# Ennu Ninte Moideen

Ennu Ninte Moideen (transl. Yours Truly, Moideen) is a 2015 Indian Malayalam-language biographical romantic drama film written and directed by R. S. Vimal, based on the real-life story of Kanchanamala and B. P. Moideen, which took place in the 1960s in Mukkam, Kozhikode. Prithviraj Sukumaran and Parvathy Thiruvothu essay the title characters of Moideen and Kanchanamala while Bala, Tovino Thomas, Sai Kumar, Sashi Kumar and Lena appear in supporting roles.
Music was composed by M. Jayachandran and Ramesh Narayan, while background score was composed by Gopi Sunder. The cinematography was by Jomon T. John. Upon release, it received a positive critical response and was a commercial success, becoming one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time, grossing over ₹56 crore at the box office. It is widely regarded as one of the best movies of the Malayalam New Wave movement.

## Plot

Set in the 1960s and 70's in Mukkam, Kerala, the film tells the tragic love story of Moideen who belongs to a renowned Muslim family and Kanchanamala who is the daughter of an aristocratic Hindu Thiyya landlord. Since inter-religious marriages were considered a taboo then, the couple had to part ways as their families objected to their love affair.
Moideen shifted ground to being a socio-political activist and Kanchanamala lived in her house under strict restrictions for 22 years. Both communicated through letters and a language they had developed. Eventually Kanchanmala was caught and beaten mercilessly by her conservative relatives. Balyambra Pottattu Unni Moideen Sahib, Moideen's father, stabs him since Moideen does not agree to part ways with Kanchanamala but he miraculously escapes. Moideen reveals to the judge and police that it was an accident and his father was not responsible. This confession transforms Balyambra Pottattu Unni Moideen Sahib's attitude towards his son; however, he dies immediately afterwards due to a heart attack. Eventually, Moideen and Kanchana decide to elope but when Moideen was returning after collecting their passports, the boat he was traveling on gets caught in a whirlpool. Although he managed to save his fellow boat-mates, he gets caught in the whirlpool and dies. His body is found 3 days later. Upon hearing about his death, Kanchana decides to commit suicide but is stopped by Moideen's mother. In the end, Kanchana leaves home to live in Moideen's house, as Moideen's unmarried widow.

## Cast

* Prithviraj Sukumaran as Balyambra Pottattu Moideen
* Parvathy Thiruvothu as Kottatil Kanchanamala
* Bala as Kottatil Sethu Madhavan
* Tovino Thomas as Perumparambil Appu
* Saikumar as Balyambra Pottattu Unni Moideen Sahib
* Sashi Kumar as Kottatil Madhavan
* Lena as Pathumma
* Sudheer Karamana as Mukkam Bhasi
* Shivaji Guruvayoor as Kunjammavan
* Sudheesh as Kottattil Ramachandran
* Kalaranjini as Janaki
* Surabhi Lakshmi as Maaniyamma, servant in Kanchana's house
* Indrans as Nottan Vaidyar
* Disney James as Krishnankuttym Prabhavathi's Husband
* Kozhikode Narayanan Nair as Sathyanath, Appu's father
* Majeed as Ullatil Sahib
* George Tharakan K. J. as Sub-inspector Gafoor
* Balaji Sharma as Mukkam Narayanan
* Vijayan Karanthoor as Soofi haji
* Krishna Namboothiri
* Jayashankar Karimuttam
* Aneesh G. Menon
* Nandan Unni
* Master Roshan as Kochappi
* Sija Rose as Ameena
* Devi Ajith as Moideen's aunt
* Roslin as Appu's mother
* Sneha Raj as Ramadevi
* Charutha Baiju as Leela
* Jaya Noushad as Singer in drama
* Swathi Noushad as Indrani, Kanchana's sister
* Shilpa Raj as Marina
* Vaigha Rose
* Deepika Mohan
* Kozhikode Saradha
* Kozhikode Ramadevi
* Preetha Pradeep
* Jija Surendran
* Nila Noushad
* Badri Krishna as Velayudhan

