{{short description|2005 film by Lal Jose}} {{More citations needed|date=June 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}} {{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}} {{Infobox film | name = Chanthupottu | image = chanthupottu2.jpg |caption=The music CD cover | starring = [[Dileep (actor)|Dileep]]<br>[[Indrajith Sukumaran]]<br>[[Lal (actor)|Lal]]<br>[[Biju Menon]]<br>[[Gopika]]<br>[[Bhavana (actress)|Bhavana]] | director = [[Lal Jose]] | writer = [[Benny P Nayarambalam]] | producer = [[Lal (actor)|Lal]] | distributor = [[Lal Release]] & PJ Entertainments | editing = [[Ranjan Abraham]] | cinematography = [[Alagappan N]] | released = {{Film date|df=yes|2005|8|26}} | runtime = 125 minutes | country = India | language = Malayalam | music = [[Vidyasagar (composer)|Vidyasagar]] | budget = | gross = }}
'''''Chanthupottu''''' is a 2005 Indian [[Malayalam]]-language romantic [[comedy-drama film]] directed by [[Lal Jose]], written by [[Benny P. Nayarambalam]], and produced by [[Lal (actor)|Lal]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/new-look-dileep/article28583459.ece | title=New-look Dileep | newspaper=The Hindu | date=2 June 2005 | access-date=12 May 2022 | archive-date=12 May 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512090853/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/new-look-dileep/article28583459.ece | url-status=live }}</ref> The film was based on a play of the same name, which in turn, was based on the life of an actual man with feminine [[mannerisms]]. The story is about a man named Radhakrishnan ([[Dileep (actor)|Dileep]]) who was brought up like a girl by his grandmother. The film was a commercial success at the box office.
==Plot==
Radhakrishnan is raised as a girl by his grandmother who wanted a granddaughter. She calls him Radha, which becomes his nickname. Radha's father Divakaran, a fisherman, goes to jail for an accidental murder. Radha is ridiculed among the people in the village as he is considered effeminate. However, he is not bothered and spends time with the girls, singing and teaching dance. His best friend is Malu who is wooed by Kumaran, a local money lender and the son of the man whom Radha's father had killed in a fight when Kumaran harasses Radha for behaving like a girl.
Divakaran returns from jail and dislikes his son's mannerisms, but is helpless. Slowly, Radha's liking for Malu turns into love. When Kumaran learns of this, he beats up Radha with the help of her father Thorayil Aashan, a local astrologer, and dumps him in the deep sea by saying he is a curse to the shore. Radha is saved by Freddy, a restaurant owner, on a distant shore. Freddy takes him to his home where he lives with his sister, Rosie, and his grandmother who is a mental patient due to the shock of the sudden death of Freddy's other sibling, Jonfy. He soon becomes a part of their family as the grandmother begins to identify him as the late Jonfy. With a change in environment, Radha also tries to change his behaviour, adopting more traditionally male mannerisms. One day, Radha fights with Cleetus, an old enemy of Freddy, when Cleetus tries to molest Rosie. During the fight, Cleetus suffers a head injury, so Radha returns to his home to escape from the police.
On reaching his native shore, he discovers that his family, along with his house, was burned down by Kumaran. He also learns that Malu is pregnant with his child. His arrival follows a fight with Kumaran. Towards the end of the fight, Radha defeats Kumaran and when he is about to kill him, Malu arrives. He spares Kumaran by telling that he needs to live with Malu and his child. Radha reunites with Malu. Kumaran tries to kill Radha and Malu but the villagers save them and hit Kumaran. They threaten to kill him if he returns to the shore again. In the meantime, Malu prematurely gives birth to Radha's child. When Radha sees the child, he vows to raise it as a boy, ripping off the ribbon tied to its hair as the baby is a male. The movie ends with Radha going to the sea as a fisherman, an occupation which he refused to do in his early life.
