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Hugely popular political satire penned by Sreenivasan. The film is equally brutal in its admonishment of both major political formations in Kerala. Veteran actor Thilakan, as always, is brilliant as the Station Master who returns home after retirement to find his sons Prabhakaran (Sreenivasan) & Prakashan (Jayaram) as jobless petty politicians. Their political rivalry spills over & begins to dictate every aspect of family life, this is the central theme of the film. The movie skillfully & hilariously exposes the double-speak & hypocrisy of the Communists and the corruption & sycophancy in the Congress party. No character or situation felt out of place during the entire film. Every character had a message for the masses- be it Siddique, as the upright agriculture officer, Mala Aravindan as the cowardly police inspector, Shankaradi as the Marxist ideologue or even Bobby Kottarakara as the small time party worker. "Sandesham" without any doubt ranks among the best Malayalam movies of all time & is best remembered for its dialogues, some of which have become part of the Kerala folklore. Kudos to Sathyan Anthikad & Sreenivasan for this fantastic creation!

I have watched this movie like a 100 times and not once has this movie failed to put a smile on my face...There aren't many movies that makes you laugh and think at the same time.If a non malayalee watch this movie without subs he would mistake it for a serious movie..that's the beauty of the film. It's the situations and the sarcasm that gives you laughs rather than the stupid gimmicks other comedy movies resort to.The movie delivers socio-political messages at multiple levels, a rare cinematic feat in malayalam cinema. The importance of family, parent's blind love for their children,the time we waste on stupid arguments,political manipulation and many other events that we can relate to our daily lives come and go in a beautiful manner. wonder why they don't make movies like this anymore....

A movie which makes fun of the political gimmicks in kerala and how the public is affected by it all...

The writer and director does a very good job in making mockery of all the kerala political parties.

The story is about the family of a retired station master which consists of his wife, 3 sons and 2 daughters. The two elder sons are local leaders of rival political parties. How the family goes through this infight between brothers forms the crux of the story.

One of the best efforts of the Sreenivasan & Sathyan Anthikkad team, this film is sure to make you laugh as well as think.

Raghavan nair(Thilakan) is a station master in tamil nadu. After retiring, he returns back to his village in kerala to live the rest of his life happily with his wife and children. But he comes to know that his two sons prabhakaran(sreenivasan) and prakashan(jayaram) are jobless local politicians working for rival parties rdp(left) and insp(congress) respectively. Initially raghavan feels proud of his sons political ambitions later he realises it's problems he and his family had to face. Will he be able to reform his sons? The biggest highlight of sandesham is its refreshing humor which never leaves me with a smile on my face. One reason why this film is considered as one of the best films made in malayalam is because it showed equally the flaws of the ruling and opposition party. If sreenivasan had only shown the flawed side of either one of them, it would have been called as a propaganda film. Thilakan, jayaram, sreenivasan, maamukoya, oduvil unnikrishnan, mala, shankaradi, maadhu, kaviyoor ponamma and innocent(in a hilarious cameo as a hindi politician) all gave superb performances but my favorite is siddique as the agriculture officer udayabhanu. Sandesham and panchavadi paalam are considered as the best political satire films in malayalam but I would prefer pp over sandesham. Because sandesham is not just a brilliant satire but also an excellent family drama. PP was a full fledged satire. Sandesham is a film which I never get tired watching.

I watched this film more than 20 times. every time i watch it like a new film each scene is filled with tons of humour.

Script; Sreenivasan had a rhetoric about Sathyan Anthikkad before he started writing the message of 'mess' without a queue: I'm promising you the Ugran dialogues in this movie. That word from the first scene of the movie to the scene and Sreenivasan

Has done. The message is the script that can not be edited without editing a line. Each conversation spans a thousand stories. These are still scary bombs. As time passes, their blast is increasing. These bombs can still break our political world. Sreenivasan has written the script for two days after Knowing that Kottapalli Prakash and Prabhakaran are not only two personalities. Prakash is a Congressman, there is not much talk or intellectual burden, laughing like the color of the Qadar and no revolution in the revolution but in power. He only dream of 'Swaraj'.

