Pushpaka Vimana (1987 film)

Pushpaka Vimana
Theatrical release poster in Kannada
Directed bySingeetam Srinivasa Rao
Written bySingeetam Srinivasa Rao
Produced by
StarringKamal Haasan
CinematographyB. C. Gowrishankar
Edited byD. Vasu
Music byL. Vaidyanathan
Production
company
Mandakini Chitra
Release date
  • 27 November 1987 (1987-11-27)
Running time
131 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
Budget₹ 35 lakh[2]
Box office₹ 1 crore[3][4]

Pushpaka Vimana (transl. The Flower Chariot) is a 1987 Indian black comedy film[5] written and directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, who co-produced it with Shringar Nagaraj. The film, which has no dialogue, stars Kamal Haasan leading an ensemble cast that includes Samir Khakhar, Tinu Anand, K. S. Ramesh, Amala, Farida Jalal, Pratap Potan, Lokanath, P. L. Narayana and Ramya. It revolves around an unemployed graduate who encounters a drunk rich man unconscious and takes over his lifestyle after keeping him prisoner. However, he does not realise the dangers he has brought upon himself because a hired killer believes him to be his target.

Rao's desire to make a dialogue-less film came when he was working as an assistant director in a film where a character had to emote fear without dialogue in a scene. Once the idea for Pushpaka Vimana materialised, Rao wrote the screenplay within two weeks. The film was the only one produced by Nagaraj. Due to the lack of dialogue, Rao was able to cast actors from different parts of India. The cinematography was handled by B. C. Gowrishankar, editing by D. Vasu, art direction by Thota Tharani, and the background score was composed by L. Vaidyanathan. The film was shot in Bangalore, Karnataka.

The film was released on 27 November 1987 with different titles for different linguistic regions: its original title Pushpaka Vimana in Karnataka (in the Kannada language), Pushpaka Vimanam in Andhra Pradesh (Telugu), Pushpak (transl. Flower) in Hindi-speaking regions, Pesum Padam (transl. Talking Picture) in Tamil Nadu (Tamil), and Pushpakvimanam in Kerala (Malayalam). It received critical acclaim and became a commercial success, with a 35-week theatrical run in Bangalore. The film won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment as a Kannada entry and in three categories at the 35th Filmfare Awards South in the Kannada branch: Best Film, Best Director (Rao) and Best Actor (Haasan).

  1. ^ Rajadhyaksha & Willemen 1998, p. 481.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference budget was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Garga 1996, p. 292.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference indiatoday was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference economictimes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).