{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}} {{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}} {{Infobox film | name = Aayushkalam | image = Aayushkalam.gif | alt = | caption = | director = [[Kamal (director)|Kamal]] | producer = | writer = {{ubl|Vinu Kiriyath|Rajan Kiriyath}} | narrator = | starring = {{ubl|[[Mukesh (actor)|Mukesh]]|[[Jayaram]]|[[Sreenivasan]]|}} | music = [[Ouseppachan]] | cinematography = [[Saloo George]] | editing = K. Rajagopal | studio = | distributor = | released = {{Film date|df=yes|1992|07|08}} | runtime = | country = India | language = Malayalam | budget = | gross = }}{{More citations needed|date=June 2025}} '''''Aayushkalam''''' ({{Translation|Lifetime}}) is a 1992 Indian [[Malayalam cinema|Malayalam]]-language [[Supernatural horror film|supernatural horror]] [[drama film]] directed by [[Kamal (director)|Kamal]] and written by Vinu Kiriyath and Rajan Kiriyath. It stars [[Mukesh (actor)|Mukesh]] and [[Jayaram]] in the lead roles and [[Sreenivasan]] in supporting role. The film was a commercial success at the box office. ''Aayushkalam'' is based on the Hollywood films ''[[Ghost (1990 film)|Ghost]]'' and ''[[Heart Condition (film)|Heart Condition]]'' and was in turn remade in [[Hindi cinema|Hindi]] as ''[[Hello Brother (1999 film)|Hello Brother]]''.
==Plot== {{more plot|date=September 2020}} The film follows the story of Balakrishnan, a bank employee and a heart patient, yet he drinks and smokes a lot. He urgently falls in need of a heart transplant, for which he is unlikely to receive a heart and has given up all hope of living any longer. Luckily, he receives the heart of Abey Mathew, a youth who has just died in a car accident. The surgery is performed after both families agree to it. Gradually, Balakrishnan recovers from the surgery. Soon after he is discharged from the hospital, he visits the doctor and asks him who gave him the heart out of curiosity. Although initially reluctant, the doctor gives him the newspaper report about Abey's death which contains his photograph.
While leaving the hospital, Balakrishnan is frightened to see Abey's ghost and he is unable to escape from Abey's hold as he is able to follow him everywhere. Eventually, Abey starts following Balakrishnan at work, the restaurant, hospital and even at home, where he is initially not allowed to enter by the ghost of Balakrishnan's late father Gopala Menon, who is miserable because he cannot communicate with anyone but ghosts. Balakrishnan tries various methods to drive Abey's ghost out of the house, but all fail and makes everyone believe he has gone crazy. He especially has trouble because Abey is invisible to everyone but himself, and hilarity ensues. Balakrishnan eventually befriend Abey when the latter tells Balakrishnan that he was in fact murdered very unexpectedly on a road, by a man whom he could not identify, initially using a gun, but he was later run over by the vehicle while he was leaving to see his newborn child. Abey is seeking Balakrishnan's help to identify his murderer. Balakrishnan visits Abey's family, meets his mother and wife Shobha with Abey's ghost.
Damodaran Nair, a [[Sub-inspector|Sub-Inspector]], arrests Balakrishnan believing he is a flirt due to Abey's invisibility. He does not believe Balakrishnan when he talks about Abey's ghost and punishes him even more instead. To free Balakrishnan and to seek Damodaran's help Abey plays a trick on the latter to make him believe by visiting his house and he reluctantly does. Damodaran causes significant hilarity at this point, especially because he appears foolish and naive but shows off as though he is a wise and experienced policeman.
With the help of Damodaran, Balakrishnan and Abey discovers that Abey was murdered by a notorious criminal named Benjamin Bruno, who is now in jail for another murder case. Upon questioning, Bruno refuses to tell the truth and escapes from prison by acting as though he has fainted. However, Abey follows him and hears him talking on the phone to a mysterious person. Later, Abey sees Alex, his adopted brother talking to Bruno about his murder and that it needs to be covered up. Abey realises that Alex hired Bruno to kill Abey and to take over his businesses which he had inherited from their father. Abey informs Balakrishnan about the matter. Balakrishnan then informs Abey's family, who initially refuse to believe it. However, he tells them about Abey's ghost and with Abey's help they do so. Alex kills Bruno fearing that the truth would come out soon. Damodaran refuses to help Balakrishnan and Abey anymore as he got suspended for the jail escape and death of Bruno.