This is an all time favourite movie of most Malayalis. Some scenes tickle your funny bones. In some scenes it's heart wrenching to see the poor father suffer because of his sons who are political rivals but the messaging is so strong and so relevant that you cannot stop admiring this political satire.

No wonder It's widely regarded as the best malayalam movie....it's simple movie with strong emotions..it has comedy,drama, political commentary,family values..Thilakan was terrific...it was One Of The finest movies I've ever seen.

One of the all time classics of malayalam movie industry. Exposes the hypocrisy of communists in Kerala, especially CPM.

A great political story in malayalam . Specially the acting of Sreenivasan and Jayaram is also great ... The highlight of the Movie is the struggle that they make their Different Political Parties ...

Sandesham (1991) : Brief Review -

That Malayalam Classic which changed the definition of Family Dramas with brilliant use of Political Satire element. Haven't we all seen the family drama over the years. That same formula of Father and Mother goes through terrible conflicts and torments after their own blood and flesh don't care about them. And then the old age tragedy turns into an inspiration for all parents on how to come back strongly in last days and teach a lesson to their own childrens who abandoned them. Well, it started in Hollywood in 30s with 'Make Way For Tomorrow' then there was Japanese adaption 'Tokyo Story' in 50s and Bollywood made many films in 70s and 80s with the same content. If you notice all these films either had emotional, sad ending or a happy reconciliation while rest of the narrative didn't offer anything much. Sandesham comes with an upgraded storyline. It compiles a Political Satire into Family Drama and also gives that much needed message at the end and i mean a new one, not the same old one. Sandesham is a satire on contemporary Kerala politics where brothers turn local leaders of rival parties, leading to distress for their aged and once-proud parents. There are two daughters too, one is greedy, unlovable and the other one is kind and obeyed. Unlike those melodramatic Family Dramas made in Indian Cinema before it, Sandesham is far more entertaining and essential. It doesn't make any melodramatic scene even when you wish to see one, it doesn't have any long speeches made by the father or mother's character nor it has any extremely emotional segments. It keeps those speeches short and poignant, it keeps the climax portable and accessable to everyone rather than making it utterly filmy. Acting, writing, screenplay, dialogues, camera and direction everything hits the bar. Overall, a model changing Classic but Top Rated Malayalam Film at IMDb is bit doubtful.

RATING - 8/10*

By - #samthebestest.

One of the all time classics of Malayalam movie industry. The first half is excellent with superb comedies which very popular till now. The second half goes into a normal Indian movie type.

Cinema has always been a powerful medium to hold a mirror to society. Some films entertain, some inspire, and a rare few manage to distill the complexities of life into satire so sharp that it continues to remain relevant decades after its release. Malayalam language film''Sandesham'', directed by Sathyan Anthikad, belongs firmly in this latter category. Widely regarded as one of the finest political satires in Indian cinema, the film is at once a black comedy, a social critique, and a timeless representation of the challenges and contradictions of middle-class life in Kerala and, by extension, India itself. More than three decades after its release, ''Sandesham''continues to resonate with audiences because of its piercing observations about politics, family, and priorities in everyday life. Although deeply rooted in the cultural and political landscape of Kerala, its themes transcend geography, making it a universal story about the dangers of excessive political obsession at the cost of human relationships and essential responsibilities.

Kerala has always been unique example to India's political landscape. It is one of the few states where political discussions are not confined to newspapers or television debates but form a significant part of everyday conversations in tea shops, households, workplaces, and street corners. Political identity is deeply embedded in the psyche of the common man, often defining friendships, rivalries, and even family ties.

''Sandesham'' captures this spirit brilliantly through the story of a middle-class family in which two sons Prabhakaran and Prakashan dedicate themselves entirely to rival political parties. Although the film uses fictitious names for these parties, it is hardly difficult for audiences to recognize them as stand-ins for the Indian National Congress and the Communist Party of India. This thinly veiled allegory gave the satire its sharpness and its bite. By presenting how politics can infiltrate even the most private spaces of a family, the film reflects the lived reality of Kerala, where ideological battles often overshadow personal obligations.

