2010 Indian film
| Pranchiyettan & the Saint | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ranjith |
| Written by | Ranjith |
| Produced by | Ranjith |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Venu |
| Edited by | Vijay Shankar |
| Music by | Ouseppachan |
| Production company | Capitol Theater |
| Distributed by | Play House Release |
| Release date |
|
| Running time | 140 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Budget | ₹1.5 crore |
| Box office | ₹5.6 crore |
Pranchiyettan & the Saint is a 2010 Indian Malayalam-language satirical comedy film written, directed, and produced by Ranjith. The film centres on the fictitious conversation between the Thrissur based businessman C. E. Francis a.k.a. Pranchiyettan (Mammootty) and St. Francis of Assisi (Jesse Fox Allen). Khushbu Sundar, Priyamani, Innocent, Siddique, Jagathy Sreekumar, Ganapathy, Sasi Kalinga, Tini Tom and Biju Menon play the other important roles. The film is considered one of the best comedy films in Malayalam cinema and has attained cult status in the years following its release. Some critics consider the film as one of the defining movies of the Malayalam New Wave.
Plot
Pranchiyettan, a devotee of St. Francis of Assissi, attains the best of riches, he is unsatisfied with his reputation and sets off to popularise himself as a celebrity in society.
Cast
- Mammootty as Cherammal Enashu Francis a.k.a. Pranchiyettan
- Shihab as Young Pranchi
- Jesse Fox Allen as Saint Francis of Assisi (voiced by Ranjith)
- Khushbu as Dr. Omana (voiced by Sreeja Ravi)
- Priyamani as Padmashree Menon a.k.a. Puppy (voiced by Vimmy Mariam George)
- Innocent as Vasu Menon
- Sasi Kalinga as Eeyyappan
- Siddique as Dr. Jose
- Balachandran Chullikkadu as Ajay Nambiar
- Ganapathi as Pauli K. J.
- Biju Menon as Joppan, Pauly's father
- Idavela Babu as Yousuf
- Jagathy Sreekumar as Pandit Deena Dayal
- Ramu as Bahuleyan
- Shivaji Guruvayoor as Antony Master
- Sreejith Ravi as Varghese
- T. G. Ravi as Uthuppu
- Tini Tom as Subran
- Vimal Kumar as Unni
- Jijoy Rajagopal as Ad Film Director
- V. K. Sreeraman as Achutha Warrier
- Vikraman Nair as Pappy's Relative
Production
The film was announced in June 2010. The film is produced by Renjith, under the banner of his Capitol Theatres. Shooting began on 1 July 2010.
The cast includes Mammootty, he plays the role of Cherammal Enashu Francis, a rice merchant in Thrissur. Hafis Firosh plays Mammootty's childhood counterpart. Innocent plays the role of Vasu Menon, friend of Pranchiyettan. Australian theatre artist Jesse Fox Allen played the role of the Saint. Apart from cine-artistes, this film also features many faces from the professional drama world, as in Renjith's Paleri Manikyam. Jagathy Sreekumar plays Deena Dayal. "My character is there only in a few scenes but he makes a definite impact, which is quite exciting for an actor. He is an idealistic teacher, who lives as per Gandhian principles and leads a simple life," says Jagathy Sreekumar. Master Ganapathy, who plays Pauli, says, "It is indeed great to be doing such a nice role with some of the big names in the industry. My character is a live wire."
Music
The score and the only song of the film were composed by Ouseppachan; the lyrics were penned by Shibu Chakravarthy. The music by Ouseppachan was "among the highlights of the film", according to one reviewer.
Reception
Box office
The film was commercial success. It ran for more than 200 days in a theatre in Kerala. The film grossed close to ₹3 crore (US$350,000) from 19 days. The film collected US$957 from UK box office. It was made on a budget of ₹1.50 crore The film ran for 63 days in Oman box office, which is the longest running Malayalam film till date in Oman box office.
Critical response
Rediff's reviewer rated the film 5 out of 5 and said, "Pranchiyettan and the Saint is impressive... the success of rests on the shoulders of writer director Ranjith who gives a meaty story to actors to dig their teeth into." The performance by Mammootty as well as the supporting cast also earned appreciation from critics. The review on Rediff said, "The film depends heavily on Mammootty's histrionic skills to be convincing and it works. It is this effortless and natural performance that gives Pranchiyettan lifeblood." Nowrunning comments: "Very few films are complex and comic at the same time, but Pranchiyettan achieves this almost impossible feat by employing clever plot devices, a fresh narrative structure and a string of metaphoric scenarios." The review praises Ranjith's work, saying, "There shouldn't be any trouble enthroning Ranjith as the harbinger of change in Malayalam cinema". Sify called the film "Very Good" and rated it 4 out of 5. Their review focused mainly on the apt usage of Thrissur slang by Mammootty.
Accolades
- Amrita-FEFKA Film Awards
- Best Actor – Mammootty
- Best Film – Pranchiyettan & the Saint
- Best Actor – Mammootty
- Best Cinematographer – Venu
- Asiavision Awards
- Best Film – Pranchiyettan & the Saint
- Best Actor – Mammootty
- Best Supporting Actor – Siddique
- Outstanding Performance – Innocent
- Best Film – Pranchiyettan & the Saint (Won)
- Best Director – Ranjith (Won)
- Best Actor – Mammootty (Won)
- Best Actress – Priyamani (Nominated)
- Inspire Film Awards
- Kerala Film Critics Awards
- Best Film – Pranchiyettan & the Saint
- Best Actor – Mammootty
- Best Script – Ranjith
- Best Director – Ranjith
- Vanitha Film Awards
- Best Film – Pranchiyettan & the Saint
- Best Actor – Mammootty
- Best Director – Ranjith
- Best Script – Ranjith
- Best Cinematography – Venu
- Vellinakshatram Film Awards
References
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- Nagarajan, Saraswathy (19 December 2019). "The 25 best Malayalam films of the decade: 'Premam', 'Maheshinte Prathikaram', 'Kumbalangi Nights' and more". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
- ^ The Hindu (6 August 2010). "Merchant of Thrissur". The Hindu. India. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
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- "First Look: Prithviraj's Indian Rupee". Rediff.com. India. 26 September 2011.
- "Pranchiyettan And The Saint still running strong". The Indian Express. 18 March 2011.
- "The politics of the Padma Awards: This 2010 Mammooty film 'Pranchiyettan' captures the circus superbly". The News Minute. India. 27 January 2017.
- "Pranchiyettan to celebrate 50 days at home". Sify. Archived from the original on 30 October 2010. Retrieved 27 October 2010.
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- "Pranchiyettan and the Saint". Box Office Mojo. 30 October 2011.
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- ^ Paresh C Palicha (2010). "Pranchiyettan and the Saint is impressive". Rediff. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
- VN (2010). "Pranchiyettan and the Saint is a must watch". Nowrunning. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
- "Amrita FEFKA Film Awards Announced". Best Media Info. 2 June 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- "Amritha awards for Mammootty, Kavya and T D Dasan". IndiaGlitz. 2 June 2011. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- "Mammootty, Mohanlal bag Asianet film awards yet again". Indo-Asian News Service. NDTV. 1 January 2011. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011.
- "Shaji, Ranjith, Mammootty, Meera Bag Asiavision Awards". Outlook. 20 October 2010. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
- "The glitter, the gloss, the razzmatazz". The Times of India. India. 3 July 2011. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
- "ഇന്സ്പയര് ഫിലിം അവാര്ഡ് പ്രാഞ്ചിയേട്ടന് മികച്ച ചിത്രം". Deshabhimani.com. 22 May 2011.
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