Aavanazhi

Aavanazhi is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language action film directed by I. V. Sasi, written by T. Damodaran. The film deals with social and political issues of that time. It stars Mammootty, Geetha, Seema, Sukumaran, Captain Raju, Janardanan, Jagannatha Varma, Innocent, Thikkurisi Sukumaran Nair, Sreenivasan and Sankaradi.

Aavanazhi was the highest grossing Malayalam film at the time and was an industry hit. It was remade in Kannada as Anthima Theerpu, in Tamil as Kadamai Kanniyam Kattupaadu, in Telugu as Marana Sasanam and in Hindi as Satyamev Jayate. I. V. Sasi made two sequels — Inspector Balram in 1991 and Balram vs. Taradas in 2006.

Plot
"Karadi" Balram is an honest CI, who is frustrated after several personal setbacks, including a failed affair of the heart, has turned to drinking and womanizing. Balram is assigned to nab Satyaraj, who evaded the clutches of the cops after murdering Chackochan, a contractor. Balram successfully arrests him, but in court, Satyaraj is represented by Adv. Jayachandran, where he is acquitted by the court, but Balram decides to frame in several other criminal charges pending against him. Usha, Balram's ex-lover, is now married to Jayachandran. Balram falls in love with Seetha, a prostitute, whom he decides to marry. Meanwhile, Radha, a young lady, is determined to avenge herself on Balram, who she believes to have killed her brother while in police custody, but Satyaraj was the one who killed him, on instruction from Vincent. Falsely implicated, Balram had been suspended, but has been reinstated. Though Seetha tries to convince Radha of the truth, she is not ready to accept it. To gain her revenge over Balram, Radha decides to offer Satyaraj a safe stay away from the police eyes. Balram's open fight with Satyaraj forms the rest of the plot.

Cast

 * Mammootty as CI Balram
 * Geetha as Seetha
 * Seema as Radha
 * Nalini as Usha Jayachandran
 * Sukumaran as Adv.Jayachandran
 * Captain Raju as Sathyaraj
 * Janardanan as Vincent
 * Innocent as Vishnu
 * Sreenivasan as Sreeni
 * C. I. Paul as Chandrahasan
 * Paravoor Bharathan as Chackochan
 * Kundara Johny as CI Alex George
 * K. P. A. C. Azeez as Commissioner Azeez
 * Sankaradi as Viswanathan
 * Jagannatha Varma as DIG Kumar
 * Augustine as SI Ummer
 * Kunchan as Constable "Samshayam" Vasu
 * Shafeeq as Benny Vincent
 * Thikkurisi Sukumaran Nair as Nampoothiri
 * Kumari Shibi as Jyothi
 * Santhakumari as Radha's Mother
 * Prathapachandran
 * Hari as Advocate
 * Rajan Padoor as Kallan Kuttan
 * Amit Amee as Unni/Radha's younger Brother
 * Thiruthiyadu Vilasini as Chackochan's wife
 * Sajith Devadas as Nirmal Hasan
 * Gorilla Unni as Circle Inspector
 * Krishnakkurupp NB
 * Aliyar

Release and reception
The film was released on 12 September 1986, in 20 theatres. In 2005, Nana Magazine wrote that Mammootty has played cop in a total of 25 films from Yavanika to Balram vs Tharadas, but his most memorable police role is that of Inspector Balram from I. V. Sasi's Avanazhi. The film was a major commercial success. It was the highest grossing film at the time. The film ran for more than 200 days in theatres in Kerala.

Remakes
All the remakes of the film were commercial successes.

Sequels
The movie had two sequels; a 1991 film Inspector Balram and a spiritual successor, Balram vs. Tharadas in which Mammootty reprises his roles from two films, Inspector Balram from Aavanazhi and Tharadas from Athiratram.

Legacy
The film is considered to be one of I.V. Sasi's best works. The film remains to be the only Malayalam Industry hit with a policeman as its central character. The protagonist Inspector Balram remains to be one of the most iconic characters in Malayalam cinema.