Udayananu Tharam

Infobox_Film
name = Udayananu Tharam


imdb_id = 0430710
writer = Sreenivasan
starring = Mohanlal,
Sreenivasan,
Meena,
Bhavana,
Mukesh
director = Rosshan Andrrews
producer = C. Karunakaran
distributor = Carlton Films
released = 2005
runtime = 2 hrs 42 min.
language = Malayalam
music = Deepak Dev
budget =

"Udayananu Tharam" (translation: "Udayan is the Star") is a 2005 Malayalam movie which presents the South Indian (especially the Malayalam) film industry through a satirical viewpoint. The financial and artistic crisis which plagued the once glittering Malayalam film industry during the turn of the 21st century lies at the centerpoint of this movie.

Production

The film was released in 2005, at a time when Malayalam cinema was going through its much talked about crisis, owing to a general decline in production standards. The movie was directed by debutant Rosshan Andrrews, who was, till then, an unknown assistant director. The film turned out to be a blockbuster hit with theaters running to packed audiences, which appeared to shake the industry from its ongoing artistic stupor.Debut Singer-Vineeth Sreenivasan(son)

elected Cast List

*Mohanlal (Udayabhanu)
*Sreenivasan (Rajappan Thengummoodu/Saroj Kumar)
*Meena (Madhumati)
*Jagathy (Pachalam Bhasi)
*Bhavana(Gayathri)
*Mukesh (Babykuttan)

Plot

"Udayananu Tharam" is the story of Udayabhanu, a worshipper of films and an immensely talented assistant film director, who yearns to write and direct his own movie - at a time when the industry is filled with dubious filmmakers. Rajappan Thengummoodu is a rather crooked friend of Udayabhanu and an aspiring and failed actor. As Udayabhanu finally prepares to shoot his first movie based on his own script, he discovers to his horror that Rajappan has stolen his manuscript, and shooting is underway with Rajappan playing the lead, which eventually propels him to stardom. Udhayabhanu soon finds himself faced with a career and personal crisis, with his faltering relations with his superstar wife Madhumati contributing to the latter.

Scripted by Sreenivasan in his usual self deprecating manner, the dialogues makes snide remarks at various contemporary film cultures such as business ventures of film stars (perhaps a stab at Mohanlal himself), the inflow of third-rate film directors into Malayalam cinema and their tendency to depend solely on Super Stars to produce hits, the prevalence of "mimicry films", the gaudy "cooling glass" dress sense of actors, the infamous Meera Jasmine struggle with her parents, and even about "rascals stealing promising actresses from the film industry" - taking a rather uncomfortable shot at several prominent Malayalam film star marriages.

Trivia

*Roshan Andrews changed his name to Rosshan Andrrews as per his Astrologer's suggestion to ensure the success of the movie.
*The climax of this movie is heavily 'borrowed' from 1999 Steve Martin comedy Bowfinger, where a neurotic superstar (Kit Ramsey, played by Eddie Murphy) is secretly filmed by a desperate filmmaker Bobby Bowfinger (played by Steve Martin).
*Roshan Andrews will be remaking this film in hindi titled Shortcut - the con is on starring Anil Kapoor and Arshad Warsi. It's to be produced by Akshaye Khanna himself.
*Mozhi star, Prakash Raj has announced that his next film will be titled, Velli Thirai, which is a remake of this film staring Prithviraj, who also worked with Raj in Mozhi. Also to be produced by Prakash Raj himself.

External links

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