Kireedam

Only the tears of the crown can be remembered only with tears. Sethumadhavan who is desirous of being an SI. He murders all the hopes of his father and murders him. Malayalee will never forget that Thilakan is going to knock down Mohanlal in the climax. Mohanlal has won many awards for best actor.

Beautiful portrayal of father son relationship by the mega stars Lalettan and Thilakan. Its so realistic and so believable that we care for the characters even after the movie climaxes. If I were to narrate the plot to you, you may not like it much. Its the screenplay and natural acting that made the film the blockbuster that it deserves to be. This movie when remade in other languages lost the essence as the heros were shown too heroic and righteous. Original is a masterpiece.

Kireedam (1989) : Brief Review -

Malayalam Cinema's Classic Human Transformation Film Noir that hasn't been matched despite several remakes. If any film is being remade we people say it must be a good film and that's why it is being remade but do we actually see the real proportions drew by orginal or do we even see how much credit goes to the original source? Kireedam has been remade 6 times in India but not a single film managed to match or even touch the closer mark of this orginal. Malayalam Cinema in 80s breached the code of human transformation and film noir with this Action flick. All the positivity at once tries too much but turns negative and it's so heart wrenching to see because it comes from a common man's life not any intellectual brain. The film is about a young dynamic guy who wants to fulfill his Father's dream by getting into Police Services but his life takes U turn after he encounters a local good to save his lovable father. Mohanlal in the lead role nails it in every aspect from action to emotions. The supporting cast does fantastic work as we could not point out a single weak performance. From Cinematography to Editing to Music Kireedam never lose the essence of it's storyline and the writer convinces everyone with brilliant writing and engaging screenplay. Sibi Malayil did a great job at director's chair and he really thought about every aspect while executing the scenes on screen. From cinematic nuances to commons theories he moulded everything in one solid shape and made Kireedam a perfect 80s Action Drama scoring high on Noir aspects. Kireedam is an influential film for mainstream action flicks (i have seen many films copying many things from it) trying to bring something amazing stuff apart from action, revenge, emotions and family values. Nothing more to say, Kireedam is a Classic!

RATING - 8/10*

By - #samthebestest

I write this just a few minutes after I watched Kireedam for the first time. I am blown away by this film. After seeing films like Manichithrathazhu (1993), Manasinakkare (2003), and Kireedam, I have a totally new respect for Malayalam cinema. Because most Malayalam films are basically about super-hero men who walk around giving melodramatic speeches, I spent my whole life thinking that those silly Bollywood blockbusters were India's best films. But now I know better. While the Hindi film industry has offered some fine films (e.g., Dil Chahta Hai and Sholay), the majority of the best Indian movies I've seen are Malayalam films.

I became a Mohanlal fanatic after watching his performance in Mani Ratnam's criminally under-appreciated Iruvar (1997). For me, seeing Kireedam cements Mohanlal's position as one of India's top 2 or 3 greatest actors, if not the greatest.

What makes Kireedam so special is that it is completely plot-driven. As we all know, a completely plot-driven film is a rarity in Indian cinema, North or South. Also, this movie is an intense character study both of a young man whose bright future deteriorates before his very eyes and of a father (Thilakan) who is forced to watch helplessly as it happens. Before seeing Kireedam, I never realized how brilliant an actor Thilakan can be.

Kireedam is one of Indian cinema's best films, and it is a cultural treasure for every Malayalee. I actually think that I understand my parents' native Kerala much better now that I have seen this film.

The film as a whole is a painfully realistic depiction of Sethu's life and the way his youthful dreams were replaced by the horror of being offered an undesirable crown.Acting performances are noticeably excellent. May it be for the lead actors or the actors who handled smaller roles. Watch the film for the sharp performances by Mohanlal and Thilakan, may be, playing their roles of the lifetime.