# Vidheyan

Vidheyan (transl. The Servile) is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed and written by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. It is based on the novella Bhaskara Pattelarum Ente Jeevithavum by Paul Zacharia. The film, starring Mammootty and M. R. Gopakumar, explores the master-slave relationship in a South Karnataka setting.
Vidheyan won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam and Best Actor Award for Mammootty. It also won numerous awards at the Kerala State Film Awards, including the Best Film.

## Plot

Thommy, a migrant labourer from Wayanad, Kerala, comes to Patellar's town in South Karnataka for survival. Pattellar, the landlord of the town, abuses the newcomer, Thommy. After learning from Thommy about his wife, Pattellar rapes Thommy's wife. Pattellar then offers Thommy a job and gifts him things. Thommy becomes an obedient servant of Pattellar. Pattellar continues to have forceful sex with Thommy's wife. Pattellar is a womaniser and has enjoyed several women without their consent. On seeing Kuttaparai's daughter, Pattellar, without regard to consequences, rapes her. Another time, Pattellar senselessly beats a wealthy man, Yusuf. Pattellar's wife advises the Pattellar to change his ways and be a good man. She is a kind woman and treats Thommy with love and affection. Fed up with her advice, Pattellar decides to kill his wife and asks Thommy's help to make it look like an accident. But during the attempt, unfortunately, Thommy is injured by gunshot instead of Pattellar's wife. Pattellar thinks about killing Tommy, but his wife makes arrangements to take Tommy to the hospital. Once recovered, Pattellar takes Thommy to catch fish from Temple Pond, which is a blasphemous act. But returns unsuccessful. Yusuf, Kuttaparai, and several prominent members of the town decide to kill Pattellar and ask Thommy's help. Thommy brings Pattellar to his house as per plan. But Pattellar escapes. Pattellar murders his wife and takes Thommy's help to stage it as suicide. Thommy weeps at Pattellar's wife's death. But soon Pattellar's brothers-in-law discover the truth of the death of their sister and retaliate. Bruised and battered, Pattellar takes Thommy with him in search of a safe haven. During travel through the jungle, Pattellar is killed by Pattellar's brothers-in-law. Even though at first Thommy weeps for his master Pattellar, he then exults in freedom.

## Cast

* Mammootty as Bhaskara Pattelar
* M. R. Gopakumar as Thommy
* Tanvi Azmi as Saroja, Bhaskara Patelar's Wife
* Sabitha Anand as Omana
* Aliyar
* Babu Namboothiri
* K. P. A. C. Azeez
* Prof. K. V. Thampi
* Krishnan Kutty Nair
* Naveen D. Padil
* Rohidas Kadri

## Production

The film is a cinematic adaptation of the novel Bhaskara Pattelarum Ente Jeevithavum by Malayalam writer Paul Zacharia. Zacharia's novella was inspired by a real-life character named Patela Shekhara Gowda alias Shiradi Shekhara. Zacharia happened to hear the stories of Patelar when he was residing near Shiradi village Mangalore in Karnataka. After the release of the film, Adoor had a tiff with Zacharia over the film. Zachariah said Adoor tainted his story with Hindutva.

## Accolades

* 1993 National Film Awards
| Category | Winner | Citation |
| Best Actor | Mammootty (also for Ponthan Mada) | Depiction of the relationship of power and terror at an existential level. |
| National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam | Director – Adoor Gopalakrishnan Producer: - K. Ravindranathan Nair | For its in-depth handling and complex delineation of the psychological evolution of two characters, representative of the transformation of terror into power and its hold over the life of the existentialist outsider. |
* Kerala State Film Awards
| Category | Winner |
| Best Film | Director – Adoor Gopalakrishnan Producer – K. Ravindran Nair (General Pictures) |
| Best Director | Adoor Gopalakrishnan |
| Best Actor | Mammootty |
| Best Screenplay | Adoor Gopalakrishnan |
| Best Story | Paul Zacharia |
| Special Jury Award | M. R. Gopakumar |

### Other awards

* Award
* NETPAC Award at Rotterdam International Film Festival
* INTER FILM Prize – Honourable Mention at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival
* Special Jury Mention, Singapore International Film Festival
* NETPAC-FIPRESCI Award, Singapore International Film Festival