Kunjali Marakkar

1966 147’ b&w Malayalam d S.S. Rajan pc Chandrathara Prod. s K. Padmanabhan Nair lyr P. Bhaskaran c C.A.S. Mani m B.A. Chidambaranath lp Kottarakkara Sridharan Nair, Prem Nazir, Adoor Bhasi, S.P. Pillai, Kottayam Chellappan, P.J. Anthony, G.K. Pillai, Sathyapal, Premji, Nellicode Bhaskaran, Jyothilakshmi, Sukumari, Nalini

Major Malayalam historical telling the story of the legendary 16th C. naval captain Kunjali Marakkar (Nair). Following Vasco da Gama’s landing in Calicut (1498) the Portuguese dominated the Malabar trade for the next century, opposed only by the Zamorin of Calicut (Premji). In the film, the zamorin’s evil nephew (Anthony) sides with the Portuguese. Marakkar defeats the imperialist enemy in several sea battles, but the perfidy of the nephew and a scheming Namboodiri priest causes the zamorin’s downfall. Marakkar is arrested and killed. The film belonged to Nair in his best-known role, supported by Nazir playing the double role of the Portuguese Antonio and Narayana Nair.

Film