>Jvn 2006 at 07:48, 30 June 2021

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{{short description|2005 film by Lal Jose}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Chanthupottu
| image = chanthupottu2.jpg |caption=The music CD cover
| starring = [[Dileep (actor)|Dileep]]<br>[[Gopika]]<br>[[Indrajith (actor)|Indrajith]]<br>[[Lal (actor)|Lal]]<br>[[Biju Menon]]
| director = [[Lal Jose]]
| writer = [[Benny P Nayarambalam]]
| producer = [[Lal (actor)|Lal]]
| distributor = [[Lal Release]] & PJ Entertainments
| editing = Ranjan Abraham
| cinematography = [[Alagappan N]]
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2005|8|26}}
| runtime = 125 minutes
| country = India
| language = Malayalam
| music = [[Vidyasagar (music director)|Vidyasagar]]
| budget =
| gross =
}}

'''''Chanthupottu''''' is a 2005 Indian [[Malayalam]]-language [[comedy drama]] film directed by [[Lal Jose]], written by [[Benny P. Nayarambalam]], and produced by [[Lal (actor)|Lal]]. The film was based on a play of the same name, which in turn, was based on the life of an actual man with feminine mannerisms. The story is about a man named Radhakrishnan ([[Dileep (actor)|Dileep]]) who was brought up like a girl by his grandmother. This film was a commercial success at the box office.

==Plot==

Radhakrishnan is brought up like a girl by his grandmother who wanted a granddaughter. She calls him Radha, which becomes his nickname. Radha's father Divakaran goes to jail for a murder that he accidentally commits. Radha is ridiculed among the people in the village as he is considered effeminate, but he is not worried and spends time with the girls singing and teaches dancing. His best friend is Malu who is wooed by Kumaran, a local money lender and the son of the man whom Radha's father had killed in a fight after Kumaran insults Radha for behaving like girl.

Divakaran comes back from jail and dislikes his son's mannerisms, but can do nothing about them. Slowly Radha's liking for Malu turns into love and when Kumaran sees it, he beats up Radha with the help of her father, a local astrologer and dumps him in deep sea. But he is saved by Freddy, a restaurant owner, in some distant shore. Freddy takes him to the former's native where he is living with his sister Rosie and his grandmother, who is a mental patient due to the shock of the sudden death of Freddy's other sibling, Jonfy. He soon becomes a part of their family, as the grandmother begins to identify him as the late Jonfy. With a change in environment, he also changes his behaviour, adopting more traditionally male mannerisms.

Once, he gets involved in a fight with Cleetus, an old enemy of Freddy, after Cleetus tries to molest Rosie. During the fight, Cleetus gets severely injured on the head. Radha is forced to return to his home to escape from the police.

On reaching his native shore, he discovers that his family, along with his house was brutally burned down by Kumaran. He also learns that Malu is pregnant with Radha's child. His arrival follows a fight with Kumaran. Towards the end of the fight, Radha defeats Kumaran and is about to kill him but, reminded of how his father had to suffer in jail due to murder charges, he spares Kumaran. In the meantime, Malu prematurely gives birth to Radha's child. When Radha sees the child, he vows to raise it as a boy, ripping off the ribbon tied to its hair.

==Cast==

*[[Dileep (actor)|Dileep]] as Radhakrishnan
*[[Gopika]] as Malu
*[[Indrajith Sukumaran|Indrajith]] as Komban Kumaran
*[[Lal (actor)|Lal]] as Divakaran, Radhakrishnan's father
*[[Biju Menon]] as Freddy
*[[Bhavana Menon|Bhavana]] as Rosie, Freddy's sister
*[[Rajan P. Dev]] as Thorayil Aasan, Malu's father
*[[Mala Aravindan]] as Kanaran
*[[Sukumari]] as Radhakrishnan's grandmother
*[[Shobha Mohan]] as Shantha , Radhakrishnan's mother
*[[Salim Kumar]] as Vareed ,Tea shop owner
*[[Anil Murali]] as Kumaran's father
*[[Sreejith Ravi]] as Cleetus.
*[[Valsala Menon]] as Freddy's and Rosie's grandmother
* [[Joju George]]
*George Peter
*[[Kalabhavan Shajohn]]
*[[Koottickal Jayachandran]] as Lawrence
*Cherthala Lalitha as Karthu
*Renjusha as Ramani

