KATHAPURUSHAN (The Man of the Story)
Adoor Gopalakrishnan
India. 1996. 107 min
Cast : Vishwanathan, Mini Nair, Aranmulla Ponnamma

Kathapurushan is an award-winning feature film directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. The film is in Malayalam. It stars Vishwanathan, Mini Nair, Aranmula Ponnamma, Narendra Prasad and Urmila Unni. It won the Golden Lotus Award for Best Film at the National Film Awards in 1996. Kathapurushan is a journey exploring the recent history of the state of Kerala in India.

Kunjunni’s parents separate soon after his birth, and he’s left to be cared by his mother, void of paternal care and affection. He is brought up by his mother with the help of his grandmother, an estimate manager and his friend Meenakshi, the daughter of a maid servant working in Kunjunni’s house. Inspired by his Uncle, who was initially a Gandhian, and eventually a Marxist, Kunjunni finds himself drawn to left-wing ideologies during his studies at college, believing that communism is the answer to heal all social hardships and inequalities. Eventually he joins an extremist Marxist group, and his affairs land him in trouble. After an attack at a police station, Kunjunni is arrested and taken to court, but later acquitted of all charges.