Ponthan Mada

Ponthan Mada is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language film written and directed by T. V. Chandran. The film stars Mammootty and Naseeruddin Shah. It is based on two short stories, Ponthan Mada and Sheema Thampuran by C. V. Sreeraman. The film won four awards at the National Film Awards including the Best Actor award for Mammotty. It also won the Kerala State Film Award for the best second film. This is the only Malayalam-language film of Naseeruddin Shah.^[1] The film was a commercial success.^[2]

Ponthan Mada
Poster
Directed by	T. V. Chandran
Screenplay by	T. V. Chandran
Story by	C. V. Sreeraman
Produced by	T. Ravindranath
Starring	Mammootty Naseeruddin Shah Sreejaya Laboni Sarkar Janardhanan Maniyanpilla Raju
Cinematography	Venu
Edited by	Venugopal
Music by	Johnson
Distributed by	Mac Release
Release date	10 March 1994 (1994-03-10)
Running time	119 min
Country	India
Language	Malayalam

Plot

Set in the 1940s British India, the film is about the extraordinary, uncanny and touching relationship between the so-called low-caste Ponthan Mada and his colonial landlord Sheema Thampuran, who was expelled to British India from England during his youth for supporting the Irish Republican Army. Crossing the class boundaries, the two communicate through Thampuran's window with Mada hanging from an areca palm tree.

Cast

• Mammootty as Mada
• Sreejaya Nair as Reshmi
• Naseeruddin Shah as Sheema Thampuran
• Laboni Sarkar as Karthu / Kathreena
• Janardhanan as Landlord
• Maniyanpilla Raju as Gopala Kammal
• V. K. Sreeraman as Gopi
• P. K. Abraham as Reshmi's Father
• Mahesh as Rameshan
• Zeenath as Cheriyamma
• Mavelikkara Ponnamma
• Salu Kuttanadu as Karuvang Iriyachan
• Premachandran
• Lakshmi Krishnamoorthy as Thampuran's Mother

Soundtrack

ONV Kurup penned the lyrics.

• "Madam Kondu Adimaranke" - K. S. Chitra

Awards

The film has won the following awards since its release:

1993 National Film Awards (India)

• Golden Lotus Award - Best Director - T. V. Chandran
• Silver Lotus Award - Best Actor - Mammootty
• Silver Lotus Award - Best Music Director - Johnson
• Silver Lotus Award - Best Cinematography - Venu

1994 Kerala State Film Awards (India)

• Won - Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Film - Second Best Film

Other awards

• Muttathu Varkey Award (2016) - T. V. Chandran (for screenplay)^[3]