## Production

The film is based on the real life love story of Moideen and Kanchanamala, which happened in the 1960s in the backdrops of river Iruvanjippuzha and Mukkam village. Vimal first made the story into a documentary film and then developed it into a full-length feature film. In October 2014, Kanchanamala had accused Vimal of "tweaking their story", stating that several incidents had not been shown correctly in the film.
Prithviraj was chosen to play Moideen upon the insistence of real-life Kanchanamala, as she felt that he had a resemblance to Moideen. Tovino Thomas was signed to play Appuettan (Kanjanamala's cousin), who said that Prithviraj suggested him for the role.
The film was launched at Mascot Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram on 9 July 2014. The shoot was supposed to begin in the first week of August 2014 but was postponed due to rain. Though set entirely in Mukkam, the film was not shot there; it was shot mostly in Shoranur and nearby areas.

## Soundtrack

The background music for the film was composed by Gopi Sunder, who also composed a song. Other songs were composed by M. Jayachandran and Ramesh Narayan. Rafeeq Ahamed penned the lyrics. A poem by renowned poet Changampuzha Krishna Pillai was used in the film.
The song "Mukkathe Penne" was composed within five minutes. Gopi Sunder says, "We were doing the background music when director requested us to create a background song for the movie. Mohammed Maqbool Mansoor, a singer who helps me with the Sufi notes, was there during that time. I hummed this tune to him for which he wrote lyrics. He crooned it and thus the song was born." For the song "Kathirunnu", M. Jayachandran won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction for the first time in his career.

## Release

The film was released on September 19, 2015, in Kerala and outside Kerala on October 2, 2015. The television satellite rights of Ennu Ninte Moideen was purchased for an amount of ₹ 7 crore by Asianet, which was the highest satellite purchasing amount for any Malayalam film.

### Film festival screening

The film was among the seven films selected to be screened in the Malayalam Cinema Today section of the 20th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). However, director R. S. Vimal decided to withdraw the film from the festival as it was not included in the Competition Section.

### Critical response

The Hindu wrote "the film presents a classic case of how a compelling real life incident can be adapted for the screen without compromising on the aesthetics of the medium." Baradwaj Rangan wrote, " Even with flatly written characters and plodding narration, the film strikes a chord."
Veeyen of Nowrunning.com rated 3/5 and opined that "a slow-burner that invites its viewers to soak themselves in a compelling romantic tale that is prudently drawn from real life. A pithy, well-acted and remarkably crafted film, this devastating narrative of love, comes across as a true celebration of the tender, expectant spirit that lies deep within it." Hailing the film as "probably the best love story to have graced the screens in the last decade in Malayalam Cinema," Rejath RG of Kerala Kaumudi described it as " a masterful piece of cinema that is sure to leave a long lasting impression in the hearts of moviegoers. R S Vimal has made a gem of a movie, an unforgettable love story of epic proportions."
G. Ragesh of Malayala Manorama rated the film 3.5/5 and described "Apart from being an inquiry into the unknown realms of human emotions such as love, revenge and envy the film has a smooth narrative which offers a glimpse into the socio-political milieu of the time."
Akhila Menon of Filmibeat.com gave a rating of 4/5 and wrote, "It is wonderful to watch the classic form of romance back on the screen, in its complete glory. A well-written script plays the backbone for the film" and "the only minus factor [of the film] is, Kanchanamala gets over-shadowed by Moideen certain points." Sethumadhavan of Bangalore Mirror rated the film 4/5 and said, "Despite the story being so old, the screenplay is powerful enough to hook the audience and make one ignore a few loose ends. Whenever and wherever cinematic liberty has been taken, it does not come across as jarring." Shyamlee Ahmed of The American Bazaar noted that the "powerful story is a far cry from the modern day puppy love stories coming out of Bollywood" and that the film "will be here to stay in our hearts "ennum" (forever), for its effervescent one of a kind eternal love."

