Vidheyan - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia

Vidheyan (English: The Servile) is a 1993 Indian Malayalam language Drama film directed and written by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. It is a cinematic adaptation of the novella Bhaskara Pattelarum Ente Jeevithavum by Malayalam writer Zacharia. The film explores the master-slave dialectic in a South Karnataka setting. Mammootty plays the lead role in the film, who received several accolades for his work.

Plot

Thommy, a Christian migrant labourer from Kerala is an obedient slave of his aggressive, tyrannical landlord Bhaskara Pattelar. Thommy obeys all the orders of his master, whether it is to make his own wife sexually available to his master or in killing Pattelar's kindly wife, Saroja. When Pattelar escapes to a jungle, due to his own deeds, Thommy escorts him like a pet. But when Pattelar is killed Thommy exults in freedom.

Cast

Mammootty as Bhaskara Patelar

Tanvi Azmi as Bhaskara Patelar's Wife

M. R. Gopakumar as Thommy

Sabitha Anand as Thommy's Wife

Aliyar

Babu Namboothiri

Azeez

Prof. K V Thampi

Krishnan Kutty Nair

Writing

The film is a cinematic adaptation of the novel Bhaskara Pattelarum Ente Jeevithavum by Malayalam writer Paul Zacharia. Zacharia's novella was inspired by a real-life character named Patela Shekhara Gowda alias Shiradi Shekhara. Zacharia happened to hear the stories of Patelar when he was residing near Shiradi village Mangalore in Karnataka. After the release of the film, Adoor had a tiff with Zacharia over the film. Zachariah said Adoor tainted his story with Hindutva.