==Portrayal of gender roles==
The film was criticized by the [[LGBT]] community of Kerala for its distorted portrayal of gender and sexuality. In 2019, queer activists reported that the word "chanthupottu" was used to harass transgender persons, and pointed at the deeply problematic idea that beatings and a heterosexual relationship could "correct" behaviour that goes against traditional gender norms.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/queer-activists-slam-lal-jose-defending-problematic-2005-film-chanthupottu-112378 | title=Queer activists slam Lal Jose for defending problematic 2005 film Chanthupottu | work=The News Minute | date=15 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/touching-post-kerala-gay-man-recounts-how-blockbuster-film-wronged-him-73568 | title=In a touching post, Kerala gay man recounts how a blockbuster film wronged him | work=The News Minute | date=22 December 2017}}</ref> Prabhakaran and Poovathingal (2013) argue that "the movie brought forth traditional machismo of the male hero and defined an unsophisticated masculinity", despite its attempts to portray an effeminate man in a positive light.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Masculinizing Radha: The Politics of Representation in Chandupottu | author=Prabhakaran, Roshni and Poovathingal, Nithya Thomas | journal=Language in India | year=2013 | volume=13 | issue=8 | pages=318–325}}</ref>

==Crew==
*Direction: [[Lal Jose]]
*Producer: [[Lal (actor)|Lal]]
*Writer: [[Benny P Nayarambalam]]
*Director of Music: [[Vidyasagar (music director)|Vidyasagar]]
*Lyrics: [[Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma]]
*Editing: Ranjan Abraham
*Director of Photography: Azhakappan
*Choreography: Sujatha
*Stunt Director: Thyagarajan
*Makeup: Pattanam Shah
*Costume Designer: Manoj Alappuzha
*Creative Support: Walter Jose
*Director of Art: Nemom Pushparaj

==Music==
{{Infobox album
| name = Chanthupottu
| type = Soundtrack
| artist = [[Vidyasagar (composer)|Vidhyasagar]]
| cover =
| alt =
| released = 2005
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = [[Film soundtrack|Feature film soundtrack]]
| length =
| label =
| producer =
| prev_title = Muddula Koduku
| prev_year =
| next_title = [[Nothing But Life|Made in USA]]
| next_year =
}}

# "Azhakadalinte" – [[S. Janaki]]
# "Azhakadalinte" male - [[P Jayachandran]]
# "Omanapuzha" – [[Vineeth Sreenivasan]]
# "Chanthu Kudanjoru" – [[Shahabaz Aman]], [[Sujatha Mohan]]
# "Kana Ponnum" – [[Franco Simon|Franko]], [[Ranjith (singer)|Ranjith]], Chorus

==Box office==
The film was commercial success and ran over 125 days in theatres.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sify.com/movies/dileep-s-citadel-news-malayalam-kkfvwefeaaasi.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220074138/http://www.sify.com/movies/dileep-s-citadel-news-malayalam-kkfvwefeaaasi.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 December 2016|title=Dileep's citadel|work=[[Sify]]|date=30 December 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/reflection-of-society/article3216647.ece|title=Reflection of society|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=6 January 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://world.rediff.com/movies/2005/oct/06spice.htm|title=Surya is the 'surprise' hero|work=[[Rediff.com]]|date=6 October 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Mammootty's Chattambinadu|url=http://movies.rediff.com/report/2009/dec/01/south-malayalam-first-look-mammoottys-chattambinadu.htm|work=[[Rediff.com]]|date=1 December 2009 |language=en-IN|author=Meghna George}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://wap.business-standard.com/article-amp/companies/picture-isn-t-perfect-in-mollywood-106031501120_1.html|title=Picture isn't perfect in Mollywood|work=[[Business Standard]]|date=6 February 2013}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0400186}}
* [http://www.malayalachalachithram.com/movie.php?i=3704 ''Chaanthupottu''] at the Malayalam Movie Database

{{Lal Jose}}

[[Category:2005 films]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:Transgender-related films]]
[[Category:Cross-dressing in Indian films]]
[[Category:Bisexuality-related films]]
[[Category:Indian LGBT-related films]]
[[Category:2000s Malayalam-language films]]
[[Category:2005 romantic comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:LGBT-related romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:Indian romantic comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Vidyasagar]]
[[Category:Films directed by Lal Jose]]
[[Category:2005 LGBT-related films]]
[[Category:2005 comedy films]]
[[Category:2005 drama films]]

Chanthupottu - Revision history

>Jvn 2006 at 07:48, 30 June 2021