Vaanaprastham
Directed by	Shaji N. Karun
Produced by	Pierre Assouline Suresh Balaji Guy Marignane Mohanlal
Written by	Shaji N. Karun Reghunath Paleri Pierre Assouline (story)
Starring	Mohanlal Suhasini Mani Ratnam Mattanoor Shankara Marar Kukku Parameshwaram Venmani Haridas Kalamandalam Gopi Venmani Vishnu
Music by	Zakir Hussain
Cinematography	Santosh Sivan Renato Berta
Editing by	A. Sreekar Prasad Joseph Guinvarch
Distributed by
Released	1999
Running time	119 min.
Language	Malayalam
Budget	{{{budget}}}
Preceded by	{{{preceded_by}}}
Followed by	{{{followed_by}}}
IMDb profile

Vaanaprastham (The Last Dance) (1999) is an Indo-French-German produced feature film, directed by Shaji N. Karun. The film is in Malayalam, with English subtitles. It stars Mohanlal, Suhasini Mani Ratnam, and Mattanoor Shankara Marar. The film's music is composed by Zakir Hussain. The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival (AFI Fest) in 1999. A graduate in cinematography from the FTII, Pune, Shaji N. Karun started working with notable directors like G Aravindan, K G George and M.T.Vasudevan Nair as a cinematographer. ... Mohanlal in Company Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair (born May 21, 1960), simply known by the stage name Mohanlal, is an Indian actor of mainly Malayalam movies. ... A graduate in cinematography from the FTII, Pune, Shaji N. Karun started working with notable directors like G Aravindan, K G George and M.T.Vasudevan Nair as a cinematographer. ... Mohanlal in Company Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair (born May 21, 1960), simply known by the stage name Mohanlal, is an Indian actor of mainly Malayalam movies. ... Suhasini Mani Ratnam, commonly known as Suhasini (born 15th August 1961, Paramakudi, Tamil Nadu, India) is an actress, screenwriter, producer, and director from India. ... Zakir Hussain may be: Zakir Hussain (musician), the tabla player Dr Zakir Hussain, the former president of India This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Santosh Sivan born in Chennai (Madras), southern India is an influential Indian cinematographer and film director. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Malayalam (മലയാളം) is the language of the state of Kerala, in southern India. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Indo or Eurasian is a term used to describe people of European and Indonesian ancestry, in particular, people of Dutch and Indonesian ancestry. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ... A graduate in cinematography from the FTII, Pune, Shaji N. Karun started working with notable directors like G Aravindan, K G George and M.T.Vasudevan Nair as a cinematographer. ... Malayalam (മലയാളം) is the language of the state of Kerala, in southern India. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Mohanlal in Company Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair (born May 21, 1960), simply known by the stage name Mohanlal, is an Indian actor of mainly Malayalam movies. ... Suhasini Mani Ratnam, commonly known as Suhasini (born 15th August 1961, Paramakudi, Tamil Nadu, India) is an actress, screenwriter, producer, and director from India. ... Zakir Hussain may be: Zakir Hussain (musician), the tabla player Dr Zakir Hussain, the former president of India This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Afi The putative ancestor of the class of small farmers and craftsmen in the Song of Ríg in Norse mythology. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Plot

The story revolves around a male Kathakali dancer Kunhikuttan (Mohanlal), an admirable and respected performer but a member of a lower caste. He struggles to come to terms with the rejection and estrangement of his father, a member of an upper caste who disapproves of his son. Poor, unhappy, and stuck in an arranged marriage that provides no relief, he gets by for the sake of his daughter. One night, whilst perfoming as Arjuna from the epic Mahabarata on stage, his dance is witnessed by Subhadra (Suhasini), a well educated member of an upper caste family. Defying the norms of India's rigid caste system, they have a son, but it soon becomes clear that Subhadra loves the character Arjuna from his stage performances, and not Kunhikuttan the dancer. More in love with the valiant, noble hero of the Mahabarata, than the dancer Kunhikuttan, she rejects him and refuses to let him see his son. Denied access to his son, and rejected by his father, Kunhikuttan returns to the stage, leaving behind his hero roles to play demonic characters, reaching within the dark corners of his mind, becoming increasingly resentful and full of anger, until one last dance which brings the feature to a stunning end. Kathakali (katha for story, kali for performance or play) is a form of Indian dance-drama. ... Mohanlal in Company Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair (born May 21, 1960), simply known by the stage name Mohanlal, is an Indian actor of mainly Malayalam movies. ... Krishna to Arjuna: Behold My mystic opulence! Artwork © courtesy of The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, arjuna) is one of the heroes of the epic Hindu Mahabharata. ... The Mahabharata (Devanagari: महाभारत, phonetically Mahābhārata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is the great religious, philosophical and mythological epic of India. ... Suhasini Mani Ratnam, commonly known as Suhasini (born 15th August 1961, Paramakudi, Tamil Nadu, India) is an actress, screenwriter, producer, and director from India. ... The Mahabharata (Devanagari: महाभारत, phonetically Mahābhārata - see note), sometimes just called Bharata, is the great religious, philosophical and mythological epic of India. ...

Cast

• Mohanlal
• Suhasini Mani Ratnam
• Mattanoor Shankara Marar
• Kukku Parameshwaram
• Venmani Haridas
• Kalamandalam Gopi
• Venmani Vishnu

Mohanlal in Company Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair (born May 21, 1960), simply known by the stage name Mohanlal, is an Indian actor of mainly Malayalam movies. ... Suhasini Mani Ratnam, commonly known as Suhasini (born 15th August 1961, Paramakudi, Tamil Nadu, India) is an actress, screenwriter, producer, and director from India. ...

Awards

The film has been nominated for the following awards since its release:

1999 AFI Fest (USA) 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

• Nominated - Grand Jury Prize - Shaji N. Karun

The film has won the following awards since its release: A graduate in cinematography from the FTII, Pune, Shaji N. Karun started working with notable directors like G Aravindan, K G George and M.T.Vasudevan Nair as a cinematographer. ...

2000 Istanbul International Film Festival (Turkey) This article is about the year 2000. ... Istanbul International Film Festival is the first and oldest international film festival in Turkey. ...

• Won - Special Prize of the Jury - Shaji N. Karun

2000 Bombay International Film Festival (India) A graduate in cinematography from the FTII, Pune, Shaji N. Karun started working with notable directors like G Aravindan, K G George and M.T.Vasudevan Nair as a cinematographer. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

• Won - FIPRESCI Prize - Shaji N. Karun

2000 National Film Awards (India) A graduate in cinematography from the FTII, Pune, Shaji N. Karun started working with notable directors like G Aravindan, K G George and M.T.Vasudevan Nair as a cinematographer. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... The National Film Awards, commonly known as the National Awards, are arguably the most prestigious film awards in India. ...

• Won - Golden Lotus Award - Best Film - Vaanaprastham - Shaji N. Karun
• Won - Silver Lotus Award - Best Actor - Mohanlal
• Won - Silver Lotus Award - Best Editing - A. Sreekar Prasad, Joseph Guinvarch

A graduate in cinematography from the FTII, Pune, Shaji N. Karun started working with notable directors like G Aravindan, K G George and M.T.Vasudevan Nair as a cinematographer. ... Mohanlal in Company Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair (born May 21, 1960), simply known by the stage name Mohanlal, is an Indian actor of mainly Malayalam movies. ...

External link

• Vaanaprastham at The Internet Movie Database