Wikipedia

Meppadiyan

Meppadiyan (transl. Above-mentioned) is a 2022 Indian Malayalam-language drama thriller film written and directed by Vishnu Mohan and produced by Unni Mukundan Films.[1] The film stars Unni Mukundan, Anju Kurian,[2] Kottayam Ramesh, Saiju Kurup,[3] Aju Varghese, Nisha Sarang and Kalabhavan Shajohn.[4][5][6]

Meppadiyan
Theatrical poster
Directed byVishnu Mohan
Written byVishnu Mohan
Produced byUnni Mukundan
StarringUnni Mukundan
Anju Kurian
Saiju Kurup
CinematographyNeil D'Cunha
Edited byShameer Muhammed
Music byRahul Subramaniyan
Production
company
Unni Mukundan Films
Release date
  • 14 January 2022 (2022-01-14) (India)
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam

The songs and background score for the film was composed by Rahul Subrahmanian. Filming took place in Aruvithura and Poonjar in late 2020. The film released on 14 January 2022 to mixed reviews.[7] At the 69th National Film Awards 2019, the film won the Best First Film of a Director trophy.[8] This film is noted as the last film appearance of actor Kundara Johny, who died in 2023

Plot

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Jayakrishnan enters into real estate business with Varkey; however, it becomes a trap for him and he loses his own home and land. The land that he ends up buying happens to be a property that the Central Government had marked for a Railway project. Jacob and Stella hides this fact about their property in order to get the money in any way possible for their daughter's marriage. With the help of a political shark Xavier, he sells that property to Ashraf Hajji, who had bought Jayakrishnan's ancestral home for a lower than fair market price by exploiting his dire situation. The film shows how an easy going person like Jayakrishnan changes into an animal of a corrupt society where bureaucracy and deceitful schemes wins over honesty and compassion.

Cast

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Production

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The film was shot around 48 different locations across Aruvithura and Pala with an ensemble cast.[9] Filming began on 26 October 2020 in Aruvithura.[10]

Soundtrack

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The music of the film is composed by Rahul Subrahmanian. All lyrics are written by Joe Paul except Ayyappa Song was written by Vinayak Sasikumar and Niramizhiyode was written by Ajeesh Dasan.

No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Kannil Minnum"Karthik & Nithya Mammen03:57
2."Mele Vaanil"Vijay Yesudas04:20
3."Ayyappa Song"Unni Mukundan03:05
4."Niramizhiyode"Sooraj Santhosh04:15

Release

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The release of the film was postponed several times due to COVID-19 pandemic in India.[11] The film had a theatrical release on 14 January 2022.[12]

Critical response

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The Times of India rated 3.5 out of 5 and said that "The writer-director manages to really drive the tension to a peak with simply showing how our courts and particularly, government servants can make us sweat blood out of pure pettiness and arrogance ... Unni Mukundan is so wow that he is not Unni Mukundan, but Jayakrishnan ... This movie offers not just a glimpse at society, but also good character studies. It is a good film for the family to enjoy and discuss together".[13] Malayala Manorama also rated 3.5 out of 5 and wrote: "Unni Mukundan follows his character with a well-balanced gait and has been able to deliver in total the tribulations ... The makers have been able to pull off a high drama by adopting scenarios of simple and real life events ... It may not be a highly thrilling drama but is nevertheless an engrossing tale that keeps viewers hooked till the credits roll up".[14] The New Indian Express rated 3 out of 5 stars and said that the film is "supposed to be a respite from the action-heavy, macho posturing roles Unni did before, and in that regard, yes, the film lives up to its promise ... It's nice to see an actor like Unni making sincere efforts to change the audience’s perception of his acting capabilities".[15]

References

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  1. ^ "Unni Mukundan launches his own production house". Cinema Express. 9 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Anju Kurian is Unni Mukundan's heroine in 'Meppadiyan'". Sify. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Saiju Kurup joins Unni Mukundan's; Meppadiyan' sets". New Indian Express. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Unni Mukundan's next, Meppadiyan, announced". Cinema Express. 12 February 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  5. ^ "ഉണ്ണി മുകുന്ദന്റെ 'മേപ്പടിയാൻ'; മോഷൻ പോസ്റ്റർ". Manorama Online. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  6. ^ "Unni Mukundan's 'Meppadiyan' teaser released". Times of India. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  7. ^ "ഉണ്ണി മുകുന്ദന്റെ 'മേപ്പടിയാന്‍' ജനുവരി പതിനാലിന് തിയേറ്ററിലെത്തും". Mathrubhumi. 4 December 2021.
  8. ^ "69th National Film Awards 2023 complete winners list: Rocketry, Alia Bhatt, Kriti Sanon, Allu Arjun, RRR, Gangubai Kathiawadi win big". 24 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Motion poster of Unni Mukundan's 'Meppadiyan' released". thenewsminute. 12 February 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  10. ^ "Unni Mukundan's 'Meppadiyan' starts rolling". mathrubhumi. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  11. ^ "മേപ്പടിയാനിൽ ഉണ്ണി മുകുന്ദൻ പാടിയ അയ്യപ്പഭക്തിഗാനം പുറത്ത്; ഏറ്റെടുത്ത് ആരാധകർ". Manorama Online. 4 December 2021.
  12. ^ "ഉണ്ണി മുകുന്ദന്‍ ആലപിച്ച അയ്യപ്പ ഭക്തിഗാനം അവതരിപ്പിച്ച് മോഹന്‍ലാല്‍; 'മേപ്പടിയാന്‍' റിലീസ് പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചു". Asianet News. 4 December 2021.
  13. ^ Mathews, Anna (14 January 2022). "Meppadiyan Movie Review: A suspenseful everyman's story". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  14. ^ "'Meppadiyan' Review: Red tape in multi-colours in real life". Onmanorama. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  15. ^ Shrijith, Sajin (15 January 2022). "'Meppadiyan': Unni Mukundan impresses with an earnest turn". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
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