Thirakkatha: A Film within a Film

Malayalam audiences have always appreciated movies which deal with the inner stories of filmdom. Be it Udhayananu Tharam (2005), Chathikkatha Chanthu (2004) or the recent Katha Parayumbol (2007) which is being remade in Hindi as Shahrukh Khan starrer Billoo Barber (after it was made in Tamil and Telugu as Kuselan and Kathanayukudu respectively), all did extremely well in Kerala, where audiences show much interest in plots of this genre. Now, scenarist-director Renjith's Thirakkatha, starring Prithviraj and Priyamani in the lead, is yet another interesting movie based on the occupational hazards of showbiz.

After facing a setback with four consecutive flops, director Ranjith is trying to revive his career with Thirakkatha, which is rumoured to be loosely based on the real life of a late South Indian actress. Spanning three decades of Malayalam cinema, Thirakkatha tells the story of the struggles of a young filmmaker Akbar Ahmed (Prithviraj), who, along with his girlfriend Devayani (Samvratha Sunil), goes in search of an elusive heroine Malavika (Priyamani). The movie exposes the tragic life of film personalities - within and beyond the arc-lights.

Akbar Ahmed is a young film director, who is being criticized for lifting the storyline from a Hollywood movie for his first film, which goes on to become a huge critical and commercial success. But this time, Akbar is more cautious; he goes searching a very different theme for his second film and goes on a trip to find an exclusive story.