At its core, ''Sandesham'' tells the story of a middle-class family consisting of a retired station master father Raghavan Nair, a docile mother Bhanumathi, and five children-three boys Prabhakaran, Prakashan, Prashanthan and two girls Latha and Lathika. The father, having worked for thirty long years in the Indian Railways in neighboring state of Tamil Nadu, returns to Kerala with hopes of finally enjoying a peaceful retired life. What he finds, however, is a household consumed by political fervor, where his elder sons are so engrossed in the affairs of their respective parties that family responsibilities and emotional bonds take a back seat. The mother, ever dutiful and nurturing, epitomizes the quiet resilience of countless Indian women. Yet, the tragedy of her position becomes evident when she is hospitalized and her sons fail to visit her, prioritizing party work over their mother's health. This detail underscores the film's central message: that while political interest is natural and even healthy in a democracy, blind dedication to party politics can erode the very foundations of family and personal life. The daughters and other female characters in the film unfortunately receive limited scope. They are relegated largely to the background, functioning as props rather than fully developed figures. This choice might reflect both the male-dominated politics of the time and Malayalam cinema's own tendency to sideline women in political narratives.

One of the reasons ''Sandesham'' has endured is its masterful use of humor. Director Sathyan Anthikad and his screenwriter Sreenivasan understood that satire works best when the audience can laugh even as they recognize the painful truth behind the joke. Among the film's many memorable comic moments is the famous scene where a North Indian political leader (played marvelously by popular comedian Innocent) requests "Nariyaal Paani" (tender coconut water). The local hosts, unfamiliar with the Hindi phrase, fail to understand the request, creating a situation that is both humorous and revealing of the cultural and linguistic disconnects within India. This scene has since become emblematic of how ''Sandesham'' uses seemingly lighthearted comedy to highlight deeper issues-here, the gap between political elites and the common people. Throughout the film, small moments of domestic absurdity-arguments at the dinner table, petty ideological squabbles, or the casual neglect of everyday duties-become vehicles for larger commentary on Kerala's political climate.

Although the film is deeply entrenched in Kerala's reality, its relevance extends far beyond the state. Almost every Indian family has experienced political divisions, sometimes even within the same household. Parents and children, siblings, or spouses may align with different parties, each convinced of their ideological correctness. What ''Sandesham'' dramatizes is the way these divisions, when taken to extremes, can fracture family unity and distract from pressing personal and social responsibilities. Even though the political discourse has change enormously in India since 1991, the satire remains fresh because Indian politics continues to dominate public discourse, often at the expense of more immediate issues such as employment, healthcare, and education. This timelessness explains why cinéphiles and critics still discuss ''Sandesham'' today and why its message is as relevant in 2025 as it was in 1991.

The underlying message of ''Sandesham'' is deceptively simple yet profoundly important: while active political engagement is a sign of a healthy democracy, too much politics-particularly when pursued with blind loyalty-can be destructive. Families break down, careers are neglected, and essential human relationships are damaged when ideological battles take precedence over personal responsibilities. This is particularly poignant in the context of middle-class families, who already struggle with concerns about children's education, careers, and marriages. In India, parents often have high expectations from their grown-up children, hoping they will achieve stability, success, and respectability. In ''Sandesham'', those expectations are thwarted as the sons prioritize political battles over their futures, creating a tragicomic situation that many audiences could recognize from their own lives.

The success of ''Sandesham'' owes much to its director, Sathyan Anthikad, one of Kerala's most celebrated filmmakers. Known for his keen observations of middle-class life, Anthikad has directed numerous films that combine humor, social critique, and emotional warmth. Yet despite his prolific and influential career, it is surprising that a retrospective of his works has not yet been organized by the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). It can easily be said that such an oversight underscores the paradox of Indian cinema culture, where even acclaimed directors who speak directly to the lived realities of ordinary people sometimes fail to receive the institutional recognition they deserve. A retrospective of Anthikad's films, especially ''Sandesham'', would not only celebrate his artistry but also highlight the enduring importance of regional cinema in shaping national discourse.

