Recently, we reported about Priyadarshan's 1994 film Thenmavin Kombathu, starring Mohanlal and Shobana, being set to release again theatrically in a 4K restored format on October 08, Thursday. Another iconic Priyadarshan-Mohanlal film, 1996's Kaalapani, is set to hit theatres again soon. On Tuesday, subtitle specialist Vivek Ranjith revealed that he is working on the Kaalapani rerelease now.
According to Filmfare, Matinee Now and Prasad Corporation are behind the 4K restoration work for the 1996 film. Earlier, the two companies also worked on the Thenmavin Kombathu restoration project.
Kaalapani tells the story of Govardhan (Mohanlal), a man who goes to jail for a crime he did not commit in India before independence. With the help of fellow inmates at a big jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, including Mukundan (Prabhu) and Pandiyan (Delhi Ganesh), Govardhan fights back against oppressive British authorities in jail to help India gain independence.
Kaalapani also stars Tabu as Govardhan's lover, Vineeth and Nedumudi Venu as the protagonist's nephew and uncle, respectively, Amrish Puri as a ruthless jailer named Mirza Khan, and John Kolvenbach as a benevolent doctor, among others.
The film won four National Awards, comprising Best Art Direction for Sabu Cyril, Best Special Effects for ST Venky, and Best Cinematography for Santosh Sivan. It won seven awards at the Kerala State Film Awards as well. Further, it is also known for Ilaiyaraaja's iconic music, including hit tracks such as 'Aattirambile Kombile' and 'Chempoove Poove'.
The announcement regarding the rerelease of Kaalapani in 4K comes two years after Mohanlal expressed his desire to see the film restored, in addition to titles such as Vasthuhara (1991) and Vanaprastham (1999). Earlier, the superstar's films such as Spadikam (1995), Ravanaprabhu (2001), Devadoothan (2000), and Summer in Bethlehem (1998) were also rereleased in theatres.