==Cast== {{Cast listing| *[[Dileep (actor)|Dileep]] as Radhakrishnan (Radha) *[[Gopika]] as Malathi / Malu ( voice over by [[Sreeja Ravi]]) *[[Indrajith Sukumaran]] as Komban Kumaran **[[Balu Varghese]] as Young Kumaran *[[Lal (actor)|Lal]] as Divakaran, Radha's father *[[Biju Menon]] as Freddy *[[Bhavana (actress)|Bhavana]] as Rosie, Freddy's sister (Voice over by Meera) *[[Rajan P. Dev]] as Thorayil Aashan, Malu's father *[[Mala Aravindan]] as Kanaran, Divakaran's friend & neighbour *[[Shobha Mohan]] as Shantha, Radha's mother (Voice over by [[Anandavally]]) *[[Koottickal Jayachandran]] as Lawrence, Kanaran's son-in-law & Radha's friend *[[Kalabhavan Shajohn]] as Peter *[[Salim Kumar]] as "Paradooshanam" Vareed, a tea shop owner *[[Sukumari]] as Bhavaniyamma *Cherthala Lalitha as Karthu, Kanaran's wife *[[Anil Murali]] as Bhaskaran, Kumaran's father *[[Sreejith Ravi]] as Cleetus *[[Valsala Menon]] as Freddy's and Rosie's grandmother * Unni S Nair as Cherukandath Suppran *[[Joju George]] as (Cameo) *George Peter as Freddy's friend *Renjusha as Ramani }}
==Music== {{Infobox album | name = Chanthupottu | type = Soundtrack | artist = [[Vidyasagar (composer)|Vidyasagar]] | cover = | alt = | released = 2005 | recorded = | venue = | studio = | genre = [[Film soundtrack|Feature film soundtrack]] | length = | label = | producer = | prev_title = | prev_year = 2004 | next_title = [[Rasikan]] | next_year = 2004 }}
# "Azhakadalinte" – [[S. Janaki]] # "Azhakadalinte" (Male) - [[P Jayachandran]] # "Omanapuzha" – [[Vineeth Sreenivasan]] # "Chanthu Kudanjoru" – [[Shahabaz Aman]], [[Sujatha Mohan]] # "Kana Ponnum" – [[Franco Simon|Franko]], [[Ranjith (singer)|Ranjith]], Chorus
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sify.com/movies/dileep-s-citadel-news-malayalam-kkfvwefeaaasi.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220074138/http://www.sify.com/movies/dileep-s-citadel-news-malayalam-kkfvwefeaaasi.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 December 2016|title=Dileep's citadel|work=[[Sify]]|date=30 December 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/reflection-of-society/article3216647.ece|title=Reflection of society|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=6 January 2006|access-date=10 December 2016|archive-date=21 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221102051/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/reflection-of-society/article3216647.ece|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://world.rediff.com/movies/2005/oct/06spice.htm|title=Surya is the 'surprise' hero|work=[[Rediff.com]]|date=6 October 2006|access-date=10 December 2016|archive-date=20 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220091538/http://world.rediff.com/movies/2005/oct/06spice.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Mammootty's Chattambinadu|url=http://movies.rediff.com/report/2009/dec/01/south-malayalam-first-look-mammoottys-chattambinadu.htm|work=[[Rediff.com]]|date=1 December 2009|language=en-IN|author=Meghna George|access-date=23 June 2021|archive-date=24 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202539/http://movies.rediff.com/report/2009/dec/01/south-malayalam-first-look-mammoottys-chattambinadu.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://wap.business-standard.com/article-amp/companies/picture-isn-t-perfect-in-mollywood-106031501120_1.html|title=Picture isn't perfect in Mollywood|work=[[Business Standard]]|date=6 February 2013|last1=John|first1=Nevin|access-date=26 June 2021|archive-date=26 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626085530/https://wap.business-standard.com/article-amp/companies/picture-isn-t-perfect-in-mollywood-106031501120_1.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
== LGBT controversies == The film was criticized by the [[LGBT]] community of Kerala for its distorted portrayal of gender and sexuality. In 2019, queer activists reported that the word "chanthupottu" was used to harass transgender persons and pointed at the deeply problematic idea that beatings and a heterosexual relationship could "correct" behaviour that goes against traditional gender norms.