Kilukkam (1991)

The story Joji (Mohanlal) is a guide in Ooty, and comes across a girl (Revathi) whom he thinks is a rich tourist, but turns out to be mentally deranged. A friend of his (Jagathy Sreekumar) then discovers that there is a reward on offer for finding this girl, and they decide to claim it. Then comes the revelation that the girl is actually fleeing from her relatives, who are out for her blood, to claim her inheritance. How our heroes battle the villains for the sake of the girl forms the rest of the story.

It's different... While the above synopsis reads like any Bollywood masala, what sets this movie apart is that it is first and foremost a comedy. Practically every line of the dialogue in the first half, as well as every scene, was made with one intention-to make you laugh. Oops, sorry-there was a second intention-to build a good story line. Even in the second half, when things get serious, both the action and the dialogues follow a light hearted vein, which will be familiar to those who have seen Hera Pheri.

The fine acting of Mohanlal, Jagathy, Thilakan and Revathi has further embellished the quality of this movie, and the few, but excellent dialogues of Innocent leave you rollicking with laughter.

My brother-in-law, like a huge number of Keralites, has seen this movie so many times that he can quote every line of the dialogues. He starts laughing even when nothing funny is happening on the screen, because he is already thinking of the next scene, which is hilarious!

The downside You cannot really enjoy this film if you do not follow the language, because it uses a lot of puns. However, the situational comedy can be enjoyed (much as you would in a silent movie) even by those who do not know Malayalam. Don't blame me if you think that you have already seen the movie in your own language, as this film has been re-made in practically every major language.