| Maheshinte Prathikaaram | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Dileesh Pothan |
| Written by | Syam Pushkaran |
| Produced by | Aashiq Abu |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Shyju Khalid |
| Edited by | Saiju Sreedharan |
| Music by | Bijibal |
Production company | |
| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 120 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Budget | ₹35 million[2] |
| Box office | ₹178.58 million[2] |
Maheshinte Prathikaaram (transl. Mahesh's Revenge) is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film directed by Dileesh Pothan, in his directorial debut and produced by Aashiq Abu. The film stars Fahadh Faasil in the title role alongside a supporting cast including Aparna Balamurali, Anusree, Alencier Ley Lopez and Soubin Shahir. Written by Syam Pushkaran, the story is based on an incident in the life of Thampan Purushan from Thuravoor, Cherthala.[3] Shyju Khalid was the film's cinematographer, and the music was composed by Bijibal.
Maheshinte Prathikaaram's development began in 2013 when Pothan was working as an associate director for Abu (who was directing Idukki Gold, co-written by Pushkaran). Pushkaran suggested a story idea to Pothan which was based on an incident in his native village. At Pothan's insistence, Pushkaran wrote the screenplay that year and Abu later became interested in producing the film. Production was scheduled to commence from December 2014 after completing the casting process but, due to scheduling conflicts, it was postponed to August 2015. Principal photography began in early August in Idukki and nearby locations, where it was predominantly filmed. Shooting was completed in late October.
Maheshinte Prathikaaram was released in Kerala on 5 February 2016, in the rest of India on 12 February, and globally on 26 February. The film was a commercial success, grossing ₹17.35 crore (₹173.5 million) at the Kerala box office on a budget of ₹3.50 crore (₹35 million). It received critical acclaim with praise going to the performances of its cast especially that of Fahadh Fazil's as one of his career-best performances, humour, music, cinematography, editing and screenplay. At the 64th National Film Awards, it won the Best Original Screenplay and Best Feature Film in Malayalam, and at the 47th Kerala State Film Awards, it won the Best Original Screenplay and Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value. The film was remade into Tamil as Nimir (2018) and into Telugu as Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya (2020). Maheshinte Prathikaram is widely regarded as one of the defining movies of the Malayalam New Wave.[4]
- ^ "Maheshinte Prathikaram". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 14 July 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
- ^ a b "'Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum' scores big at multiplexes". The News Minute. 6 July 2017. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
Maheshinte Prathikaram made on a budget of Rs. 3.5 crores, it collected Rs. 17.5 crores at the box office
- ^ "It was 'Purushan's prathikaram' in real life!". Malayala Manorama. 25 February 2016. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
- ^ 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.