: पुलिजन्मम्, English translation : Tiger life) is an award-winning Malayalam feature film directed by Priyanandanan

Priyanandanan

Priyanandanan is a film and drama director from Kerala, India. His second movie Pulijanmam bagged the National Film Award for Best Film in 2007.-Biography:...

. It stars Murali, Vineeth Kumar, Salim Kumar, Samvrutha Sunil

Samvrutha Sunil

Samvrutha Sunil is a South Indian actress from Kerala. She was introduced to the film industry through a Malayalam film Rasikan opposite Dileep. She had acted in several films in Tamil and Malayalam...

 and Sindhu Menon. It was released in May 2006 and won the Swarna Kamal Award for the Best Feature Film in the 54th National Film Awards

National Film Awards

The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...

, 2006. The film was produced by M G Vijay and it was the second directorial venture by Priyanandanan, the first one being Neythukaran released in 2001. The citation for Pulijanmam said it was 'a layered film that uses metaphors to address global and local issues of contemporary society'.

Synopsis

Kari Gurukkal, also known as Pulimaranja Thondachan (the great grandfather who turned into tiger), is a folk god of Pulayas, a subaltern community in North Kerala. According to legends, Kari was a master of martial arts and other arts. Envious, the upper cast people ordered him to bring tiger mane and tail to cure the madness of the ruler. For this, he had to take the tiger form and go to the forest. To get his human form back when he returns from the forest, his wife should pour water used for cleaning rise and beat him with broom. But when he returns for the forest, his wife got terrified by his form and fails to do what she was told to do. Unable to take human form, Kari goes back to the forest.

Prakashan (Murali) is a graduate who leads a simple life of a farmer. He is more involved in local issues and politics than his personal life. Once Prakashan plans to stage a play titled 'Pulijanmam' for a local arts club. He does a lot of research on Kari Gurukkal and brings up the script. He himself rehearses to portray the main character in the drama, Thondachhan Theyyam Kari Gurukkal.

For playing the role of Vellachi, the female lead in the drama, Prakashan finds Shehnaz (Sindhu Menon

Sindhu Menon

Sindhu Menon is an Indian actress, who has mainly appeared in Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil films. She debuted as a child artist in the 1994 Kannada film Rashmi.-Early life:...

), a Muslim girl. The rehearsals go on, but due to the outbreak of communal riots in the area, the drama was cancelled. The Hindu-Muslim harmony in the village is broken due to the riots that lasted long. The situations take a U-turn and all the blame comes on Prakashan which makes him lose his close friends. In the mean time, his sister Anila (Samvrutha Sunil

Samvrutha Sunil

Samvrutha Sunil is a South Indian actress from Kerala. She was introduced to the film industry through a Malayalam film Rasikan opposite Dileep. She had acted in several films in Tamil and Malayalam...

) leaves the family behind and takes the life of her choice which makes their mother lose her mental balance. Prakashan finds every situation he rehearsed for long in the drama to happen in his real life. In a final attempt to regain his life, he goes to meet Shehnaz and invite her to his life; but of the fear of Prakashan getting killed by her community men, she asks Prakashan to go back. The film ends when Prakashan realizes that his fate takes the same end as Kari Master.

Cast

• Murali as Prakashan / Kari Gurukkal
• Sindhu Menon
  Sindhu Menon
  Sindhu Menon is an Indian actress, who has mainly appeared in Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil films. She debuted as a child artist in the 1994 Kannada film Rashmi.-Early life:...
  
   as Shahnaz / Vellachi
• Vineeth Kumar
• Samvrutha Sunil
  Samvrutha Sunil
  Samvrutha Sunil is a South Indian actress from Kerala. She was introduced to the film industry through a Malayalam film Rasikan opposite Dileep. She had acted in several films in Tamil and Malayalam...
  
   as Anila (as Samvrutha)
• Salim Kumar
• Irshad
  Irshad (actor)
  Irshad is an Indian actor of Malayalam films. Hailing from Thrissur, he has acted in numerous award-winning art-house films including those directed by acclaimed filmmakers such as Pavithran, T. V. Chandran, P. T. Kunju Muhammed, and K. R. Mohanan. He has also appeared in supporting roles in a few...
  
   as Ashraf
• Santhosh Jogi
  Santhosh Jogi
  Santhosh Jogi was a Malayalee film actor and singer who acted in more than 30 films. He marked his debut in a 2004 Malayalam movie, Two Wheeler...
  
  
• V. K. Sriraman
• Vijeesh