Bhargavi Nilayam

Bhargavi Nilayam is a 1964 Indian Malayalam-language romantic horror film directed by A. Vincent (in his directorial debut) and written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer based on the short story Neelavelicham. The film stars Madhu, Vijaya Nirmala, Prem Nazir and P. J. Antony.

The film depicts a compassionate relationship between a talented novelist and the spirit of a beautiful lady who had been murdered. The novelist is writing the story of this lady, into whose house he has moved in as tenant. The film mirrors in a meta-cinematic fashion the close and often symbiotic relationships between Malayalam filmmakers and writers in depicting a writer at work, collaborating with an intangible agency in the form of the eponymous Bhargavi. It was the directorial debut of A. Vincent. It is generally regarded as the first horror film in Malayalam.

Cast
Principal cast Cameo appearances
 * Madhu as Novelist and the Writer
 * Prem Nazir as Sasikumar
 * Vijaya Nirmala as Bhargavi
 * P. J. Antony as Narayanan Nair aka Nanukuttan
 * Adoor Bhasi as Cheriya Pareekanni
 * Kottayam Santha as Suma
 * Kuthiravattam Pappu as Kuthiravattam Pappu
 * Mala Shantha as Bhargavi's mother (voiced by T. R. Omana)


 * Shobana Parameshwaran Nair as mail carrier

Production
The screenplay written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer is based on his own short story "Neelavelicham". But the film also contains instances from some of his other short stories which he claims as his own life experiences. The scene were the young writer saw a beautiful woman on a beach is actually adapted from the short story "Nilavu Kanumbol" where Basheer himself claims that he has seen a naked woman taking bath on a beach and when he tried to speak to her she disappeared. Similarly, the scene where the young Bhargavi requests Sasikumar's help for preparing a speech is actually based on the short story "Hunthrappy Bussatto", which again we can find in the autobiographical novel Anuragathinte Dinangal. The lyrics for the song "Ekanthathayude Apaara Theeram" is taken from the short story "Anargha Nimisham".

Soundtrack
The film had a successful and acclaimed soundtrack composed by M. S. Baburaj which is regarded as the noted composer's master piece. The lyrics are penned by noted poet P. Bhaskaran. The soundtrack consists of seven songs, mostly based on Hindustani. Baburaj took inspiration from popular Bollywood songs while composing "Thamasamenthe Varuvan" (from "Mere Mehboob Tujhe" and also perhaps from "Humse Aaya Na Gaya") and "Vasantha Panchami" (from "Chaudhwin Ka Chand").

The soundtrack received immense critical praise for the high quality instrumentation and was one of the biggest audio hits of all time. The song "Thamasamenthe Varuvan" was selected by Naushad Ali as one of the few of his favourite songs when he visited Baburaj Music Academy in 1988. "Thamasamenthe Varuvan" is also regarded as one of the most loved songs in Malayalam music history. It was voted the "Best Song in Malayalam" by Malayala Manorama in a special issue published as part of 50th anniversary of formation of Kerala state.

Box office
The film was highest grossing Malayalam film at that time and a commercial success.

Remake
A remake of the film titled Neelavelicham directed by Aashiq Abu released in April 2023.