Elektra (2010 film)
Encyclopedia
Elektra is a 2010 Malayalam psychological drama film co-written and directed by Shyamaprasad
Shyamaprasad
Shyamaprasad is an Indian film director. Directing highly acclaimed and complex films such as Agnisakshi, Akale, Ore Kadal and Elektra, he has won several state, national and international film awards.-Biography:...

, starring Nayantara
Nayantara
Nayantara , is an Indian film actress. She made her acting debut in 2003 in the Malayalam film Manassinakkare. She debuted in Tamil cinema with Ayya and in Telugu cinema with Lakshmi , following which she starred alongside popular lead actors...

, Manisha Koirala
Manisha Koirala
Manisha B. Koirala is a Nepali-Indian actress who works in Indian films, as well as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. Koirala has primarily worked in Hindi cinema, though she has appeared in several Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films as well...

, Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj , better known by his stage name Prakash Raj, is a National Award winning actor, director and producer who has worked in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam films. Though he was born in a Tulu family he achieved fame through Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films. He got introduced to...

, Biju Menon
Biju Menon
Biju Menon is an Indian film actor who has mainly worked in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films. He appears mostly in supporting roles, but has also acted in antagonistic roles. He made his debut in 1995 in Mannar Mathai Speaking...

 and Skanda Ashok. It was produced by N. B. Vindhyan, who also produced Shyamaprasad's Ore Kadal
Ore Kadal
Ore Kadal is a 2007 Malayalam film written and directed by Shyamaprasad. The film examines the extra martial relationship between an intellectual economist and a housewife...

.

The film is based on the story of the Greek mythological character Electra
Electra
In Greek mythology, Electra was an Argive princess and daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra. She and her brother Orestes plotted revenge against their mother Clytemnestra and stepfather Aegisthus for the murder of their father Agamemnon...

, although it has a contemporary setting in an aristocratic family in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

. It draws strongly on four adaptations of the myth: Electra
Electra (Sophocles)
Electra or Elektra is a Greek tragedy by Sophocles. Its date is not known, but various stylistic similarities with the Philoctetes and the Oedipus at Colonus lead scholars to suppose that it was written towards the end of Sophocles' career.Set in the city of Argos a few years after the Trojan...

by Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...

, Electra
Electra (Euripides)
Euripides' Electra was a play probably written in the mid 410s BC, likely after 413 BC. It is unclear whether it was first produced before or after Sophocles' version of the Electra story.-Background:...

by Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...

, Oresteia by Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...

 and Mourning Becomes Electra
Mourning Becomes Electra
Mourning Becomes Electra is a play cycle written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The play premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on 26 October 1931 where it ran for 150 performances before closing in March 1932...

by Eugene O’Neill. Key to the film is the concept of the Electra complex
Electra complex
In Neo-Freudian psychology, the Electra complex, as proposed by Carl Gustav Jung, is a girl’s psychosexual competition with mother for possession of father. In the course of her psychosexual development, the complex is the girl’s phallic stage formation of a discrete sexual identity; a boy’s...

; a daughter's psychosexual competition with her mother for her father's affection. A rueful journey into the bruised familial bonds of an aristocratic household in Central Kerala, the film explores desire and loss.

The film premiered at the International Film Festival of India
International Film Festival of India
The International Film Festival of India , founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually in the beach town of Goa, in the Western Coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of...

 in November 2010. It made its international premiere at the 7th Dubai International Film Festival
Dubai International Film Festival
The Dubai International Film Festival is an international film festival based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Launched in 2004, it aims to foster the growth of filmmaking in the Arab world.-Overview:...

.

Plot

Elektra (Nayantara
Nayantara
Nayantara , is an Indian film actress. She made her acting debut in 2003 in the Malayalam film Manassinakkare. She debuted in Tamil cinema with Ayya and in Telugu cinema with Lakshmi , following which she starred alongside popular lead actors...

) lives in a world torn between passion and fixation. She is so possessive of her father Abraham (Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj , better known by his stage name Prakash Raj, is a National Award winning actor, director and producer who has worked in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam films. Though he was born in a Tulu family he achieved fame through Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films. He got introduced to...

), that when he returns home from his plantation in Jaffna
Jaffna
Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...

, she plans to poison his mind about his wife Diana (Manisha Koirala
Manisha Koirala
Manisha B. Koirala is a Nepali-Indian actress who works in Indian films, as well as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. Koirala has primarily worked in Hindi cinema, though she has appeared in several Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films as well...

) having an affair with Isaac (also played by Prakash Raj).

When Abraham arrives, he is at first unaware of the impending drama. However, by the dawn of the following day, he is dead. Consumed with rage and grief, Elektra blames her mother for the death, and seeks vengeance. When Elektra's brother, Edwin (Suraj Skanda) – who is plagued by an Oedipus complex
Oedipus complex
In psychoanalytic theory, the term Oedipus complex denotes the emotions and ideas that the mind keeps in the unconscious, via dynamic repression, that concentrate upon a boy’s desire to sexually possess his mother, and kill his father...

 – arrives for the funeral, Elektra tells him about their mother's alleged affair.

In the midst of the scandal, Elektra turns to police officer Peter (Biju Menon
Biju Menon
Biju Menon is an Indian film actor who has mainly worked in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films. He appears mostly in supporting roles, but has also acted in antagonistic roles. He made his debut in 1995 in Mannar Mathai Speaking...

), who is in love with her, as a source of calm and sanity. But Elektra and Edwin end up destroying each other, trapped by forbidden desires. Diana is brutally victimised.

Cast

  • Nayantara
    Nayantara
    Nayantara , is an Indian film actress. She made her acting debut in 2003 in the Malayalam film Manassinakkare. She debuted in Tamil cinema with Ayya and in Telugu cinema with Lakshmi , following which she starred alongside popular lead actors...

     as Elektra
  • Manisha Koirala
    Manisha Koirala
    Manisha B. Koirala is a Nepali-Indian actress who works in Indian films, as well as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. Koirala has primarily worked in Hindi cinema, though she has appeared in several Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films as well...

     as Diana
  • Prakash Raj
    Prakash Raj
    Prakash Raj , better known by his stage name Prakash Raj, is a National Award winning actor, director and producer who has worked in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam films. Though he was born in a Tulu family he achieved fame through Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films. He got introduced to...

     as Abraham and Isaac
  • Biju Menon
    Biju Menon
    Biju Menon is an Indian film actor who has mainly worked in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films. He appears mostly in supporting roles, but has also acted in antagonistic roles. He made his debut in 1995 in Mannar Mathai Speaking...

     as Peter
  • Skanda Ashok (Sooraj Skanda) as Edwin

Themes

In Neo-Freudian
Neo-Freudian
The Neo-Freudian psychiatrists and psychologists were a group of loosely linked American theorists of the mid-twentieth century, who were all influenced by Sigmund Freud, but who extended his theories, often in social or cultural directions...

 psychology
Ego psychology
Ego psychology is a school of psychoanalysis rooted in Sigmund Freud's structural id-ego-superego model of the mind.An individual interacts with the external world as well as responds to internal forces. Many psychoanalysts use a theoretical construct called the ego to explain how that is done...

, the Electra complex
Electra complex
In Neo-Freudian psychology, the Electra complex, as proposed by Carl Gustav Jung, is a girl’s psychosexual competition with mother for possession of father. In the course of her psychosexual development, the complex is the girl’s phallic stage formation of a discrete sexual identity; a boy’s...

, as proposed by Carl Gustav Jung, is a girl’s psychosexual
Psychosexual development
In Freudian psychology, psychosexual development is a central element of the psychoanalytic sexual drive theory, that human beings, from birth, possess an instinctual libido that develops in five stages. Each stage — the oral, the anal, the phallic, the latent, and the genital — is characterized...

 competition with her mother for the possession of her father. The film's plot revolves around this concept. Like most of Shyamaprasad's films, Elektra is also female centric; there are two strong female characters. When asked if this was intentional, Shyamarasad said:
Elektra is the darkest of all the films made by Shyamaprasad so far. The English title of the movie is Light After Dark. About the "darkness treatment" in the film, Shyamaprasad said:
All the characters in Elektra have a negative tint to them. Shyamaprasad said:

Development

The film is based on the story of the Greek mythological character Electra
Electra
In Greek mythology, Electra was an Argive princess and daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra. She and her brother Orestes plotted revenge against their mother Clytemnestra and stepfather Aegisthus for the murder of their father Agamemnon...

. Set in the city of Argos
Argos
Argos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...

 a few years after the Trojan war
Trojan War
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...

, that story revolves around the vengeance that Electra and her brother Orestes
Orestes
Orestes was the son of Agamemnon in Greek mythology; Orestes may also refer to:Drama*Orestes , by Euripides*Orestes, the character in Sophocles' tragedy Electra*Orestes, the character in Aeschylus' trilogy of tragedies, Oresteia...

 take on their mother Clytemnestra
Clytemnestra
Clytemnestra or Clytaemnestra , in ancient Greek legend, was the wife of Agamemnon, king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Mycenae or Argos. In the Oresteia by Aeschylus, she was a femme fatale who murdered her husband, Agamemnon – said by Euripides to be her second husband – and the Trojan princess...

 and step father Aegisthus
Aegisthus
In Greek mythology, Aegisthus was the son of Thyestes and of Thyestes' daughter, Pelopia....

 for the murder of their father, Agamemnon
Agamemnon
In Greek mythology, Agamemnon was the son of King Atreus and Queen Aerope of Mycenae, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of Clytemnestra, and the father of Electra and Orestes. Mythical legends make him the king of Mycenae or Argos, thought to be different names for the same area...

. There are many adaptations of the story. The 2011 film is particularly inspired by the plays Electra
Electra (Sophocles)
Electra or Elektra is a Greek tragedy by Sophocles. Its date is not known, but various stylistic similarities with the Philoctetes and the Oedipus at Colonus lead scholars to suppose that it was written towards the end of Sophocles' career.Set in the city of Argos a few years after the Trojan...

by Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...

, Electra
Electra (Euripides)
Euripides' Electra was a play probably written in the mid 410s BC, likely after 413 BC. It is unclear whether it was first produced before or after Sophocles' version of the Electra story.-Background:...

by Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...

, Oresteia by Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...

 and Mourning Becomes Electra
Mourning Becomes Electra
Mourning Becomes Electra is a play cycle written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The play premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on 26 October 1931 where it ran for 150 performances before closing in March 1932...

by Eugene O’Neill.

Shyamaprasad says that Electra is a play that has stayed with him since his student days in the Thrissur School of Drama. In a December 2010 interview, he said:

Shyamaprasad was assisted in the script writing by Kiran Prabhakar. Rather than focussing on the essence of revenge in the myth, they tried to include the theme of Elektra's obsessive love for her father. Most of Shyamaprasad's previous works were adaptations of published novels or plays. About the adaptation of Elektra, Shyamaprasad said: "My film is a modern retelling of the Greek classic in a Malayali setting. But it closely follows the philosophy of the ancient text and the Grecian theory of drama that intense fear and pity lead to a purification of the emotions of the audience, making it a cathartic experience."

Even before Ritu, Shyamaprasad's previous film, reached theatres, news about Elektra had created a buzz as Nayantara was tipped to play the lead in the movie. The film, though adapted from a Greek myth, has a contemporary setting in an aristocratic family in Kerala. The making of the film was also inspired by K. G. George
K. G. George
Kulakkatil Geevarghese George is an Indian film director who work in Malayalam film. George is one of the most celebrated filmmakers of Kerala who modernized the Malayalam cinema in the seventies. He is the founder-chairman of MACTA, and continues to be an executive member...

