Padmasree Bharat Dr. Saroj Kumar is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language satirical parody film. It was directed by Sajin Raghavan as his directorial debut. The movie stars Sreenivasan as the titular superstar with Vineeth Sreenivasan, Fahadh Faasil, Jagathy Sreekumar, Suraj Venjaramoodu, and Mukesh.[citation needed] It is a spin-off of the popular 2005 film Udayananu Tharam. Sreenivasan reprises the original role of Saroj Kumar. The director announced this is not a sequel, and that only some characters from Udayananu Tharam were used. In the film, renowned actor Saroj Kumar is ousted from his film following a quarrel with a co-actor. He then goes on to try many tricks to sabotage the project but fails when the movie becomes a success.
| Padmasree Bharat Dr. Saroj Kumar | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sajin Raaghavan |
| Written by | Sreenivasan |
| Produced by | Vaishaka Rajan |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | S. Kumar |
| Edited by | Kevin Thomas |
| Music by |
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| Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 147 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
Synopsis
editSaroj Kumar is a renowned South Indian actor who lost his fandom and successful films due to his arrogance and vanity. His latest films like Vekkada Vedi, turn into a flop due to his over-heroic performance and lack of story.
Alex Samuel and Pachalam Bhasi start their new film with Shyam, a debutant actor. Meanwhile, Saroj bribes film associations and gets Samuel's and Pachalam's film banned. He gets the rank of Colonel in the Army and brags about it. Meanwhile, Babykuttan, another producer, helps Alex and Pachalam to resume their project. Saroj Kumar tries to cancel the film in many ways but it is completed and is well received by the audience.
Meanwhile, the income tax department raids his premises and starts prosecution proceedings for tax evasion. How Saroj is tense about the matter, drinks a lot, and acts differently form the rest of the plot.
Cast
edit- Sreenivasan as Megastar Padma Shri Bharat Dr Saroj Kumar (Thengumoodu Rajappan)
- Vineeth Sreenivasan as Shyam, Saroj Kumar's son
- Fahadh Faasil as Alex Samuel
- Mukesh as Babykkuttan
- Jagathy Sreekumar as Pachalam Bhasi
- Suraj Venjarammoodu as Muttathara Babu
- Salim Kumar as Rafeeq
- Mamta Mohandas as Neelima, Saroj's wife
- Manikuttan as Rajesh
- Manikandan Pattambi as Journalist Anilkumar
- Subi Suresh as Reporter Poomanthali Susheela
- Kollam Thulasi as Union Leader
- Liimal G Padath as Alex's Assistant
- Apoorva Bose as Lekha, Shyam's Love interest
- Saju Attingal as SI Ram Kumar
- Sunil Sukhada as Kadalundi Madhavan
- Sajitha Betti as Neelima's friend
- Ponnamma Babu as Neelima's friend
- Lishoy as Income Tax Department officer
- Shari as Shyam's mother
- Pradeep Kottayam as Eureka TV Assistant
- Manoj Kumar as Shyam's neighbour
- Munshi Venu as Shyam's native
- Harikrishna Menon as Shyam's local friend
- Vishnu as Shyam's local friend
- Vijayan Peringode as The physician
- Cherthala Lalitha as Shyam's neighbour
- Deepika Mohan as Servant
- Sandhya (special appearance)
- Meera Nandan (special appearance)
- Sarayu (special appearance)
- Roopa (special appearance)
- Nimisha Suresh (special appearance)
- Mohanlal as Udhayabhanu (mentioned only)
- Meena as Madhumathi Udayabhanu (mentioned only)
Production
editAbout the idea of making Padmasree Bharat Dr. Saroj Kumar, Sreenivasan says: "The thought of the film came to us when we started thinking about what should be happening to a superstar like Saroj Kumar at this point in time. He is getting old and the most challenging aspect about stardom is that once you have got it, the next question is how long it will last."[2]
Reception
editCritical reception
editThe film was released on 14 January 2012 to mainly mixed reviews from critics, although, the comedy scenes received praise. Paresh C. Palicha of Rediff.com concluded his review saying, "On the whole, Padmasree Bharat Dr. Saroj Kumar is disappointing, to say the least."[3] Hari Prasad of Yentha.com said that "the film, despite having a good theme, suffers from a messy script."[4] Sify.com and Oneindia.in also published negative reviews saying that it is "disappointing."[5]
Soundtrack
editMusic: Deepak Dev, Lyrics: Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mozhikalum" | Haricharan, Manjari | |
| 2. | "Iniyoru Chalanam" | Shaan Rahman, Vineeth Sreenivasan | |
| 3. | "Kesu" | Vineeth Sreenivasan, Shweta Mohan | |
| 4. | "Mozhikalum" | Haricharan |
References
edit- ^ "First Look: Padmasree Bharat Dr Saroj Kumar". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
- ^ "Sreenivasan: It is easy to be a hero in films". Rediff.com. 17 January 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
- ^ Palicha, Paresh C. "Review: Padmasree Bharat Dr Saroj Kumar is crass". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- ^ "Movie Review: Padmashree Bharat Dr.Saroj Kumar (Mal) – Disappoints Big Time!". yentha.com. 15 January 2012. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012.
- ^ "Sify Movies - Review listing". Sify. 12 March 2013. Archived from the original on 12 March 2013.
External links
edit- Padmasree Bharat Dr. Saroj Kumar at IMDb
- Times of India report
- Metromatinee article Archived 16 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine