2011 film
Veeraputhran (Malayalam: വീരപുത്രൻ; English: The Legend) is a 2011 Malayalam historical film directed by P. T. Kunju Muhammed based on a story written by N. P. Mohammed, which is based on the life of freedom fighter Mohammed Abdul Rahiman (1898 – 1945). The film focuses mainly on the revolutions in Kerala during British Rule against the British Kingdom. The film has Narain as Mohammed Abdul Rahiman and Raima Sen as Rahiman's wife Kunhi Beevathu.[2] The cast also includes Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Siddique, Kalabhavan Mani, Sai Kumar, Devan, Valsala Menon, and Sajitha Madathil.
Plot
The film is about the eventful history of Malabar during India's independence struggle. The film primarily focusses on the life of Mohammed Abdul Rahiman, a frontline freedom fighter and Congress leader, known for leading the Khilafat Movement.[3]. It covers the period in Malabar history starting with the arrival of Abdul Rahiman in Kerala at the age of 23, after discontinuing his education in Aligarh, up to his demise in 1945. The film would have a larger canvas, highlighting the contributions of stalwarts of freedom struggle such as Kelappaji and K. P. Kesava Menon.
Production
The shooting of Veeraputhran started at Kamakkantakam Tharavad at Parappil in Kozhikode on 9 May 2011.[5][6]
Leading actors as well as newcomers play the 150-odd characters of the film. Narain will play Mohammed Abdul Rahiman and Hindi actor Raima Sen will make her Malayalam debut with the role of Kunhi Beevathu, Abdul Rahman's wife. Prithviraj was originally cast to play the role of Abdul Rahiman but since he could not allot bulk dates for the film, he was replaced by Narain.[7] The cast also includes Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Siddique, Kalabhavan Mani, Sai Kumar, Devan, Valsala Menon, and Sajitha Madathil.[5]
Controversies
Veeraputhran was accused of giving indications that Mohammed Abdul Rahiman was poisoned to death while official history states that he had a natural death. Writer Hameed Chennamangalur, from whose ancestral family house Rahman Sahib had his last dinner and later collapsed at a nearby market, said the insinuation in the film that his food was poisoned "not only distorts history but defames my ancestors." Asked about the row, director P. T. Kunju Muhammed told that he had not tried to distort history in the movie. "History is not a monopoly of anyone and there can be different interpretations. I have conducted an investigation in my own style by eliciting views of eminent historians and the local people," he said.[8]
