We
have
seen
many
historical
movies
in
the
history
of
cinema,
accurately
portraying
the
historical
events
or
biography
of
famous
personalities.
Troy,
The
Passion
of
Christ,
Alexander,
Gladiator,
300,
Gandhi,
Titanic,
Pearl
Harbor
and
Ambedkar
were
all
attempts
show
on
celluloid
history
available
to
the
professional
historians.
One
of
the
best
things
about
these
movies
is
that
they
are
far
more
successful
in
kindling
interest
in
the
so-called
'boring
history'
among
the
general
public.
Pazhassi
Raja,
which
is
being
directed
by
ace
director
Hariharan
with
superstar
Mammootty
in
the
lead,
is
also
a
biopic
magnum
opus
historical
film
about
Kerala
Varma
Pazhassi
Raja,
popularly
known
as
the
Lion
of
Kerala,
who
was
a
king
in
the
18th
century
from
the
Kottayam
royal
family.
The
Sepoy
Mutiny
of
1857
is
considered
to
be
the
first
organized
revolt
against
British
rule
in
the
history
of
India's
struggle
for
independence.
But
more
than
half
a
century
prior
to
this
mutiny,
Kerala
Varma
Pazhassi
Raja
of
the
Padinjare
Kovilakom
of
the
Kottayam
family
near
Thalassery
in
Kannur
district,
headed
an
attack
against
the
British
rule
when
the
Britishers
imposed
an
unpopular
revenue
policy
in
Malabar.
Consequently,
the
British
rulers
made
a
futile
attempt
to
capture
the
Raja
in
his
own
palace
at
Pazhassi
in
April
1796.
The
British
company
then
made
proclamations
which
forbade
people
from
supporting
the
Raja,
threatening
to
confiscate
the
property
of
all
who
supported
Pazhassi.
In
1797,
the
Raja's
men
launched
an
attack
on
the
security
personnel
stationed
at
Pazhassi
and
were
able
to
overpower
the
British
forces,
using
swords,
spears,
bows
and
arrows.
With
an
army
of
thousands
of
Nairs,
Pazhassi
inflicted
defeat
on
the
British
who
were
forced
to
retreat
and
later
returned
to
negotiate.
Later,
the
British
signed
a
temporary
armistice,
in
accordance
with
Raja's
wishes.
Pazhassi
Raja
once
again
revolted
against
the
British
when
they
decided
to
take
over
Wynad
in
1799,
after
the
fall
of
Srirangapatnam.
However,
the
British
had
an
upper
hand
this
time
as
they
controlled
most
of
the
South.
They
confiscated
the
Raja's
properties
and
proclaimed
a
reward
for
capturing
him.
Raja
fled
from
his
palace
and
took
refuge
in
the
jungle,
accompanied
by
his
wife
and
immediate
attendants.
At
the
same
time,
he
kept
the
British
on
tenterhooks
for
a
long
time
using
guerrilla
tactics
and
informers.
But
on
November
30
1805,
the
Raja
was
surrounded
by
the
troops
of
Thomas
Harvey
Babar
(a
young
British
officer
who
was
given
charge
of
suppressing
Pazhassi)
and
was
shot
dead
in
an
operation
on
the
banks
of
Mavila
Thodu.
Mammootty
who
played
the
hero
in
Hariharan's
previous
historical
venture,
Oru
Vadakkan
Veeragatha,
plays
the
title
role
in
Pazhassi
Raja
too.
Suman
plays
the
villain,
Pazhaiveetan
Chandu
and
Tamil
actor
Sarathkumar
plays
Edachena
Kunkan,
the
chief
lieutenant
of
Pazhassi
Raja.
The
film
features
three
heroines:
Padmapriya,
Kanika
Subramaniam
and
Linda
Arsenio.
The
movie
which
was
in
the
making
since
May
last
year,
is
produced
by
Gokulam
Gopalan.
Most
of
the
important
scenes
are
shot
with
four
cameras
simultaneously.
The
movie
is
touted
to
have
the
biggest-ever
budget
for
a
Malayalam
movie
(rumoured
to
be
more
than
eight
crores).
Venu
cranks
the
camera;
music
genius
Ilayaraja
provides
music
for
songs
penned
by
O.N.V.
Kurup.
The
film
is
to
hit
screens
during
Christmas.