### Box office

The film collected approximately ₹81 lakh on the first day of release and ₹1.25 crore in the second day, with Malabar region contributing a major share. It collected ₹6.32 crore in 6 days and ₹10.5 crore when it completed 9 days from Kerala alone. The film collected ₹19 crores from 18 days from Kerala alone. On 14 October 2015, Filmibeat.com reported that the film's gross collection crossed ₹21.8 crore, making it the biggest hit in Prithviraj's career. Within a month of release, the film's collection from Kerala theatres alone was ₹27.2 crore. It grossed about ₹ 32.67 crore and a net ₹ 25.56 crore from Kerala in 42 days; the film's all India gross crossed ₹ 37.50 crore for the same.
The film grossed $107,666 (₹ 71.79 lakh) within eight weeks of its theatrical run in the US and after the 12th weekend at the UK box office, Ennu Ninte Moideen is said to have collected a gross amount of Â£23,698 (₹ 23.40 lakh).
The film collected an estimated ₹ 50 crore from Worldwide box office to become one of the highest grossing Malayalam films of all time, and the film ran over 150 days in theatres.

## Awards and nominations

As of 28 March 2016, Ennu Ninte Moideen received 55 wins and 63 nominations.
| Award | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result |
| 63rd National Film Awards | Best Music Director | M. Jayachandran | Won |
| Filmfare Awards South | Best Film | Ennu Ninte Moideen | Nominated |
| Filmfare Awards South | Best Director | R. S. Vimal | Won |
| Filmfare Awards South | Best Actor | Prithviraj Sukumaran | Nominated |
| Filmfare Awards South | Best Actress | Parvathy Thiruvothu | Won |
| Filmfare Awards South | Best Supporting Actor | Tovino Thomas | Won |
| Filmfare Awards South | Best Supporting Actress | Lena | Won |
| Filmfare Awards South | Best Music Director | M. Jayachandran | Won |
| Filmfare Awards South | Best Lyricist | Rafeeq Ahamed | Won |
| Filmfare Awards South | Best Playback Singer – Female | Shreya Ghoshal | Won |
| 5th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Film | Ennu Ninte Moideen | Nominated |
| 5th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Director | R. S. Vimal | Nominated |
| 5th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Actor | Prithviraj Sukumaran | Won |
| 5th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Actress | Parvathy Thiruvothu | Nominated |
| 5th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Actress (Critics) | Parvathy Thiruvothu | Won |
| 5th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Tovino Thomas | Nominated |
| 5th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Lena | Won |
| 5th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Actor in a Negative Role | Sai Kumar | Nominated |
| 5th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Music Director | M. Jayachandran | Nominated |
| 5th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Lyricist | Rafeeq Ahammed (for song "Kaathirunnu") | Nominated |
| 5th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Female Playback Singer | Shreya Ghoshal (for song "Kaathirunnu") | Nominated |
| Asianet Film Awards | Best Film | Ennu Ninte Moideen | Won |
| Asianet Film Awards | Best Director | R. S. Vimal | Nominated |
| Asianet Film Awards | Best Actor | Prithviraj Sukumaran | Won |
| Asianet Film Awards | Best Actress | Parvathy Thiruvothu | Won |
| Asianet Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Sai Kumar | Won |
| Asianet Film Awards | Best Character Actress | Lena | Won |
| Asianet Film Awards | Best Script Writer | R. S. Vimal | Won |
| Asianet Film Awards | Best Cinematography | Jomon T. John | Won |
| Asianet Film Awards | Best Editor | Mahesh Narayan | Won |
| Asianet Film Awards | Best Lyricist | Rafeeq Ahmed | Won |