's magnum opus film, Erakal.

Casting

Elektra is minimalistic in its setting and cast, with only five main characters. Nayantara plays Elektra, the lead character. She was cast after she expressed a desire to work with Shyamaprasad. Nayantara says: "I am doing this film purely for creative satisfaction, as it offers me an opportunity to showcase my histrionics skills. I am excited that I am going to explore a new genre and the director is insisting on spontaneity. So, I intend to go to the sets with an open mind." When asked the reason for entrusting such a strong role to Nayantara, Shyamaprasad said, "Everyone has this question. To be frank, after Ritu, I happened to meet Nayantara and she said she was really interested in doing movies with me. She was very keen on doing a meaningful role, something with substance. Usually she does those, you know, the glamorous, superficial roles which I guess supports her career. But she nursed the desire to do much deeper roles. Thus Elektra happened." Nayantara also gave voice to the character. Prakash Raj plays Elektra's father, and Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala plays the mother, who is also the main antagonist. The film is Koirala's debut in Malayalam cinema. About her casting, Shyamaprasad says: "At the initial stages of scripting itself, I had drawn a picture of the character in my mind and I wanted somebody very attractive yet very powerful to do the role. There was nobody I could think of other than Manisha. In terms of beauty, the inner quality of the character she identifies with and her experience in films, she was the perfect choice for me as Diana. When I approached her, she loved the script. She said she wanted to work with me and said would definitely be part of my dream project. I appreciate her move, as Malayalam as a language is really tough to learn and pronounce for an actor. But she pulled it off so gracefully. I have full admiration towards her and her work." Koirala says that she was advised by many not to do the film, as her role has an extramarital affair. Film actress Praveena
Praveena
Praveena is a Malayalam film & Serial actress. She starred in numerous Malayalam movies & Serial. She Started her acting career in the year 1992 as a Child Artist. Her debut film was "Gowri" as a Child Artist. Her Debut film as a heroine was "Kaliyoonjal" in the year 1997...

 gave voice to Koirala's character.

Kannada actor Skanda Ashok (Sooraj Skanda), who had a notable debut in Malayalam through Roshan Andrews's Notebook
Notebook (film)
Notebook is a 2006 Malayalam musical film directed by Rosshan Andrrews and written by Bobby Sanjay. It is about three students at a boarding school and how they face up to challenges in their lives. The film dealt with the subject of teenage pregnancy...

(2006), plays the role of Edwin, Elektra's brother, who is a neurotic, and according to him, "a sort of an underdog who goes on to save the day." Biju Menon
Biju Menon
Biju Menon is an Indian film actor who has mainly worked in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films. He appears mostly in supporting roles, but has also acted in antagonistic roles. He made his debut in 1995 in Mannar Mathai Speaking...

, Srikumar and Sruthi Menon also play important roles in the film. There were reports that Tamil actor Arya
Arya (actor)
Arya is an Indian film actor who mainly appears in Tamil films. He is best known for his roles in the films Pattiyal , Naan Kadavul , Madrasapattinam , and Boss Engira Bhaskaran.-Personal life:...

 was also cast in the movie.

Filming

Principal production for the film started on 23 April 2010. Major portions of the filming were held at an old mansion, Kalapurackal House in Edakochi
Edakochi
Edakochi is one of the oldest localities in south Kochi , India. It is located on the southern banks of the Kochi Backwaters. It is bounded by the Palluruthy to the west, Aroor to the south & Kumbalam to the east. It is famed as the centre of the KCA Cricket Stadium that is currently under...

, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

. Cinematography was handled by Sanu George Varghese, making his debut in Malayalam. He made his feature film debut the previous year with Karthik Calling Karthik.

