Anandabhadram | |
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![]() Promotional poster | |
Directed by | Santosh Sivan |
Written by | Sunil Parameshwaran |
Produced by | Maniyanpilla Raju Ajaya Chandran Nair Reghu Chandran Nair (Sri Bhadra Pictures) Rajendran(Raju) (executive) |
Starring | Prithviraj Sukumaran Kavya Madhavan Manoj K Jayan Kalabhavan Mani Biju Menon |
Cinematography | Santosh Sivan |
Edited by | Sreekar Prasad |
Music by | Kannan (score) M. G. Radhakrishnan (songs) |
Production companies | Sree Bhadhra Pictures Media Zen |
Distributed by | Vyshaka Release |
Release date |
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Running time | 138 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Malayalam |
Anandabhadram (transl.”eternally safe”) is a 2005 Indian Malayalam-language dark fantasy horror film based on the novel of the same name by Sunil Parameshwaran directed by Santosh Sivan. The story concerns ghosts, spirits, and black magic. The film stars Prithviraj Sukumaran, Kavya Madhavan, Manoj K Jayan, Kalabhavan Mani, and Biju Menon.
The film was inspired by the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, Theyyam, Kathakali dance movements, and Kalaripayattu martial art form. It rode on a renewed interest in both Ravi Varma and Kalaripayattu in and outside of India. Anandabhadram was released on November 4 coinciding with Diwali and received critical acclaim for its screenplay, story, music, cinematography, cast performances and horror elements. Most of the critics praised Manoj K. Jayan's performance as Digambaran and the dark atmosphere of the movie. The film was a massive commercial success. The film won five awards in the 2005 Kerala State Film Awards and two in the 2005 Asianet Film Awards. It also was a commercial success. During production, Santosh replaced Sabu Cyril with Sunil Babu as the art director, M. G. Radhakrishnan replaced Vidyasagar as the music director, Gireesh Puthenchery replaced Sreekumaran Thampy as the lyricist and Kavya Madhavan replaced Meera Jasmine as the actress. The audiography of the film was done by M. R. Rajakrishnan . It was also dubbed in Tamil, Telugu (as Sivapuram), Hindi (as Phir Wohi Darr) and English, and was an inspiration for Tanthra (2006), another Malayalam film.