brat and son of Gulf settled parents, is the campus Romeo and Sukumaran's best friend. Thara Kurup (Kavya Madhavan) is the daughter of Muvattupuzha MLA and a danseuse who keeps on winning awards for the college with her performance. Fr. Esthappanachan (Jagathy Sreekumar) is a professor.

It was Murali's dream that these classmates should have a reunion ten years from the date of graduation. However, Murali dies under mysterious circumstances. His parents, Prof. Iyer (Balachandra Menon) and Lakshmi Teacher (Shobha Mohan), who both teach at the college, decide to fulfill their departed son's dream and bring his classmates together for a reunion. Sukumaran is now a diamond dealer in Mumbai. He had married but later got divorced for personal reasons. Satheesan is now an MLA, following his dreams to become a political leader while Vasu continues to be his sidekick. Pius is now settled in the Middle East, while Thara, still unmarried, now runs a dancing school.

The coming together of these classmates is an occasion for the participants to relive the past and go nostalgic. It also brings out the story of the friend's death and subsequent events lead to the suspicion that the death of the classmate might not have been an isolated incident.^[8]

Cast

Actor	Role
Prithiviraj	Sukumaran
Indrajith	Pius George
Kavya Madhavan	Thara Kurup
Narain	Murali
Jayasurya	Satheesan Kanjikuzhi
Radhika	Raziya
Vijeesh	Vaalu Vasu
Jagathy Sreekumar	Esthappanachan
Balachandra Menon	Professor Iyer
Sobha Mohan	Lakshmi
Suraj Venjaramood	Ousepp (as Suraaj)
V.K.Sriraman	Raziya's father
Sukumari	Sukumaran's mother
Anoop Chandran	'Pazhanthuni' Koshi

Awards

• Radikha: Best Supporting Actress in Amrita Films Awards 2006
• James Albert: Best Scriptwriter in Asianet film awards
• James Albert: Kerala State Film Award for Best Story
• Kerala State Film Award for Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value.
• Vineeth Sreenivasan: Best Male Playback singer

Box-office performance

The film was a run-away box office success. It created box office records and spawned a whole new genre of college-based films in the Malayalam film industry. It had a record run of 150 days at Thiruvananthapuram theatre multiplexes.^{[citation needed]} The film went on to gross 23 crores with a 125 day run.^[9]

Critical acclaim

Classmates garnered significant critical acclaim and mass popularity. The well-told story showcased believable characters, who were wonderfully portrayed by the ensemble cast of a younger generation of artists. However, the immense popularity of the movie can be mainly attributed to the portrayal of college life in Kerala, with which most of the target audience were able to identify. Many viewers responded that the movie was almost like a walk down memory lane. Also, the technique of flashback, used throughout the movie, added to the suspense and visual charm that Lal Jose had managed to maintain.^{[citation needed]}

Rather than giving importance to a pivotal character, the movie incorporated many prominent young actors of Malayalam cinema and was a mix of various aspects of a campus movie, such as romance, politics, songs, action and comedy. All of the songs in this movie were popular, especially "Ente Khalbile".

The performance of actress Radhika (Raziya) was highly appreciated. Classmates has been remade in Tamil as Ninaithale Inikkum, with Prithviraj playing the lead again. Narain is replaced by Shakthi Vasu and Kavya is replaced by Priyamani.^[10] and Telugu Classmates (2007 film) with sumanth playing the lead, sada in place of kavya in 2007.

Soundtrack

The songs were written by Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma and composed by Alex Paul.

• "Kattadi Thanalum" - Vidhu Prathap, Reju Joseph, Ramesh Babu, Cicily
• "Kathirunna Pennalle" - Devanand, Jyotsna
• "Vote" - M G Sreekumar, Pradeep
• "Ente Khalbile" - Vineeth Sreenivasan
• "Ente Khalbile" - Sujatha

In popular culture

• An alcohol addicts association called Glassmates was initiated in many districts in Kerala, its name intending to be a pun on the name of the movie.
• The film spawned a whole new genre of college campus-based films, which have dominated box-office earnings in recent years. Examples include Puthiya Mukham, Chocolate, LollyPop, etc. All of the films mentioned also star Prithviraj in the lead role.

References

1. ^ http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/malayalam/article/28242.html
2. ^ http://www.thehindujobs.com/thehindu/mp/2006/12/16/stories/2006121600760100.htm
3. ^ http://www.raaga.com/channels/malayalam/moviedetail.asp?mid=m0000976
4. ^ http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/11/02/stories/2007110250310300.htm
5. ^ http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/malayalam/preview/8386.html
6. ^ http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/09/29/stories/2006092901190100.htm
7. ^ http://www.prd.kerala.gov.in/stateawards4.htm
8. ^ http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/3150/malayalam/classmates/preview.htm
9. ^ http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/malayalam/article/28242.html
10. ^ http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news-1/apr-08-03/ninaithale-inikkum-14-04-08.html

1. ^ http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/malayalam/article/28242.html
2. ^ http://www.thehindujobs.com/thehindu/mp/2006/12/16/stories/2006121600760100.htm
3. ^ http://www.raaga.com/channels/malayalam/moviedetail.asp?mid=m0000976
4. ^ http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/11/02/stories/2007110250310300.htm
5. ^ http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/malayalam/preview/8386.html
6. ^ http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/09/29/stories/2006092901190100.htm
7. ^ http://www.prd.kerala.gov.in/stateawards4.htm
8. ^ http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/3150/malayalam/classmates/preview.htm
9. ^ http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/malayalam/article/28242.html
10. ^ http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news-1/apr-08-03/ninaithale-inikkum-14-04-08.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classmates_(2007_film)

External links

• Classmates at the Internet Movie Database
• Film Review at Gulf News