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/queer-activists-slam-lal-jose-defending-problematic-2005-film-chanthupottu-112378 | title=Queer activists slam Lal Jose for defending problematic 2005 film Chanthupottu | work=The News Minute | date=15 November 2019 | access-date=20 November 2019 | archive-date=15 November 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115164744/https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/queer-activists-slam-lal-jose-defending-problematic-2005-film-chanthupottu-112378 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/touching-post-kerala-gay-man-recounts-how-blockbuster-film-wronged-him-73568 | title=In a touching post, Kerala gay man recounts how a blockbuster film wronged him | work=The News Minute | date=22 December 2017 | access-date=2 November 2018 | archive-date=14 February 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214163758/https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/touching-post-kerala-gay-man-recounts-how-blockbuster-film-wronged-him-73568 | url-status=live }}</ref> Prabhakaran and Poovathingal (2013) argue that "the movie brought forth traditional machismo of the male hero and defined an unsophisticated masculinity", despite its attempts to portray an effeminate man in a positive light.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Masculinizing Radha: The Politics of Representation in Chandupottu | author=Prabhakaran, Roshni and Poovathingal, Nithya Thomas | journal=Language in India | year=2013 | volume=13 | issue=8 | pages=318–325}}</ref> Director [[Lal Jose]] responded to the claims by saying that "In the movie, Radha or Radhakrishnan is a man, he is not a transgender person. There is no doubt about his gender. He falls in love with a woman, has a child from the woman. The only thing was that he had an effeminate aspect to his behaviour. There is no gender issue in that film.”<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-11-15|title=Queer activists slam Lal Jose for defending problematic 2005 film 'Chanthupottu'|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/queer-activists-slam-lal-jose-defending-problematic-2005-film-chanthupottu-112378|access-date=2022-02-10|website=The News Minute|language=en|archive-date=15 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115164744/https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/queer-activists-slam-lal-jose-defending-problematic-2005-film-chanthupottu-112378|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Box office== The film was a commercial success.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=2005-ലെ ഹിറ്റുകൾ |url=https://scontent.fblr1-4.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/110315123_752196705550957_917483953038361629_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=_OyZJ1X6vucAX_3H0Yy&_nc_ht=scontent.fblr1-4.fna&oh=00_AfAQxQvTb5HksezYPV32cdH45qeV5ERAr12JLpfyJLtQLw&oe=64692460 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420222159/https://scontent.fblr1-4.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/110315123_752196705550957_917483953038361629_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=_OyZJ1X6vucAX_3H0Yy&_nc_ht=scontent.fblr1-4.fna&oh=00_AfAQxQvTb5HksezYPV32cdH45qeV5ERAr12JLpfyJLtQLw&oe=64692460 |archive-date=2023-04-20 |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=[[Vellinakshatram (magazine)|Vellinakshatram]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=22 December 2005 |title=2005- An analysis |url=http://m.sify.com/movies/2005-an-analysis-news-malayalam-kkfvwXbejbbsi.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823072923/http://m.sify.com/movies/2005-an-analysis-news-malayalam-kkfvwXbejbbsi.html |archive-date=23 August 2017 |work=[[Sify]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Surya the 'surprise' hero of June R |url=https://www.rediff.com/movies/2005/oct/06spice.htm |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=Rediff.com |archive-date=31 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250831130926/https://www.rediff.com/movies/2005/oct/06spice.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb title|0400186}} * [http://www.malayalachalachithram.com/movie.php?i=3704 ''Chaanthupottu''] at the Malayalam Movie Database
{{Lal Jose}} {{Lal Films}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:2005 films]] [[Category:Indian transgender-related films]] [[Category:Cross-dressing in Indian films]] [[Category:Bisexuality-related films]] [[Category:Indian LGBTQ-related films]] [[Category:2005 Malayalam-language films]] [[Category:2005 romantic comedy-drama films]] [[Category:Films shot in Alappuzha]] [[Category:LGBTQ-related romantic comedy-drama films]] [[Category:Indian romantic comedy-drama films]] [[Category:Films scored by Vidyasagar (composer)]] [[Category:Films directed by Lal Jose]] [[Category:2005 LGBTQ-related films]]