Spadikam

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Sphadikam)

Spadikam
Image:Sphadikam.jpg The DVD Cover
Directed by	Bhadran
Produced by	R. Mohan
Written by	Bhadran
Starring	Mohanlal, Thilakan, Urvashi, KPAC Lalitha
Music by	S. P. Venkatesh
Cinematography	J. Williams
Editing by	M. S. Mani
Distributed by	Goodknight Films
Release date(s)	1995
Country	India
Language	Malayalam
IMDb profile

Spadikam (Prism) (1995) is a Malayalam film directed by Bhadran; starring Mohanlal in the role of a real life rowdy Thomas Chacko aka Aadu Thoma. The film was critically acclaimed, and was also a blockbuster. The movie's name "Sphadikham" which means "Prism" is metaphor for the human nature. Just like how white light gets split into many colors by a prism, every human transforms himself when faced with experiences in life.It was remade later in Tamil as Veerappu with famous Tamil director Sundar C in the male lead.

[edit] Plot

Chacko Master (Thilakan) is a high-school headmaster who is a president's medal winner in Mathematics. He is a very strict teacher and emphasizes memorization and discipline at the expense of analysis and creativity in school. He punishes his students ruthlessly and is no different to his son Thomas who is also a student in his class. Chacko always assumes that his son is behind every mischief in class, and punishes him until the actual culprit gives himself in.

Unlike his father, Thomas isn't too good in math (he cannot memorize the binomial theorem) but he is very creative and productive in designing mechanical and electronic gadgetry. For instance, he impresses his mother and sister by developing an AM radio receiver at a time when phonographs were more prevalent in his village. When his father finds out about the receiver he throws it into flames and destroying it; he forces his son to focus on his studies instead of being an inventor. Thomas works hard, and he does well in his language paper, but his dad asks his language teacher to grade his paper with no leniency, so that he gets a low grade. When he finds out that even his most beloved language teacher was biased against him he becomes outraged. He runs away from home.

Fourteen years later, he returns to his village. Thomas, by now, had changed into a totally different person. He was no longer interested in clockwork and gadgetry; he owned a stone quarry and had become a well known rowdy wanted by the authorities as a prime suspect in many unsolved crimes. His father still hated him and never accepted him as family. But as the film progresses, both father and son, regrets for what they had done to each other. In an interesting turn of events both father and son reunite.