Oru Sundariyude Katha - 1972

Plot

Oru Sundariyude Katha is a 1972 Indian Malayalam film, directed by Thoppil Bhasi and produced by M Kunchacko. The film stars Prem Nazir, Jayabharathi, KPAC Lalitha and Adoor Bhasi in lead roles. The film had musical score by G. Devarajan.The title cards showed the story was by P Keshavadev, and that somehow sets the tone of the story for me. This was going to be different! In fact I see a lot of old movies are what I call 'different'; or the realisation that my view of old movies aren't exactly right.

As the name suggests, this is the story of a beauty, aptly named Sundari. Jayabharathi essays the beautiful daughter of the poor peon working at the court, Pappu Shipayi played by S.P Pillai. She is the child of his much loved first wife, KochuKartyayani. He reminisces about the dead wife and is proud of how like the mother his beautiful daughter is. He has two more children with Narayani, the stepmother brought to bring up Sundari. The stepmother and stepdaughter gets along famously, and all's well in the poor household. But we are given a hint of what's to come when the rich neighbor Georgekutty keeps throwing his ball to Sundari's courtyard so that he can flirt with her. Sundari's father doesn't like her stepping out of the house, but she offers to go to the market so her Kunjamma(step-mother) can go have a bath. She meets up with her cousin there, and the two girls happily shop. Then we are introduced to the peddler 'Unthuvandi Krishnakutty', played by Adoor Bhasi. He can be called the real villain of the story if we are assigning these titles to people in this rather unconventional tale.He has a cart full of knickknacks for women, and in keeping with the theme of the film, flirts with and tells the women to buy the brassieres hanging from his cart--the one for the two. Sundari rebuffs his attempt to put bangles on her hands and returns home. Coming back she is encountered by the guy again, and he proposes to her, and tries to give her a 'love letter'. Sundari again runs away.

The rejected beau of course starts telling all his friends how Sundari and he are having an affair. One of them warns Pappu Shipayi that his daughter is being kept by Unthuvandi Krishnankutty. The enraged Pappu Shipayi comes home and beats up Sudnari and laments that his dear wife's daughter is now a prostitute!

Sundari's cousin and grandmother placate the father and they all know now that Unthuvandi Krishnankutty is taking revenge on Sundari for refusing his advances. The family decides to get Sundari married. A grand meal is prepared and Sundari dons her first sari and blouse in preparation for the pennu kanal(seeing the girl). However the prospective groom and father comes and berates them angrily that they won't accept a woman who is currently in a sexual relationship with Unthuvandi Krishnankutty. The angry lady comes out and tells them to leave, and seeing her beauty the groom has a change of heart but still leaves with his father. Pappu Shipayi is a broken man, and stops going to work. Kunjamma(stepmother) is at her wits' ends on how to feed the children, and decides to go to market to borrow stuff. On the way she meets a man sent by the neighbour Georgekutty. He has a letter and a hundred rupees for Sundari. Kunjamma takes the money and letter promising to give them to Sundari though she knows Sundari won't let her if she knew. Pappu shipayi meanwhile has gone to borrow some rice for the children's dinner and again meets the village gossip mill who now calls him his daughter's pimp. They tell him how his wife is now breaking 100 rupee notes(long long ago, when 100 rupees were a fortune). Angered he comes and makes a ruckus and at last the step mother tells the money is from Georgekutty for Sundari. Sundari is shocked, and the implication is that she is getting paid for sex. The stepmother comes and apologises and tells Sundari she will tell her father how none of it is her mistake. Sundari tells not tonight. That night Georgekutty comes to her window and she tells him-- Not today, come tomorrow. Once he leaves, she writes a letter and leaves the place.

With two friendly women's help, she reaches Tambanoor railway station and now has nowhere to go. Everywhere she turns, she is only a beautiful women, lost and alone in the city. Taxi-drivers, passengers and workers alike offer to take her anywhere in a car. One porter shoos them all away whenever he sees them bothering her. In the end he tells her she can come with him. Maadan/Kuttappan(Prem Nazir) tells her he will keep her for five or six days, and on the way promises to hand her over after six days. She still follows. He takes her to Pachiyakka's house, where he lodges sometime when he brings women. It is a illegal watering hole as well, and men have followed Maadan to get the new woman he has. That night Maadan comes to Sundari but she fights him off with a broken glass. He decides to protect her henceforth. After a few skirmishes with men wanting Sundari at Pachiyakka's house, he brings her to Kunjiyamma and daughter Pankajakshi's house. Sundari is happy there, but the men still follow. Maadan then takes her to a big house as a servant, thinking she will be safe. However they are also running a high end brothel for their own ends, and Maadan saves Sundari from the verge of being raped. After Maadan beats up students in a nearby lodge for harassing Sundari, he is jailed for six months. Sundari decides to work in a contractor's house till Maddan comes back, while Pankajakshi acknowledges every man she has ever met other than Maadan only sees her beauty and sees her as a body. The conductor and wife deceivingly brings her to the bed of an Engineer(K.P. Ummer), who then rapes her. Realising that she was not a prostitute the Engineer asks her to go with him.

Maadan is out of jail, but couldn't find Sundari anywhere. He at last finds her sitting at the lawn of engineer's house. She tells him, this is my house. The engineer is my husband. Maadan wipes his tears and walks away. Sundari goes out to run after him, then turns back into her house.

Cast

Actor	As
Prem Nazir	Maadan/Kuttappan
Jayabharathi	Sundari/Lathika
KPAC Lalitha	Pankajakshi
Adoor Bhasi	Unthuvandi Krishnankutty
Manavalan Joseph	Divakaran
Jesey	Georgekutty
Adoor Pankajam	Pachiyakka
Alummoodan	Naanukuttan(Pankajakshi's husband)
K.P.Ummer	Enginner
S.P.Pillai	Pappu Shipayi
Beatrice	Narayani/Kunjamma
Vijayakumari	Kunjiyamma
Mavelikkara Ponnamma	Thankamma
Cherthala Lalika	Contractor's wife