Pingami

Pingami is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Sathyan Anthikkad and written by Reghunath Paleri based on his own short story Kumarettan Parayaatha Kadha. It was produced by Mohanlal through the company Pranavam Arts, and stars himself along with Puneet Issar, Jagathy Sreekumar, Thilakan, Innocent, Kanaka, Sukumaran, Janardhanan and Oduvil Unnikrishnan in supporting roles. The film follows Captain Vijay, who forms a close bond with Kumaran, a severely injured man. However, when he dies, Vijay decides to investigate the cause of his death.

The music was composed by Johnson. The film was released on 27 May 1994 and was an average success at the box office. In a retrospective review in 2019, Kerala Kaumudi described Pingami as the most underrated film ever in Malayalam cinema. and over the years, the film has attained a cult following.

Plot
Captain Vijay Menon is an orphaned army officer, who returns on his annual leave to stay with his maternal aunt and uncle, who raised him and his younger sister after the untimely deaths of their parents and younger sister. One day, Vijay sees a social worker named Kumaran lying on the road after an accident and moaning for help. He takes Kumaran to a hospital, but is unable to save his life. Vijay finds out that Kumaran's accident was actually a pre-planned murder. With the help of his friend Kutti Hassan, he starts on a trail to find out the mystery behind the murder and in the midst, he finds out the missing links of his own life.

It is revealed that Kumaran was murdered by the same people who had killed Vijay's father, an honest IFS officer who apprehended smuggling of timber. Vijay's father's murder was witnessed by Kumaran, who tried to find justice for Vijay's family. This revelation prompts Vijay to seek vengeance on his father's killers in his own ways, while simultaneously falling in love with Kumaran's daughter Sridevi. Through Kumaran's diary and his own investigations, Vijay finds out that his mother and sister aren't dead, as Kumaran had rescued them and admitted his sister and mother in a charity home where he regularly visited them. Vijay is able to reunite with his family and successfully finishes Kumaran's and his mission for justice.

Cast

 * Mohanlal as Captain Vijay Menon, a military officer
 * Puneet Issar as Edwin Thomas / Achayan (voiceover by Prof. Aliyar) (The Main Antagonist)
 * Jagathy Sreekumar as Kutti Hassan
 * Innocent as Advocate Iyengar
 * Thilakan as Illipanath Narayanan Kumaran / Kumarettan
 * Kanaka as Sridevi, Kumaran's daughter
 * Sukumaran as George Mathews / George Achayan, an influential politician
 * Janardhanan as Retd SP Koshy Varghese
 * Devan as Vijay's father, a government officer
 * Shanthi Krishna as Subhadra, Menon's younger sister and Vijay's mother
 * Seetha as Parvathi, Vijay's younger sister
 * Vinduja Menon as Ganga / Mary / Chinnumol, Vijay's youngest sister
 * Oduvil Unnikrishnan as Menon, Vijay's maternal uncle
 * Meena as Menon's wife and Vijay's aunt
 * Kuthiravattam Pappu as Achuthan
 * Sankaradi as Muthappan
 * Mala Aravindan as Velichappadu
 * Kunchan as Auto driver Khader Kutty
 * Paravoor Bharathan as Advocate
 * T. P. Madhavan as Newspaper editor
 * V. K. Sreeraman as Police officer
 * Poornam Viswanathan as Varma, Revenue Intelligence officer
 * Sadiq as Studio owner
 * Ottapalam Pappan
 * Santhakumari as Kumarettan's wife and Sridevi's mother
 * Meena Ganesh as Kuttyhasan's mother
 * Santha Devi as Mother Superior
 * Abu Salim as Muthu
 * Bindu Varappuzha as Rukhiya
 * Antony Perumbavoor as Car driver Devasikutty

Production
Pingami was based on Raghunath Paleri's short story Kumarettan Parayatha Katha. He also wrote the screenplay. Sathyan Anthikkad made a genre change with Pingami who was usually known for making comical family dramas.

Music
The film features songs composed by Johnson and written by Kaithapram.

Release
The film was released on 27 May 1994.

Box office
It was an average success at the box office.

Critical response
Upon release the film received mixed reviews. However, modern reception has been more positive.