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Dasharatham

1989 154’ col Malayalam d Sibi Malayil pc Saga Films st/sc/dial A.K. Lohitadas lyr Ouppachan Vabar c Venu m Johnson lp Mohanlal, Rekha, Muralee, Karamana Janardanan Nair, Sukumari, Nedumudi Venu, Sukumaran

The rich bachelor Rajiv Menon (Mohanlal) resolves to stay single when his mother deserts his father. However, when a friend (Venu) brings his family over for the vacation, Rajiv discovers that he likes the company of children and asks his friend to let him adopt one of his. When the friend refuses, Rajiv, wanting to avoid marriage at all costs, advertises for a womb that he might artificially inseminate. Annie (Rekha) agrees to mother a child, mainly to pay for the medical expenses of her paralysed sportsman-husband. However, when the baby is born, she refuses to hand it over, although her now recovered and jealous husband insists that she do so. Annie now has a trilemma as she has to face her husband’s feelings, her responsibilities to the child and her contract with Rajiv. Eventually Rajiv surrenders his rights to the child. The often witty situations and fine performances do not compensate for the oppressive representations of a woman’s ‘duty’ and ‘instinct’.

Film