| Simhasanam | |
| Director: | Shaji Kailas |
| Producer: | S. Chandrakumar |
| Starring: | Prithviraj Sukumaran Sai Kumar |
| Music: | Ronnie Raphael |
| Cinematography: | Shaji Kumar Vishnu Narayanan |
| Editing: | Don Max |
| Studio: | Malavika Productions |
| Distributor: | Central Pictures |
| Runtime: | 160 minutes |
| Country: | India |
| Language: | Malayalam |
Simhasanam is a 2012 Malayalam action film written and directed by Shaji Kailas starring Prithviraj Sukumaran and Sai Kumar with supporting cast including Siddique and Devan.[1] The music was composed by Ronnie Raphael.
Simhasanam was initially intended to be a remake of the cult Mohanlal-starrer Naduvazhikal but on scripting, it deviated so much from the original story that, it is no longer a rehashed version of the 1989 hit. So they made it as a loosely based adaptation of Mario Puzo's The Godfather.[2] [3] [4]
Chandragiriyil Arjun is a student in Manipal and the son of Chandragiriyil Madhava Menon, a very wealthy landlord in Chandragiri, Thiruvananthapuram. One day, Arjun is called from Manipal and learns about constants struggles between Madhava Menon's enemy Ramadhathan Unni's sons Ramanunni, Bhargavanunni and Krishnanunni who runs a franchise of grocery stores called Annapoorna. Arjun decides to restore order and secretly fight back Ramanunni and his brothers as Madhava Menon doesn't want him to become violent.
The music was composed by Ronnie Raphael and the lyrics were penned by Chitoor Gopi.
| Track | Song | Singer(s) | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Aandava Muruga" | M. G. Sreekumar | 4:40 | |
| 2 | "O Mayo (F)" | 5:12 | ||
| 3 | "O Mayo (M)" | Vidhu Pradap | 5:11 | |
| 4 | "Innente Muttathe" | Sudeep Kumar | 4:38 | |
| 5 | "Dharmam Pakarna" | Sudeep Kumar | 4:36 |
Simhasanam was released on 10 August 2012 and received negative reviews from critics and became a box-office bomb.
The Times of India wrote "Simhasanam flimsily pieces together some of the most celebrated cinematic moments that Malayalam viewers have watched and relished countless times. It is nothing more than a foiled attempt to craft a film with one-liners, prolonged dialogues and action sequences."[5]
Lensmen criticized the film and wrote "Overall, Simhasanam is an outdated mix of old hit movies. Only die hard Prithviraj fans will find this movie interesting. Simahasanam is not written and directed by Shaji Kailas. It is arranged and organized by him. "[6] Rediff criticized the film saying that it "is a mixture of the director's hits post-1990s, a patchwork of a story with nothing for the viewer to take back".[7]
Simhasanam is the only film in which Shaji Kailas directed a film with the script written by him, as his previous family background films such as Aaraam Thampuran, Narasimham and Madirasi were from scripts written by Ranjith and Rajesh Jayaraman. This is the first time that Shaji Kailas directed a film with Prithviraj in the lead role. Despite Simhasanam being a disaster, Shaji Kailas and Prithviraj worked together in two films Kaduva and Kaapa.