Pingami (transl. The successor) is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Sathyan Anthikkad and written by Reghunath Paleri based on his own short story Kumarettan Parayaatha Kadha. It was produced by Mohanlal through the company Pranavam Arts, and stars himself along with Puneet Issar, Jagathy Sreekumar, Thilakan, Innocent, Kanaka, Sukumaran, Janardhanan and Oduvil Unnikrishnan in supporting roles. The film follows Captain Vijay, who forms a close bond with Kumaran, a severely injured man. However, when he dies, Vijay decides to investigate the cause of his death.[1]

Pingami
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySathyan Anthikkad
Written byReghunath Paleri
Produced byMohanlal
StarringMohanlal
Puneet Issar
Jagathy Sreekumar
Thilakan
Innocent
Kanaka
Sukumaran
Janardhanan
Oduvil Unnikrishnan
CinematographyVipin Mohan
Edited byK. Rajagopal
Music byJohnson
Production
company
Distributed byAnupama Films
Release date
  • 27 May 1994 (1994-05-27)
Running time
160 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam

The music was composed by Johnson. The film was released on 27 May 1994 and was an average success at the box office. In a retrospective review in 2019, Kerala Kaumudi described Pingami as the most underrated film ever in Malayalam cinema.[2][3][4] and over the years, the film has attained a cult following.

Plot

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Captain Vijay Menon is an orphaned army officer, who returns on his annual leave to stay with his maternal aunt and uncle, who raised him and his younger sister after the untimely deaths of their parents and younger sister. One day, Vijay sees a social worker named Kumaran lying on the road after an accident and moaning for help. He takes Kumaran to a hospital, but is unable to save his life. Vijay finds out that Kumaran's accident was actually a pre-planned murder. With the help of his friend Kutti Hassan, he starts on a trail to find out the mystery behind the murder and in the midst, he finds out the missing links of his own life.

It is revealed that Kumaran was murdered by the same people who had killed Vijay's father, an honest forest range officer who apprehended smuggling of timber. Vijay's father's murder was witnessed by Kumaran, who tried to find justice for Vijay's family. This revelation prompts Vijay to seek vengeance on his father's killers in his own ways, while simultaneously falling in love with Kumaran's daughter Sridevi. Through Kumaran's diary and his own investigations, Vijay finds out that his mother and sister aren't dead, as Kumaran had rescued them and admitted his sister and mother in a charity home where he regularly visited them. Vijay is able to reunite with his family and successfully finishes Kumaran's and his mission for justice.

Cast

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Production

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Pingami was based on Raghunath Paleri's short story Kumarettan Parayatha Katha. He also wrote the screenplay. Sathyan Anthikkad made a genre change with Pingami who was usually known for making comical family dramas.[2]

Music

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Pingami
Soundtrack album by
GenreFilm
LanguageMalayalam

The film features songs composed by Johnson and written by Kaithapram.

Track Song Title Singer(s)
1 "Themmaadikkaatte Ninnaatte" K. J. Yesudas, M. G. Sreekumar
2 "Vennilavo" K. S. Chithra

Release

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The film was released on 27 May 1994.

Reception

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Box office

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It was an average success at the box office.[3]

Critical response

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Upon release the film received mixed reviews. However, modern reception has been more positive.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Anthikad, Sathyan, Pingami (Action, Comedy, Drama), retrieved 31 March 2022
  2. ^ a b "The Sathyan Anthikad Interview: "It Hurt when 'Pingami' Flopped"". 20 August 2017.
  3. ^ a b "അച്ഛന്‍റെ മറുപടിയുമായി പിൻഗാമി : Super Character". Deepika (in Malayalam). 15 September 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Pingami (1994) | Pingami Movie | Pingami Malayalam Movie Cast & Crew, Release Date, Review, Photos, Videos". FilmiBeat. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
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