Aami
Aami is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language biographical film based on the life of poet-author Kamala Das. It is written and directed by Kamal and stars Manju Warrier as Kamala Surayya, along with Murali Gopy, Tovino Thomas, Anoop Menon and Anand Bal.[1][2] The film was released on 9 February 2018. The film won two Kerala State Film Awards.
| Aami | |
|---|---|
Poster | |
| Directed by | Kamal |
| Written by | Kamal |
| Produced by | Raphael Thomas Pozholiparambil |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Madhu Neelakandan |
| Edited by | A. Sreekar Prasad |
| Music by |
|
Production company | Reel & Real Cinema |
| Distributed by | Central Pictures |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
Plot
Aami portrays the life of writer Madhavikutty, mainly focused on her childhood, family life, marital life, a devotee of Lord Krishna and conversion to Islam in the later periods of her life.
Cast
- Manju Warrier as Kamala Surayya (Kamala)
- Neelanjana as Aami Teenage
- Aangelina Abraham Aami Childhood
- Tovino Thomas as Sreekrishnan
- Murali Gopy as Madhava Das, Madhavikutty's husband
- Anoop Menon as Akbar Ali[3]
- Rasna Pavithran as Young Balamani Amma
- Vijayalakshmi as Old Balamani Amma
- Anil Nedumangad as V. M. Nair
- K. P. A. C. Lalitha as Januvamma
- Vinaya Prasad as Sulochana Nalappat, writer and Kamala's sister
- Jitha as Sulochana Nalapat Young
- Swasthika as Sulochana Nalapat Childhood
- Rahul Madhav as Kamala's imaginary friend
- Indrans as Narayanan, Goldsmith
- Jyothikrishna as Malathi
- Anjali Nair as Khamar
- Balachandran Chullikadu a Himself
- Renji Panicker as S. K. Nair, Malayalanadu Editor
- Lekshmi Priya as Madhavikutty fan
- Sreedevi Unni as Ammamma
- Valsala Menon as Muttashi
- Lal Kumar as Monu (MD Nalappatt)
- Uttara as Young Januvamma
- Krishnan Balakrishnan as reporter
- Dinesh Prabhakar as angry husband of Madhavikutty fan
- Jayaraj Warrier as Sukumaran
- Sethu Lakshmi as Kuttiamma
- Kritika Pradeep
- Anand Bal as Chinnan Das
Production
In 2016, Bollywood actress Vidya Balan was signed for the role of Kamala Surayya, but in January 2017, she backed out from the film citing creative differences with Kamal.[4] In 2016, Murali Gopy was confirmed in the role of Madhava Das, Kamala's husband,[5] and Prithviraj Sukumaran in a fictional character.[6] Later in the year, Prithviraj also opted out from the film due to his tight filming schedules and recommended Tovino Thomas instead.[7] Later, Anoop Menon was added to the cast. Media outlets reported several names as a replacement for Balan, but in February 2017 Kamal denied all the reports and said that he is not in a hurry and is still looking for a person whose features match that of Surayya's, which was the reason he chose Balan at the first place. Although he revealed he is also considering suggestions from others and Parvathy is one among.[8] In February 2017, Manju Warrier signed to play Kamala Surayya.[9]
Principal photography commenced on 24 March 2017 at Kamala Surayya Memorial in Punnayurkulam, Thrissur. Ottapalam was the main location in the first schedule that went till April. The other locations were Mumbai, Kolkata and Ernakulam.[10]
Soundtrack
| Aami | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 2018 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Language | Malayalam Bengali | |||
| Label | Manorama Music | |||
| M. Jayachandran chronology | ||||
| ||||
The film score is composed by Bijibal. The film features original songs composed by two composers, M. Jayachandran and Taufiq Qureshi. Qureshi's compositions are Ghazals with lyrics written by Academy Award winner Gulzar.[11] The lyrics for the Malayalam songs is written by Rafeeq Ahamed.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Neer Maathalam" | Rafeeq Ahamed | M. Jayachandran | Shreya Ghoshal, Arnab Dutta | 5:12 |
| 2. | "Pranayamayi Radha" | Rafeeq Ahmed | M. Jayachandran | Shreya Ghoshal, Vijay Yesudas | 4:59 |
| 3. | "Chand Hoga" | Gulzar | Taufiq Qureshi | Javed Ali | 3:27 |
| 4. | "Aadhi raath" | Gulzar | Taufiq Qureshi | Roop | 3:44 |
| 5. | "Umar Salon Sein" | Gulzar | Javed Ali | 3:00 |
Awards and nominations
- Flowers Indian Film Awards
- Best Actress – 2018 – Manju Warrier (shared with Udaharanam Sujatha)
- Best Actress – 2018 – Manju Warrier
- Nana Awards
- Best actress – 2018 – Manju Warrier
- Best Female Playback Singer- Shreya Ghoshal
- Best Background Score- Bijibal
- Best Actress- Manju Warrier
- Asianet Film Awards
- Best Actress- Manju Warrier
- Best Actress- Manju Warrier
- Nominated for Best Singer- Shreya Goshal
References
- ^ "Aami Movie". filmibeat. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ "Aami". nowrunning. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ^ "Anoop Menon as Zaheer Ali in Aami". indiatimes. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ^ Express Web Desk (13 January 2017). "Unprofessional and unethical: Kamal on Vidya quitting Kamala Das biopic". The Indian Express. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- ^ Nagarajan, Saraswathy (14 July 2016). "Censor Board cannot decide how a creative work should be: Murali Gopy". The Hindu. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- ^ "Prithviraj, Vidya Balan in Kamala Das biopic". Malayala Manorama. 13 March 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- ^ "Prithviraj backs out of Kamala Das biopic Aami, recommends Tovino Thomas instead?". Hindustan Times. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- ^ George, Anjana (26 February 2017). "I am still on the lookout for someone who resembles Madhavikutty: Kamal". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- ^ Ramasubramanian, Uma (18 February 2017). "Manju Warrier a better performer than Vidya Balan: Kamal". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
- ^ "Aami Shooting Begins". Manoramaonline. 24 March 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ "Gulzar and Taufiq Qureshi to compose in Aami". The Times of India. 9 April 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
External links
- Aami at IMDb