Chemmeen

Chemmeen was directed by Ramu Kariat and released in 1965. It won the Indian President's Gold Medal for the Best Film of 1965. Sheila, Madhu,Kottarakkara and Sathyan play the lead characters in the film.

The screenplay was written by S. L. Puram Sadanandan, with cinematography by Marcus Bartley, and editing by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Songs were set to music by Salil Chowdhury, with lyrics by Vayalar, and featuring voices of Manna Dey, K. J. Yesudas and P. Leela.


"Chemmeen", renowned Malayalam novel by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai has been translated into more than thirty languages. The theme of the novel is a myth among the fishermen communities along the coastal Kerala State in the Southern India. The myth is about chastity. If the married fisherwoman was infidel when her husband was in the sea, the Sea Goddess ('Kadalamma' literally means Mother Sea)the Goddess wouls consume him. It is to perpetuate this myth that Thakazhi wrote this beautiful novel. The film version is somewhat successful with endearing acting performances by Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair (Chemban Kunju), Sheela (Karuthamma), Sthyan (Palani) and Adoor Bhavani (Chakki, Chemban Kunj's wife).



Chemmeen was recognized as a technically and artistically brilliant cinema. Incidentally, it was also one of the first Malayalam movies in colour. It was also a prominent instance of collaborative work involving technicians from Bollywood such as Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Manna Dey with those of South India. The commercial success of this movie is believed to have brought a sea-change in the way Malayalam films were made. When Chemmeen won the President's gold medal, it was the first time a film from South India did so. At the Chicago Film Festival, the movie won a Certificate of Merit. At the 2005 Brisbane International Film Festival, the movie was screened in a retrospective on 50 years of Malayalam Cinema.