| Kerala State Film Award | | | Won |
| Kerala State Film Award | Most Popular Film | Ennu Ninte Moideen | Won |
| Kerala State Film Award | Best Actress | Parvathy Thiruvothu | Won |
| Kerala State Film Award | Best Music Director | Ramesh Narayan | Won |
| Kerala State Film Award | Best Cinematography | Jomon T. John | Won |
| Kerala State Film Award | Best Singer (Male) | P. Jayachandran | Won |
| Kerala State Film Award | Best Lyricist | Rafeeq Ahmed | Won |
| Kerala State Film Award | Best Sound Design | Renganaath Ravee | Won |
| 1st IIFA Utsavam | | | Won |
| 1st IIFA Utsavam | Best Film | Ennu Ninte Moideen | Won |
| 1st IIFA Utsavam | Best Director | R. S. Vimal | Nominated |
| 1st IIFA Utsavam | Best Performance in a Leading Role – Male | Prithviraj Sukumaran | Won |
| 1st IIFA Utsavam | Best Performance in a Leading Role – Female | Parvathy Thiruvothu | Won |
| 1st IIFA Utsavam | Best Performance in a Supporting Role – Male | Sai Kumar | Nominated |
| 1st IIFA Utsavam | Best Performance in a Supporting Role – Male | Tovino Thomas | Nominated |
| 1st IIFA Utsavam | Best Performance in a Supporting Role – Female | Lena | Won |
| 1st IIFA Utsavam | Best Performance in a Negative Role – Male | Bala | Nominated |
| 1st IIFA Utsavam | Best Music Direction | Ramesh Narayan M. Jayachandran Gopi Sunder | Nominated |
| 1st IIFA Utsavam | Best Lyricist | Muhammed Maqbool Mansoor | Nominated |
| 1st IIFA Utsavam | Best Lyricist | Rafeeq Ahamed | Nominated |
| 1st IIFA Utsavam | Best Playback Singer – Male | Muhammed Maqbool Mansoor | Nominated |
| 1st IIFA Utsavam | Best Playback Singer – Male | Vijay Yesudas | Nominated |
| 1st IIFA Utsavam | Best Playback Singer – Female | Shreya Ghoshal | Won |
| Asiavision Awards |
| Asiavision Awards | Best Film | Ennu Ninte Moideen | Won |
| Asiavision Awards | Best Director | R. S. Vimal | Won |
| Asiavision Awards | Best Actor | Prithviraj Sukumaran | Won |
| Asiavision Awards | Best Actress | Parvathy Thiruvothu | Won |
| Asiavision Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Tovino Thomas | Won |
| Asiavision Awards | Best Screenplay | R. S. Vimal | Won |
| Asiavision Awards | Best Cinematography | Jomon T. John | Won |
| Asiavision Awards | Best Female Singer | Shreya Ghoshal | Nominated |
| Asiavision Awards | Best Background Score | Gopi Sunder | Won |
| Asiavision Awards | Most Popular Music Director | Gopi Sunder | Won |
| Asiavision Awards | New Sensation in Singing | Muhammed Maqbool Mansoor | Won |
| Vanitha Film Awards |
| Vanitha Film Awards | Best Movie | Ennu Ninte Moideen | Won |
| Vanitha Film Awards | Best Director | R. S. Vimal | Won |
| Vanitha Film Awards | Best Actor | Prithviraj Sukumaran | Won |
| Vanitha Film Awards | Best Actress | Parvathy Thiruvothu | Won |
| Vanitha Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Lena | Won |
| Vanitha Film Awards | Best Lyricist | Rafeeq Ahamed | Won |
| Vanitha Film Awards | Best Cinematographer | Jomon T. John | Won |
| KFPA Awards |
| KFPA Awards | Best Film | Ennu Ninte Moideen | Won |
| KFPA Awards | Best Actor | Prithviraj Sukumaran | Won |
| KFPA Awards | Best Actress | Parvathy Thiruvothu | Won |
| KFPA Awards | Best Producer(s) | Suresh Raj Binoy Shankarath Ragy Thomas | Won |
| KFPA Awards | Best Character Actress | Lena | Won |
| KFPA Awards | Best Debutant Director | R. S. Vimal | Won |
| KFPA Awards | Best Makeup Artist | Ratheesh Ambady | Won |
| KFPA Awards | Best Art Director | Gokul Das | Won |
| Ramu Kariat Awards |
| Ramu Kariat Awards | Best Promising Star | Tovino Thomas | Won |
| IBNLive Awards |
| IBNLive Awards | Best Actor (South) | Prithviraj Sukumaran | Nominated |
| IBNLive Awards | Best Actress (South) | Parvathy Thiruvothu | Nominated |