Malayalam Films Which Had The Lead Play A Politician

Lucifer is a mass entertainer having politics as a major plot. The debut directorial of actor Prithviraj has Mohanlal playing a shrewd politician Stephen Nedumpally, who is a lesser bad guy in a pack of wolves. The film is about how he rises to the occasion when his mentor dies and it is tussle between him and the so-called loyalists including a family member. How the power struggle unfolds is shown with pomp, grandeur and by including contemporary socio-political references .

Ramaleela is a political thriller directed by debutant Arun Gopy and has Dileep playing Adv Ramanunni, a shrewd politician who was expelled from his party. The movie follows the life of Ramanunni and his astute moves against his rivals in politics. His tactful moves to asassinate a politician and frame another politician is brilliantly woven into the plot. Dileep as the young politician and the inner drama unraveling in the party is perfectly depicted in this political thriller.

When an angry, honest, young blood, without any sort of political background, becomes the Chief Minister of Kerala, what will he do? Anil C Menon's 'Rashtram' tells the story of such a person. Maliekkal Thommy, played by Suresh Gopi, is that said character in this Utopian concept. But Thommy as CM does what the common man would like a CM to do. And when the role is essayed by Suresh Gopi, audience accept with more. The Character was in many ways does what the One Day CM in Shankar's 'Nayak' did. The performances by Suresh Gopi, Madhu and Thilakan were the main highlight of the film.

Dileep's portrayal of Home Minister B. Krishnakumar was one of his career-best performances, proving that he can do serious political roles, well in his own way! Directed by Joshi and scripted by the duo of Udayakrishna and Siby K. Thomas, the movie was the first successful film of 2006. The Home Minister in the movie goes on to end the mafia business in the Kerala state and tries to correct a lot of wrong in the Kerala society of that time. Dileep did so well in the movie that 'Lion' became one of the most memorable of his movies.

Directed by K. Madhu, one of the masters of political thrillers in Malayalam, 'Pathaka' had Suresh Gopi play the lead role of Industries Minister George Tharyan who is most favorite to the Chief Minister, played by Lalu Alex. Tharyan wants to make Kerala a state without unemployment and industries friendly. But when you are not ready to make the needed cuts in the deals, you become the enemy of the corrupts. Though Suresh Gopi made us feel the need of such a minister in real life, the movie lacked the punch and wasn't received well in theaters.

It's hard to remember this film. 'The King Maker Leader' was the directorial debut of Diphan, which was to an extent a bio-pic on the life of 'Chanakya of Kerala Politics', K. Karunakaran or commonly known as 'the leader.' Starring Saikumar, Rajan P Dev, Maniyanpillai Raju, among others, this movie wasn't anywhere near to success.

'Janathipathyam' directed by K. Madhu and scripted by AK Sajan and AK Santosh, presents the lead character in two different ways. Suresh Gopi's RD Nayanar is an IPS officer in the first half while returns as the Chief Minister of Kerala in the second half. This bit hard to digest story line wasn't an issue for the audience all thanks to the performances of Suresh Gopi and Devan as Prathapa Varma, member of the royal family who has a lot of shady business to hide. This movie was an in and out action thriller which proved that if your lead is a minister, then the first option is none other than Suresh Gopi.

'Chief Minister K.R. Gowthami', though not said officially, is another almost bio-pic. The movie talks about the life of the former industries minister, JSS leader and one of the Communist stalwarts K.R. Gowri Amma. The lead role was played by Geetha, who did a memorable job. Her performance was so powerful that she was able to carry the whole film on her own. Scripted by Salim Cherthala, the movie was directed by Raj Babu.

Normally when the lead is a minister, the film is ought to be a political thriller. But 'Nayam Vyathamkkunnu' of Balachandra Menon broke this norm and was a pure political-family movie. Rather than explaining political plays in a harsh way, Menon went with a comic-satiric style. Mammootty plays the lead character of V. Sukumaran or VS. He becomes a minister but in the process gets separated from his wife Valsala, played by Santhi Krishna. Though the movie has enough scenes describing the political reality, the director focuses on family, human emotions and relations, thus giving a whole new treatment in the genre of political movies.

Thampi Kannanthanam's direction for Dennis Joseph's script; 'Bhoomiyile Rajakkanmar' had Mohanlal as Mahendra Varma, who hails from a royal family and becomes the Home Minister. This role is another example of why he is called 'the complete actor.' Varma becomes minister to sustain power amongst the royal family in the democratic state but later on understands the true meaning of being a political leader and tries to correct the wrongs done by the authorities. The movie had a perfect blend of comedy, action and political drama thus making it one of the evergreen films in Malayalam.

The evergreen star Prem Nazir plays the role of Chief Minister Ramachandra Menon in this flick. Directed and written by Alleppey Ashraf, 'Mukhyamantri' starts with the oath-taking ceremony of the new cabinet and ends with another victory in the legislative assembly. The film talks about the life of a Chief Minister, the efforts he has to take to survive with honesty in the black, muddy political waters. Nazir, mostly recognized for his romantic family oriented roles, proves that he can also play the role of a politician with the same ease. Srividya, Shankar, Bheeman Raghu, Menaka Suresh Kumar, Thilakan and others comprised the cast of this political drama.

What will happen if a newspaper boy becomes the home minister of the state? Well, he can do justice to the common man and be an enemy to the corrupts. 'Sthalathe Pradhana Payyans' comes from the hit-making duo of Shaji Kailas and Renji Panicker. The movie was a turning point in the career of Jagadeesh who played the lead role of Home Minister K. G. Gopalakrishnan. As any other Renji Panicker script, this movie was also packed with punch dialogues and Jagadeesh did total justice to the character. This role proved that Jagadeesh is not just a comedian but a serious actor.