Dany (film)

Dany is a 2001 Indian Malayalam-language tragicomedy film written, directed, and produced by T.V. Chandran with Mammootty in the title role. It also stars the noted dancer Mallika Sarabhai, Vani Viswanath, Siddique, Vijayaraghavan, Ratheesh, popular television actress Maya Moushmi, Raji Menon, and Narendra Prasad. It was released coinciding with the Christmas in December 2001. The film met with critical acclaim with most of the critics hailing the performance of Mammootty. It won numerous awards, including a National Film Award and three Kerala State Film Awards. This movie is a unofficial remake of Hollywood movie Forrest Gump starring Tom Hanks

Plot
The film is about Daniel Thompson, a saxophone player, who is a mute witness to many of the historical happenings around the world. It traces this character's life up to his seventy-third year and comments upon many things that may have social and political relevance. Dany, as he is known, was born on the day of the Dandi Salt March (12 March 1930). His mother died on the day Guruvayur Satyagraha was conducted (21 September 1932). His father died on the day of the first widow remarriage in Namboothiri caste (15 September 1935). His wife left him on the day the first Communist Government of Kerala lost power (31 July 1959). Dany's love, disappointments, and triumphs coincide with historical events. Dany dons many roles in life. He sings in the church and then becomes a saxophone player. He marries Margaret, the daughter of a rich man named Chavero, when the old man asks him to save the honor of their family. Margaret is pregnant and her lover has died. But with the passage of time, Dany is abandoned by all and finds himself destined to lead a desolate existence. He ends up in a hospital where he meets Bhargavi Amma, a retired professor, who is also desolate after the death of her daughter and is isolated in life. Dany and Bhargavi Amma develop an intimacy and travel back together from the hospital. But Dany passes away on the way. Anyhow Bhargavi Amma decides to perform the funeral rites in the Christian manner in the compound of her house, a house of orthodox Hindus. This creates certain problems which she decides to disregard.

Cast

 * Mammootty as Daniel Thompson aka Dany
 * Mallika Sarabhai as Bhargavi Amma
 * Vani Viswanath as Margarette, Dany's wife
 * Siddique as Freddy
 * Vijayaraghavan as Robert, Dany's son.
 * Maya Moushmi as Louisiana, Daughter of Dany and Clara
 * Ratheesh as Dr. Renji Thomas
 * Narendra Prasad as Fr. Simon
 * N. F. Varghese as Prof. Padmanabha Menon
 * Poornima Mohan as Madhavi
 * Urmila Unni as Jayalakshmi
 * Devadevan Vijayaraghavan as younger Robert and Albert, Robert's son
 * Aliyar as Narayanan Nair
 * Irshad as Murukan
 * Sona Nair as Anna
 * Reena
 * Sivaji as Ramabhadran
 * P. Sreekumar as Chavaro
 * Raji Menon as Clara, as Dany's first wife

Awards

 * National Film Awards
 * Best Feature Film in Malayalam - T. V. Chandran
 * Kerala State Film Awards
 * Best Director - T. V. Chandran
 * Best Photography - K. G. Jayan
 * Best Processing Lab - Chitranjali
 * Other awards
 * John Abraham Award for Best Malayalam Film - T. V. Chandran