Upon its release in 1991, ''Sandesham''was immediately recognized as a bold and incisive film. It struck a chord with audiences who saw their own families, neighbors, and communities reflected in its characters and situations. Critics lauded its balance of humor and seriousness, while political observers noted its daring critique of Kerala's partisan culture. What makes the film remarkable, however, is its longevity. More than three decades later, it remains frequently cited in discussions of Indian political cinema. Younger viewers discovering the film today often remark on how little has changed in the political and social dynamics it portrays. This continuing relevance is the hallmark of a true classic. Unfortunately, outside Kerala, the film has not received the recognition it deserves. Many ordinary film lovers in other Indian states remain unaware of ''Sandesham'', a fact that reflects both the linguistic barriers within Indian cinema and the underrepresentation of regional classics in national discourse. Bridging this gap is essential if India's cinematic heritage is to be fully appreciated.

Although politics forms the central thread of ''Sandesham'', the film is also a touching and authentic representation of middle-class life. From concerns about children's education to the anxieties of retirement, from parental expectations to the balancing of tradition and modernity, the film paints a picture of ordinary Indian life in all its contradictions.

It is this universality-the recognition that every family faces similar struggles-that makes the film more than just a satire. It is not merely about Kerala's politics or India's democracy; it is about the eternal conflict between ideology and intimacy, between public life and private responsibilities.

It's so engaging that you won't even took your eyes of the screen and type of subjects that are still get debatable in your society.

Best direction Best screenplay Best casting.

A good movie released earlier than it needed.

Sandesham is the best message to a keralite forever where most people find politics as their main priority. This message is always relevant beyond time limits. I wish everyone watch this movie. Story and direction is beyond excellence. Everyone lived in the charector. In fact its not like a movie its real life in our society. I wish all those who give politics as their priority must watch this sandesham and realise life is beyond your petry politics. At least the new generation, i wish, get rid of politics which has absolutely been corrupted in our society. It may take time but i am sure it will happen one day.

By favorite movie ever i mean it as a truth. I have seen many international films in my life. But even those cant top this. There is a reason this film has a prestigious 9/10 on imdb with only 5,000 reviews. If all the reviews didnt rate the film this high, this wouldnt happen. This movie is infinitely rewatchable. Everything, from Thilakan's performance, the comedy, and Sreenivasan's script is perfect. The best thing about this movie is how well it holds up. The satire and commentary on our society is still very relevant. And so is how politics is something foolish and every politician only cares about themselves. The performances are all great but thilakan and oduvil unnikrishnan completely sweep the floor with their acting and chemistry as longtime friends. And lines like "nariel ka paani" and "polandine patti oru aksharam mindalle" will be remembered forever. The film doesnt go over its runtime and the pacing is still somehow perfect. In short, this is the perfect satire and I will always go back to this film no matter what.

Were can i find a subtitle for this filim..



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All time relevant satire which became a cult classic in Malayalam film industry. The perfect casting and dialogue deliveries make this movie entertaining and engaging. The story is about the troubles faced by a middle class family of a retirie who is a family man. As the name 'sandhesham'( meaning 'message') is the most apt word for this movie as it gave a message that every reforms should start from the very own house. Over all it is one of the best watchable movie for all age people with a perfect mixture of all kind of emotions. At the end we can have a little smile and satisfying feeling. 100%

Sandesham is not just a film; it is a timeless political and social mirror held up to Kerala-and, honestly, to India as a whole. Even decades after its release, the film feels shockingly relevant.

Jayaram and Sreenivasan deliver career-defining performances as brothers torn apart by ideology, ego, and political hypocrisy. What makes Sandesham brilliant is that it doesn't attack politics itself, but the pettiness, opportunism, and moral bankruptcy that often surround it. The satire is razor-sharp, yet never forced.

Sreenivasan's writing is the soul of the film-witty, fearless, and deeply intelligent. The dialogues are unforgettable, blending humour with hard truths. Every laugh is followed by an uncomfortable moment of self-reflection, which is the film's greatest strength.

The supporting cast, especially Thilakan and Kaviyoor Ponnamma, ground the film emotionally, reminding us that ordinary families often pay the price for political arrogance and blind loyalty. The direction by Sathyan Anthikad ensures the film remains accessible, warm, and realistic despite its heavy themes.

Technically simple but ideologically powerful, Sandesham proves that strong writing and honest storytelling outlive trends, budgets, and visual spectacle.