It
was
23
years
back,
the
very
same
day,
that
Malayalam
cinema
witnessed
the
arrival
of
one
of
the
most
powerful
male
characters
ever
seen.
Yes,
we
are
talking
about
Mangalassery
Neelakandan
of
Devasuram.
Even
now,
the
film
Devasuram
has
a
cult
fan
following
which
probably
no
other
film
enjoys.
Here
are
some
of
the
reasons
for
why
we
still
love
Devasuram.
Iconic
Character
Mangalassery
Neelakandan
is
an
iconic
character.
Not
before
and
not
after
that,
we
have
seen
such
a
character
which
is
an
embodiment
of
absolute
manliness.
The
character
has
been
inspired
from
a
real
life
person
named
Mullassery
Rajagopal.
Bhanumathi
–
The
Iron
Lady
Bhanumathi
played
by
Revathi
is
one
of
the
strongest
female
characters
in
Malayalam
cinema.
She
is
the
girl
who
stood
by
her
decision
and
at
the
same
time
remained
the
biggest
strength
and
support
for
Neelakandan
during
his
tough
times.
A
Powerful
Villain
Less
often
we
get
to
see
a
villain
character
with
an
identity.
Mundakkal
Sekharan
was
one
such
character.
An
able
foe
to
the
manly
Mangalassery
Neelakandan.
Brilliant
Characterization
Devasuram
had
some
brilliant
characters.
Be
it
Warrier
played
by
Innocent
or
the
gang
of
friends
of
Neelakandan.
Each
character
had
an
identity
of
its
own.
Craftsmanship
Of
The
Master
The
film
really
required
someone
of
the
caliber
of
I
V
Sasi
to
helm
the
project.
He,
being
a
master
craftsman,
did
the
best
for
the
script
by
Ranjith.
Perfect
Script
Devasuram
brought
Ranjith
to
limelight
as
one
of
the
most
valuable
scriptwriters
of
the
industry.
The
film
had
a
tight
script
which
had
the
soul
of
the
story.
The
dialogues
of
the
film
had
that
element
of
mass
and
class
mixed
in
right
proportion.
Devasuram
is
one
of
the
most
aired
films
in
the
Television
channels.
This
alone
shows
the
popularity
the
film
has
among
the
masses.
The
film
which
released
in
the
year
1993
was
one
of
the
biggest
hits
of
that
year
with
the
film
completing
100
days
of
run
in
many
theatres.
Scripted
by
Ranjith,
the
film
has
some
well-written
moments
and
power-packed
poetic
dialogues,
something
which
was
fresh
to
Malayalam
cinema
those
days.
It
was
through
Devasuram
that
Ranjith
and
IV
Sasi
joined
hands
again,
after
their
first
project
Neelagiri
which
had
Mammootty
in
the
lead
role.
Years
later,
Ranjith
wrote
a
sequel
to
this
film
and
titled
it
Raavanaprabhu.
Ranjith
made
his
debut
as
a
director
through
this
film.
Much
like
its
prequel,
Raavanaprabhu
too,
became
a
huge
hit.
The
film
went
on
to
appeal
the
masses.