Akkareyakkareyakkare, also known Akkare Akkare Akkare (transl. Far Far Away) is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language buddy cop comedy film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Sreenivasan. It stars Mohanlal, Sreenivasan, M. G. Soman, Mukesh, Maniyanpilla Raju, Parvathy and Nedumudi Venu in major roles. It is a sequel to 1987's Nadodikkattu and 1988s Pattanapravesham; Mohanlal and Sreenivasan reprises their roles. However, Thilakan, Mamukkoya and Innocent, who have appeared in the previous films, do not appear in this film. Also, a new cast of Nedumudi Venu, Sukumari, Parvathy Jayaram, Jagadish, Mukesh and Maniyanpilla Raju appears. M. G. Soman plays a character role, having appeared as himself in Nadodikkattu. The story follows C.I.Ds Dasan and Vijayan on an investigation for a gold crown stolen to the United States.[1]
| Akkare Akkare Akkare | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Priyadarshan |
| Written by | Sreenivasan |
| Produced by | G.P. Vijayakumar |
| Starring | Mohanlal Sreenivasan |
| Cinematography | S. Kumar |
| Edited by | N. Gopalakrishnan |
| Music by | Ouseppachan |
Production company | G. P. Films |
| Distributed by | Seven Arts Release |
Release date |
|
Running time | 150 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
The film was produced by G. P. Vijayakumar and distributed by Seven Arts Release. It was filmed in Houston, Texas and the Greater Los Angeles Area, California, and Brooklyn, New York.[1] The film did good business in the box office and was a profitable venture even though it had high production costs.
Plot
editWhen a priceless gold crown is stolen from India, Ramdas and Vijayan are sent to the United States to retrieve it. The only clue they have is the pseudonym "Paul Barber" and a piece of torn black shirt. With these couple of clues, the comic duo embark on the adventure. When they arrive in the United States, they are taken by two gangsters to a building where other gang members try to murder them. They are welcomed by Sivadasa Menon, an official of the Indian Embassy and a friend of the Police Commissioner Krishnan Nair. The investigation is funded by Sivadasa Menon.
Dasan and Vijayan suspect Sivadasa Menon to be the thief when he refuses to give them money for their investigation and also refuses to help Vijayan who was arrested by the police due to a misunderstanding caused by the shopkeepers who understand only English. Their suspicion grows when they hear him talking to his wife about selling their Crown TV and buying a new one, but believe he was talking about selling the stolen crown to erase evidence. They overhear him at night commanding his wife to tailor clothes, but they believe he is murdering someone by forcing them to cut their hands, neck and ribs. They tell him they have withdrawn from the investigation and spent all the money he gave for enjoying themselves and believe that the piece of black shirt with them is his. They decide to get the rest of the shirt.
They disguise themselves as black laundry men, and their attempts fail when Vijayan talks Malayalam. He is injured in an accident at the laundry shop and ends up in the hospital. Both Dasan and Vijayan try to seduce a nurse Sethulakshmi. Meanwhile, the real criminal, an American gangster Paul Barber "Wilfred" believes two innocent men Surendran and Gopi are Dasan and Vijayan, they are forced out of their paying guest accommodation and all their acquaintances avoid them. Commissioner Krishnan Nair arrives in the United States after Sivadasa Menon tells him that Dasan and Vijayan are misusing funds. Surendran and Gopi become very desperate after their bank accounts are frozen and decide to steal to live. Krishnan Nair enters a hotel disguised as a Filipino man Akira Kurosawa. Surendran and Gopi steal his suitcase and he follows them, but he is misidentified by the hotel staff and they force him out. He catches them and they reveal how they have been treated. The trio decide to kill Dasan and Vijayan, but all their attempts fail.
Surendran and Gopi find out that they are unknowingly preventing Dasan and Vijayan from catching Paul Barber and his gang because the gang thinks they are Dasan and Vijayan, and that the case is in fact very straightforward. They also realise that it is because of them that Dasan is sensing foul play. They accidentally get the crown and give it to Vijayan, only to be chased by Paul Barber and his gang. Dasan wants to see more glory than Vijayan, and decides to steal the crown from him. At the airport, there is a fight involving Sivadasa Menon, Paul Barber and his gang, Krishnan Nair, Dasan and Vijayan. They are ambushed by American policemen, to whom they confess are CIDs. Paul Barber and his gang are killed and Sivadasa Menon's innocence is revealed. When they return they are felicitated.
Cast
edit- Mohanlal as Ramdas / Dasan
- Sreenivasan as Vijayan
- M. G. Soman as City Police Commissioner Krishnan Nair IPS / Akira Kurosawa
- Mukesh as Surendran
- Maniyanpilla Raju as Gopi
- Nedumudi Venu as Sivadasa Menon
- Parvathy as Sethulakshmi
- Sukumari as House Owner
- K. P. A. C. Lalitha as Sivadasa Menon's Wife
- Jagadish as Peter
- Prameela as Krishnan Nair's Wife
- Anil Pillai as Kuriakose
Locations
editAkkare Akkare Akkare is one of the first Malayalam films to be shot in the United States.[2] The various filming locations were in,
- O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois
- Bellaire Hospital, Houston, Texas
- Port of Long Beach, Long Beach, California
- Disneyland, Anaheim, California
- Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, Santa Clarita, California
- THE BLOOD-RED MENAGERIE – The Dolphin Circus
- Foreign consulate in New York City, New York
The film was also shot in the city of Burbank, California.[3]
Music
editThe music composition was done by Ouseppachan. Background music Shyam (composer). The audio songs were released by the label J. S. Audio.[4]
All lyrics are written by Shibu Chakravarthy
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kannukannil" | M. G. Sreekumar, Unni Menon, Jojo | |
| 2. | "Swargathilo" | M. G. Sreekumar, Unni Menon, Jojo |
Cultural references
edit"Don't Let It End" by Styx plays in the backdrop when Dasan and Vijayan come down the escalator at the Chicago Ohare International Airport
Legacy
editThe dialogue "Sadhanam Kayyilundo" from the film came as a popular catchphrase in Malayalam.[5] As well as "Meenaviyal Enthayo Entho", the popular one-liner delivered by Sreenivasan found place in Printed T-shirts.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b Aishwarya Vasudevan. "Priyadarshan – Mohanlal: Best films of the duo - The Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ Sanjith Sidhardhan (14 April 2012). "Mollywood goes to America". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ Asha Prakash (3 June 2014). "Once the fate of a film is decided, my entire focus is on the next film: Mohanlal". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ "Akkare Akkare Akkare Songs". Hungama Digital Media Entertainment. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ Nita Sathyendran (8 June 2011). "Rock on Avial". The Hindu. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
- ^ Shibu B. S. (18 October 2011). "Packing a punch". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.