Yathra (transl. The Journey) is a 1985 Indian Malayalam-language romantic drama film written and directed by Balu Mahendra. The film stars Mammootty and Shobana, while Adoor Bhasi, Thilakan and Alummoodan play supporting roles. The film tells a fictional story but is built upon the human rights violations by the police and the prison authorities in India during the emergency of 1975-1977, when the fundamental rights of the citizens were suspended. It is an adaptation of the 1977 Japanese classic The Yellow Handkerchief.
The film was produced by Joseph Abraham under the banner Prakkattu Films. The film was his third production venture, the others being Olangal and Oomakkuyil. The film features original songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja, with lyrics written by P. Bhaskaran and O. N. V. Kurup. The cinematography of the film was done by Balu Mahendra himself, while the editing was done by D. Vasu.
The story unfolds as Unnikrishnan, a convict, now free from jail, tells his tragic love story to his fellow passengers in a school bus. An orphan and a forest officer by profession, he falls in love with a local woman, Thulasi, during his stay at a forest area. They decided to get married, and he sets off to tell his best friend about his plans. On his way back, the police arrest him as a suspected criminal, who looks similar to Unnikrishnan. There he accidentally kills a policeman and gets life imprisonment. During his early days at jail, he writes a letter to Thulasi asking her to forget him. When his prison term was about to complete, he writes a letter to see if she waits for him. After long years of torment in the jail he goes to meet Thulasi. Does she still wait for him? That's the question of his fellow passengers, too. At the end, she does wait for him, and welcomes him with lamps, and a face, wet with tears of joy, and sadness, together. Thus, the film ends off happily, with everyone shedding tears of joy.
10 сен 2024