My dear friend @Jmathur review of Phir Milenge, the 2004 Hindi directorial venture of actress Revathy, evoked nostalgic memories of mine, of her cult classic Malayalam drama opposite Mohan Lal entitled “Devasuram”.
Revathy plays a supporting role in “Devasuram” that of a Mohiniyattam dancer “Bhanumathy” but it is more Lal’s film, Lalettan as we fondly call him back here, and Napolean who is playing the antagonist “Mundakkal Shekharan” and also Ranjith’s.
Devasuram is one of the early Mohan Lal -Renjith ventures that inspired the “Ashirvad Cinemas” banner Lal& Antony Perumbavoor’s production company.
Devasuram is a culmination of “Deva” and “Asura” which means “Divine” and the “Monstrous” or “Good”& “Evil” simply put.
On the surface “Devasuram” appears as revenge fantasy between two feudal lords - “Mangalassery Neelankandan” played by Lal and “Mundakkal Shekharan” played by Napolean. Mangalassery Neelakhandan is a flamboyant& much feared feudal lord in a rural village in Kerala. Neelan’s life takes a dramatic paradigm shift from the inherent evilness to a state of repentance.
The story is about redemption of one man.
Neelankhandan, the protagonist feudal lord played by Mohan Lal, is like an insane cross-over between “Krishna” and “Karna” meet the evil tragic hero from The Godfather “Michael Corleone”(Al Pacino).
Krishna - because he has a Casanova side to him. He flirts with women, entertains premarital sex with prostitutes and entangles himself with all sorts of troubles.
Karna - because he has a heart-breaking dating back story to his childhood - he had an abandoned mother and father.
Michael Corleone because he does all things evil.
He’s an evil-headed landlord who follows a wrong path in life but Lal alongside script writer “Renjith” makes “Neelakhandan” into an enigmatic character.