Mohanlal-Priyadarshan’s Rs 44 lakh movie collected Rs 4 crore and ran for record 366 days, despite its tragic ending

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Hence, he improved the style further and crafted an even better — but this time original — movie, capable of making the audience experience most of the widely accepted basic emotions — happiness, sadness, surprise, anger, and fear — in tandem. Priyadarshan struck gold once again, and the film not only impressed audiences but became the highest-grossing Malayalam film at the time. It is still ranked among the finest of both the director and its lead actor, Mohanlal. The movie is none other than Chithram (1988), one of the finest comedy-dramas Malayalam cinema has ever produced, despite its tragic ending.

Chithram ran for a record 366 days in a theatre. (Credit: IMDb)

Chithram budget and box office collection

Mounted on a budget of just Rs 44 lakh, according to Onmanorama, Chithram, which released during the Christmas season of 1988, ended up collecting a whopping Rs 4 crore, scripting history at the box office. It also ran for a record 366 days in a theatre, making it the longest-running Malayalam film at the time, before it was dethroned by director duo Siddique-Lal’s Godfather (1991). Chithram’s success was most notable since it did not adhere to the conventional commercial formula.

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Although the movie had a fight scene and choreographed songs, it was basically a story of a young woman (Ranjini) who, with the help of her uncle (Nedumudi Venu), hires a man (Mohanlal) to present him in front of her father (Poornam Viswanathan) as her husband, so that the latter isn’t heartbroken with the knowledge that his daughter’s boyfriend broke her heart and left her. Initially revolving around the many hilarious and happy moments that unfold between these characters, Chithram slowly shifts gears once Mohanlal and Ranjini’s characters fall for each other.

But tragedy and sadness had been awaiting them as Mohanlal agreed to act as her husband only for money, which he needed for his toddler son’s treatment, and he had no other way to make it, as he is shockingly an escaped convict, who was awarded capital punishment for the murder of his mute wife (Lissy). With the entry of the investigating officer (Soman) to take Mohanlal back to prison, Chithram veers into tragic territory and ends with Mohanlal returning to jail, while Ranjini decides to raise the his son as her own.

Actors Mohanlal and Ranjini. (Credit: thecompleteactor.com)

Despite almost four decades since its release, Chithram remains close to the hearts of Malayalees, who continue to rewatch it from time to time. Although it did not have massy dialogues, hero elevation moments, multiple stunt sequences, or an extremely lovey-dovey relationship at its centre, Chithram managed to etch itself into the hearts of viewers, thanks in large part to the unparalleled work of Priyadarshan and Mohanlal. The credit for the movie’s success also belongs to music composers Kannur Rajan (songs) and Johnson (background score), and playback singer MG Sreekumar, whose works immortalised Chithram.