Harishchandra (Malayalam: ഹരിശ്ചന്ദ്ര) is a 1955 Malayalam film produced by P. Subramaniam and directed by Anthony Mithradas. The film was based on the legend of King Harishchandra, recounted in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. It was the first mythological film in Malayalam. Starring Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair, Miss Kumari, Master Hari, G. K. Pillai, Jose Prakash and T. S. Muthiah in major roles, it features cinematography by N. S. Mani and music by Brother Lakshmanan.
Harishchandra was heavily inspired by Raja Harishchandra (1913, Hindi), which was the first film adaptation of the legend. The film also borrows inspiration from Satya Harishchandra (1943, Kannada) as well as Harishchandra (1945, Tamil). Several scenes from these movies were directly reused in Harishchandra.
It was the first Malayalam film to be shot outdoors. Previous films were filmed from studios or indoor units. However, a few parts of the film was shot from Merryland Studios. The film was marketed well before its release and the songs were aired continuously in radio channels. P. Subrahmaniam could attract people through the content and theme of the film, which was new for Malayalam films. The film released on March 19, 1955 in Kerala theatres. It was a big box office success and paved the way for many films in this genre.
The music was composed by Brother Lakshmanan with lyrics by Thirunainar Kurichi. The film had 15 songs including "Aathmavidyalame", which is considered a classic. The lyrics and the sequence of this song is inspired by the famous Grave Diggers scene in Shakespeare's Hamlet. P. B. Sreenivas debuted as a playback singer through this film.
There are 499 films with the same actors, 3589 films with the same themes (including 106 films with the same 2 themes than Harishchandra), to have finally 70 suggestions of similar films.
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Directed byP. Pullaiah ThemesFilms based on mythology, Films about religion ActorsKommareddy Savitri, S. Varalakshmi, P. Suri Babu, P. Santha Kumari, Gummadi Venkateswara Rao, Chittor V. Nagaiah Rating79% Evil forces dominate the world. The wicked prosper, as the good are made to suffer from the vicious impact of the spirit of the times, the Kaliyuga, presided over by Kali Purusha, great rishis hold yagyas under the guidance of sage Kasyapa to rid the world of this wickedness. Sage Bhrigu (Gummadi) went to Lord Maha Vishnu (N.T. Rama Rao) to request his help. He did not notice the sage's arrival while enjoying the blissful company of his spouse Sri Lakshmi (Varalakshmi). Furiously, the sage kicked the Lord on the chest. Vishnu without being offended at all pacified the sage and made him realize how anger makes people lose their senses. Sri Lakshmi, however, could not bear all this. In great anger, She left Vaikuntam for the earth below. In search of her, Sri Vishnu too came down to the earth. He took shelter as Srinivasa in the ashram of Vakulamatha (Santha Kumari). Later, however, Srinivasa met Padmavathi (Savitri), daughter of Akashraja and married her.
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