As the story proceeds to the climax, Alex forces Shobha and Abey's mother to sign certain documents that make him the owner of all the businesses and assets that Abey had inherited from his father. He kidnaps Balakrishnan and threatens to destroy Abey's heart if they did not sign the documents. Abey decides to save them. He enters Damodaran's house and possesses his body. He fights with Alex and kills him. Alex's ghost rises and both face each other, soon Alex is sent to [[hell]]. Balakrishnan and Abey try to communicate with each other, but they no longer can do so. In the end, a divine light appears from the sky and transports Abey to [[heaven]].<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0353154/plotsummary/ |title=Aayushkalam (1992) - Plot - IMDb |language=en-US |access-date=2025-06-23 |via=www.imdb.com}}</ref>
==Cast== {{colbegin}} * [[Mukesh (actor)|Mukesh]] as Balakrishnan<ref name="toi">{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movies/news/filmyfriday-aayushkalam-mukesh-and-jayaram-starrer-is-all-heart/articleshow/89339316.cms|title=#FilmyFriday: Aayushkalam: Mukesh and Jayaram starrer is all 'heart'|first=Silpa|last=Rajan|date=4 February 2022|website=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=5 April 2022}}</ref> * [[Jayaram]] as Abey Mathew Chandanavelil, Ghost Spirit <ref name="toi"/> * [[Sreenivasan]] as [[Sub-inspector|SI]] Damodaran Nair * [[Sai Kumar (Malayalam actor)|Sai Kumar]] as Alex Chandanavelil * [[Innocent (actor)|Innocent]] as Gopala Menon * [[Maathu (actress)|Maathu]] as Shobha, Abey's wife * [[Rudra (actress)|Rudra]] as Sujatha * [[Kaviyoor Ponnamma]] as Abey's mother * [[Gavin Packard]] as Benjamin Bruno * [[Oduvil Unnikrishnan]] as Menon * [[Siddique (actor)|Siddique]] as Dr. Hariprasad<ref name="toi"/> * [[Mamukkoya]] as Varghese<ref name="toi"/> * [[Alummoodan]] as Velu Mooppan (voiceover by [[Dileep]]) * [[Idavela Babu]] as Gopi * [[K. P. A. C. Lalitha]] as Dakshayani<ref name="toi"/> * [[Zeenath]] as Geetha * [[N. F. Varghese]] as Police Officer * [[T. P. Madhavan]] as Police Officer * [[Abu Salim (actor)|Abu Salim]] as Peter '''Cameo appearance''' * [[Dileep]] as Ghost (uncredited) * [[Lal Jose]] as Ghost (uncredited) * [[Charuhasan]] as Ghost * [[Sankaradi]] as Ghost * [[James Malayalam actor|James]] as Auto Rikshaw Driver {{colend}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aayushkalam at Criticker.com |url=https://www.criticker.com/film/Aayushkalam/ |access-date=2025-06-23 |website=www.criticker.com |language=en}}</ref>
==Soundtrack== The music was composed by [[Ouseppachan]]. "Mounam Swaramaayi"'s tune was reused in the song "Chitti Kuruvi" in the 2003 film ''[[Mullavalliyum Thenmavum]]'', also composed by Ouseppachan, but the song is a bit western, starting from a humming by [[Unni Menon]] and [[Sujatha Mohan]], both songs are in [[Kalyani (raga)]].{{citation needed|date=September 2020}} {{Track listing | extra_column = Artist(s)
| all_lyrics = [[Kaithapram Damodaran]] | all_music = [[Ouseppachan]]
| title1 = Mounam Swaramaay | extra1 = [[K. J. Yesudas]]
| title2 = Mounam Swaramaay | note2 = Duet | extra2 = K. J. Yesudas, [[K. S. Chithra]] }}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb title|0353154|Aayushkalam}}
{{Kamal (director)}}
[[Category:1992 films]] [[Category:Indian remakes of American films]] [[Category:1992 Malayalam-language films]] [[Category:1990s fantasy comedy films]] [[Category:1992 psychological thriller films]] [[Category:Indian fantasy comedy films]] [[Category:Indian ghost films]] [[Category:Films directed by Kamal (director)]] [[Category:Films scored by Ouseppachan]] [[Category:Malayalam films remade in other languages]] [[Category:Indian psychological thriller films]] [[Category:Indian comedy horror films]] [[Category:Indian horror film remakes]] [[Category:Indian romantic fantasy films]] [[Category:Indian romantic comedy films]] [[Category:Indian fantasy drama films]] [[Category:Indian films about revenge]] [[Category:Indian romantic drama films]] [[Category:Supernatural drama films]] [[Category:Films about invisibility]] [[Category:Films about murder]] [[Category:Films about psychic powers]] [[Category:Films about spirit possession]] [[Category:Films about the afterlife]] [[Category:1990s buddy cop films]] [[Category:Indian supernatural films]] [[Category:Films based on adaptations]] [[Category:Films based on multiple works]] [[Category:Fictional portrayals of the Kerala Police]] [[Category:Films about the illegal drug trade]] [[Category:Films about banking]] [[Category:Indian comedy-drama films]] [[Category:1990s police comedy films]] [[Category:Indian buddy comedy films]] [[Category:Buddy action films]]