Release

The film was premiered at the International Film Festival of India
International Film Festival of India
The International Film Festival of India , founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually in the beach town of Goa, in the Western Coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of...

 on 24 November 2010, where the lead performances were widely praised. It was the fifth Shyamaprasad film to be screened at the IFFI, and was one of the five Malayalam films selected to be screened that year. It was screened at the International Film Festival of Kerala on 14 December, where it also received overwhelmingly positive responses. However, the film provoked protests at both these festivals for its sensuous themes. Elektra made its international premiere at the 7th Dubai International Film Festival
Dubai International Film Festival
The Dubai International Film Festival is an international film festival based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Launched in 2004, it aims to foster the growth of filmmaking in the Arab world.-Overview:...

, where it was the only South Indian film to be selected. Elektra was the second Shyamaprasad film to be screened at the DIFF (the other being Ore Kadal) and the film received rave reviews there.

In September 2010, the Ernakulam Principal Munisif Court stayed the release and distribution of the film, following an allegation by the film's original distributor Martin Sebastin that the producer Vindhyan and his Rasika Entertainment were trying to release it on their own. The film was slated for a theatrical release on 3 December 2010, but the date was postponed many times.

Accolades

Kerala State Film Awards
  • 2011: Best Director
    Kerala State Film Award for Best Director
    The Kerala State Film Award for Best Director winners:-References:**...

    : Shyamaprasad
    Shyamaprasad
    Shyamaprasad is an Indian film director. Directing highly acclaimed and complex films such as Agnisakshi, Akale, Ore Kadal and Elektra, he has won several state, national and international film awards.-Biography:...

  • 2011: Best Dubbing Artist
    Kerala State Film Award for Best Dubbing Artist
    The Kerala State Film Award for Best Dubbing Artist winners:-References:**...

    : Praveena
    Praveena
    Praveena is a Malayalam film & Serial actress. She starred in numerous Malayalam movies & Serial. She Started her acting career in the year 1992 as a Child Artist. Her debut film was "Gowri" as a Child Artist. Her Debut film as a heroine was "Kaliyoonjal" in the year 1997...



Official Selections
  • International Film Festival of India
    International Film Festival of India
    The International Film Festival of India , founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually in the beach town of Goa, in the Western Coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of...

    , 2010
  • International Film Festival of Kerala, 2010
  • Dubai International Film Festival
    Dubai International Film Festival
    The Dubai International Film Festival is an international film festival based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Launched in 2004, it aims to foster the growth of filmmaking in the Arab world.-Overview:...

    , 2010
  • Gandhinagar International Film Festival, 2011
  • Indian Film Festival 'Bollywood and beyond', Stuttgart(Germany), 2011
  • River to River Film Festival
    River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival
    River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival is an annual film festival in Florence, Italy that showcases independent and low-budget Indian films...

    , Florence(Italy), 2011

Soundtrack

Ouseppachan
Ouseppachan
Ousephachan is a National Award, Filmfare Award and Kerala State Film Award-winning Indian music director who sets scores for Malayalam films. He is one of the most sought-after musicians in the Malayalam film industry.-Biography:...

 was signed to do music for the film, but was replaced by Alphons Joseph
Alphons Joseph
Alphons Joseph is a music director and playback singer in the Malayalam film industry who got a break as a film music composer after composing for the film Vellithira. Alphons is also noted for singing the famous song "Aaromale" from the film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, which was composed by A. R...

, who became well known in India for the song "Aaromale
Aaromale
"Aaromale" is a Malayalam song from the 2010 Tamil film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa and Telugu film Ye Maaya Chesave composed by A. R. Rahman, featuring lyrics by Kaithapram. The song is sung by Malayalam composer Alphons Joseph. The song was well received upon release and was a chart...

". The film is Joseph's first collaboration with Shyamaprasad, who has never worked with a music director for the second time. The lyrics were penned by Rafeeq Ahmed and Shelton Pinhiro. The soundtrack includes three songs.
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