Thaniyavartanam (1987) watch online HD

If Kafka started it in 'The Trial', Shakespeare said'World is a stage and you and I are players' Lohitadas continues the theme of man being an instrument of society with 'Thaniyavartanam'.

Balan Mash ( Mammootty) is a teacher who lives in a tiny hamlet in kerala. A serene life, two kids, wife, mother and a revolutionary brother. A typical kootu kudumbam, joint family, of kerala. Note that Balan Mash has a uncle who is mentally challenged.

One night changes it all, Balan has a nightmare. People start suspecting Balan following the footsteps of his uncle into madness. Because Balan's Uncle (Babu Namboodiri) fell mentally ill with a nightmare, So did his uncle. Madness was heriditary in the family.

Now, the society evaluates each and every move of Balan. He is deemed as a lunatic. His actions are misinterpreted. Later on his family joins the gang. He is sent to the asylum. The doctor declares him as normal.

But his society doesn't agree. Helpless, Balan plays mad. The Ending is a bit dramatic,where Balan's mother ( Kaviyoor Ponnamma) poisons him to free him from the world.

Mammotty is electric, his expressions prove that he is one of the finest actors in the world. He throws in a very lucid performance, where mammootty ceases to exist and Balan Mash comes alive

Mukesh, Sarika, and Kaviyoor Ponnamma are believable, real and non-dramatic. Lohitadas's script is detailed and rich with human emotions and clarity Sibi Malayil uses the straight and safe method of following the script and using the actors. Some scenes like the one , where, Balan's student cries when he tries to speak to her. She says innocently, her mother told that Balan is Mad.

Who is Mad? Balan or the Society??

A Must Watch. One of the best movies in world cinema

The golden era of Malayalam cinema ran from mid-1980s through early 1990s, during which we were rewarded with some of the greatest films by some of the greatest writers and directors. This heartbreaking drama is one of the best of that era.

Balan (Mammootty) is an educated school teacher who lives with his extended family including his paternal uncle who is believed to be mentally ill. The belief that this illness is hereditary and originated due to sins committed by their ancestors has kind of divided the family, but no one wants to be vocal about it except Gopi (Mukesh), Balan's kid brother. While Balan himself does not believe in these superstitions, he gives in to his family's requests of holding sacred events regularly at their house. Because, there are tons of problems associated with this issue, the biggest among them being his sister who has been denied matrimony a good number of times. However, when the uncle dies, a demand arises for the family's as well as the society's informal consensus as to who will step into the shoes of the symbol of lunacy since the illness is hereditary. Blaming himself for the death of his uncle, Balan is unable to completely mourn his death, causing others to immediately tag him as the successor, throwing his world upside down.

Balan's is a staple character of a Kerala household where he is regarded as the knowledgeable patriarch and who is the only sane person of the lot. And Lohithadas' story is based on uprooting his inherent reputation due to man-made madness. Idolaters are aplenty in this world and when these idols are blamed for perfectly normal happenings, things are going to worsen, as Balan experiences it the hard way. It is disheartening to see the downfall of a sane person only because the belief that something can go wrong due to a curse.

Mammooty is sharp in his approach, staying in his character all through the end. Supported by a well-directed cast, Sibi Malayil carves a fine outline to speak volumes about the madness that are superstitions and how they dictate our lives. The pace at which the final 20 minutes move has the ability to startle you, and you will be wondering for days about the ending and the meaning of life. Someone in here has rightly started their review with Franz Kafka's "The Trial", but I also want to add that there's a little bit of Camus here, too. All in all, the drama is an emotional power-ride of a film that demands appreciation.

BOTTOM LINE: Sibi Malayil's "Thaniyavartanam" is a perfect study of superstitions and their dire effects on perishable humans. Highly recommended!

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES

Lohithadas is the script writer of the film. The boy mash was born into a tradition of madness. Mammootty's son Mahesh and his mother commit suicide by poisoning the whole society as a madman. The Malayalees met with a climax scene from a ragi mother who provided poison for the son.