His Highness Abdulla

As I grew up, there were a wide set of influences I was exposed to. Malayalam and Kerala culture (not necessarily Malayalee culture) was certainly one of them. There was a school of thought among people at home that Malayalam movies were the best kinds. I did not subscribe to this view: my inability to understand the language and the need to avoid images of dingy, rainy, overly green places were the major reasons.

Recently, I re-started watching Malayalam movies and the first movie I saw was 'His Highness Abdulla' starring Mohanlal, Gautami, Nedumudi Venu among others. As a kid, His Highness Abdulla and Kutti Chatthan were the only 2 Malayalam movies I had ever heard (and Abhayam came sometime later). People at home, especially my aunt's family used to rave about Mohanlal's role, the music and the movie in itself.

Before I put down my review of the movie, I must confess that I watch portions of the movie every single day. I have my favorite dialogues, expressions and sequences to watch out for. I must have watched the entire movie 5 - 6 times in the last year and some portions of it 30 - 40 times. This is seriously a great movie.

Warning: I do not know how to review a movie without detailing the plot. I am spoilt.

The movie is set in the home of Udaya Varma (Nedumudi Venu) who is a king (the Varma type) with lots of property and no heir. His son Unni had vanished as a child. Udaya Varma's poor health stokes the interest of his near family who want to usurp portions of his wealth. The family (mostly of his nephews and neices) shows undue interest in his health and well-being hoping to garner a greater share in the wealth.

Gautami is an orphan - someone born out of wedlock to a servant in the palace. She is the well behaved, obedient servant who Udaya Varma considers as his daughter. She is well versed in music and dance; almost an intellectual heir of Udaya Varma who calls her his Maanasa Putri.

Udaya Varma's set of relatives plot on murdering him so as to hasten the property transfer. It is for this reason that they bring Abdulla (Mohanlal) from Mumbai. Abdulla is a singer in the red light area of Mumbai with no particular experience in being a hitman. But the money offered to him entices him to take the assignment.

Abdulla comes to the tharavad in the guise of Plakkurusi Ananthan Namboodiri - a friend of Ravi Varma: one of Udaya Varma's nephews (played by Sreenivasan). Ananthan invokes suspicion but is allowed by Udaya Varma to stay in the royal house for 2 days.

Udaya Varma's wife (who has become mentally unstable because of her missing son Unni) mistakes Ananthan for Unni and calls out to him. Ananthan is touched my the lady's predicament. She continues to believe that Ananthan is Unni.

Ananthan is told by the set of plotters that he should finish the job in the two days assigned to him. At the end of the two days, Sreenivasan protests at his inaction. It is then that Ananthan plays a trick (a number as he puts it). As if practicing, he sings a beautiful song 'Pramadavanam vendum' (rendered impeccably by Jesudas) which catches the attention of Udaya Varma.

Udaya Varma then takes a liking to Ananthan. Udaya Varma mentions that Ananthan's style of singing sounds familiar to him (evadayo ketta oru aalapanashaili). Ananthan also impresses Gautami with his cheerful nature and knowledge of music and dance. Ananthan helps Udaya Varma's ailing wife walk and laugh by being the Unni she imagines himself to be.

In an episode, Ramanathukkara Ananthan Namboodiri gets into a musical contest with Ananthan and Ananthan (Mohanlal) comes out with flying colours. This song which is part of the contest is the high point of the movie. An absolutely brilliant composition 'Devasabaathalam'. Ananthan's proximity to Udaya Varma grows with time. Udaya Varma confides in him that he feels threatened by his kin. Gautami starts falling in love with Ananthan.

Udaya Varma talks about his friend Ameer Khan, a musician from Malabar. He tells Ananthan how close he was with Ameer Khan and how great a musician he was. That night Ananthan takes Udaya Varma out in the night for a walk. Udaya Varma is drunk in a bid to forget his sorrows. This presents Ananthan a brilliant chance to hurl Udaya Varma down from a cliff in the area. But he doesn't do it.

In the midst of all this, Ananthan's sidekick Jamaal comes to the royal house from Mumbai. The next day Udaya Varma while walking around the house sees Ananthan and Jamaal (who is in the guise of Sankunni Nair) reading the Namaaz. It is then that Udaya Varma realizes that he has been cheated.

Ananthan readily accepts that he is Abdulla and that he had come on a mission to kill him. He says that he has changed his mind and now wants to protect Udaya Varma from danger. Abdulla also meets the conspirators and tells them that he is not ready to kill Udaya Varma.

The conspirators bring in another hitman from Mumbai to do the job. Then there is a fight in which Abdulla prevails. He keems Udaya Varma hidden in the cellar which prevents the conspirators to hurt him.

In the end Abdulla confesses to Udaya Varma that Ameer Khan was his father and that he would never kill Udaya Varma once he came to know this fact. And finally all ends well when Udaya Varma asks Abdulla to stay back in the royal house.

The plot is very beautiful and meaningful. It is unlike the usual movies with heroes endowed with larger than life abilities and powers. But what makes the movie stand out is the characterization and acting.

Nedumudi Venu's role suited him to perfection. He plays the old pessimistic king with a love for the arts brilliantly. Mohanlal never overacts. Each of the characters of the set of conspirators is conceived brilliantly. The old blind man was the stand out character among them.

The movie is in as chaste a Malayalam as you can get. Every dialogue is studded with class befitting a royal setting. The expressions, pauses and modulation are a perfect representation of how Malayalam is spoken. 'Aau Malayala basha raksha pattu' seems a very apt thing to say. The delivery of Hindi could have been better.

Music is top notch. Two of the songs went on to become blockbuster hits. While Pramadavanm might rank as one of Jesudas' all time bests, Devasabaathalam with its lyrical brilliance poignant with meaning and classy screenplay ranks as my favorite.

In summary, a classy, brilliant Malayalam movie. Something that only Malayalam cinema can give you. A movie where everything comes together in perfection.