Vettam

Vettam is a 2004 Indian Malayalam-language screwball comedy film directed by Priyadarshan based on a screenplay he had co-written with Udayakrishna-Siby K. Thomas from his story. It was produced by Menaka through Revathy Kalamandhir and distributed by Swargachitra Release. The film stars Dileep and Bhavna Pani with Kalabhavan Mani, Innocent, Janardhanan, Nedumudi Venu and Jagathy Sreekumar in supporting roles.The film was a average success at box office but It has over the years attained a cult status.

The movie is mainly based on the 1995 movie French Kiss. The comedy scenes of this movie were later adapted by the director for his 2009 Hindi movie De Dana Dan.

Plot
Gopalakrishnan, a petty thief known as Gopi, steals a precious chain from a museum, drawing the attention of the police. On the run, he crosses paths with Veena, who aims to stop her lover, Felix, from marrying a tycoon's daughter. To avoid capture, Gopi hides the stolen chain in Veena's bag, but it mysteriously disappears, leading Gopi to believe Veena still has it. He decides to follow her on a train journey.

Things take a twist when Gopi is forced to jump off the train after Veena misses it while fetching water. Coincidentally, he lands in his hometown, where he is brutally beaten by his wicked elder brother. Gopi discovers that his younger sister's marriage is arranged to an older, wealthy, but uneducated man, orchestrated by his greedy elder brothers. He vows to find a better groom for his sister, but the stolen chain is still missing, and Veena appears to have it.

Veena possesses the chain and offers it to Gopi in exchange for his help. Gopi embarks on a quest to secure the funds for his sister's wedding and regain the family properties. Meanwhile, his friend Mani escapes town with his lover, Maala, and they all meet at a hotel in Mysore where Veena's lover Felix and his family are staying for an engagement ceremony.

Mathew 'Mathachan,' Felix's father, is in financial trouble and needs a significant amount of money. Fernandez, the bride's father, agrees to provide the money without knowing Mathachan's legal issues. Simultaneously, Mathachan's second wife, Swarnamma, plans to elope with a con man named Prince. Hamza Koya, a womaniser, is being pursued by a hitman, Paasha. A retired DIG of Police, Tom Uncle, is also staying at the hotel.Gopi instructs Mani to meet a dealer's aide to sell the stolen chain, using a rose as an identifier. However, the plan goes awry when Kurup, the father of Mani's lover, arrives with his henchmen. Chaos ensues as Kurup's daughter's name is Maala, and Gopi mistakenly refers to the chain as 'Maala.'

Paasha receives a photograph of the man he is supposed to kill, while Felix spots Veena and informs Mathachan. Mathachan and Paasha accidentally swap photographs, leading to confusion. A woman named Anushee arrives, wearing a dress matching Veena's, causing Mathachan to mistake her for Veena.

Koya enters Swarnamma's room, misunderstanding her intentions, which leads to further chaos. Another woman, Anusree, enters Tom Uncle's room, assuming him to be Koya. Tom Uncle finds her in his wardrobe, adding to the confusion.After a wedding party, Paasha falls into his own traps while trying to eliminate Fernandez. SI Lambodaran enters Mathachan's room, searching for him. Mani escapes Lambodaran and Kurup, running into Paasha's room. Felix mistakenly enters the con lady's room.

Gopi intends to give the chain to a dealer named Freddy but finds out that Freddy has been caught by the police. The senior officer reveals that Veena had pleaded to save Gopi's life and had returned the stolen chain to avoid legal trouble.Gopi had sacrificed for Veena without revealing it. Veena realises Gopi's sincerity and calls off her wedding with Felix. She accepts Gopi's proposal, and the story ends with the couple starting a new chapter of their life together.

Cast

 * Dileep as Gopalakrishnan (Gopi)
 * Bhavna Pani as Veena (Voice-Over By Bhagyalakshmi)
 * Kalabhavan Mani as Mani, Gopi's friend
 * Innocent as K. T. Mathew (Mathachan), Felix's father
 * Janardhanan as Fernandez (Achayan)
 * Nedumudi Venu as Retd.DIG Tom Uncle IPS, Fernandez's brother-in-law
 * Jagathy Sreekumar as Anthappan / Paasha, a professional killer
 * Cochin Haneefa as Kurup, Meghamala's father
 * Sukumari as Brajitta, Tom's uncle's wife
 * Jagadish as Hotel Waiter Sugunan
 * Mamukkoya as Hamsakoya/ Raman Kartha
 * Mithun Ramesh as Felix Mathew
 * Spadikam George as SI Lambodharan
 * Bindu Panicker as Swarnamma, Mathachan's second wife
 * Manka Mahesh as Susy, Fernandez's wife
 * Radha Ravi as IG Krishnaswamy IPS-Special Branch
 * Ajith Kollam as Abdullah
 * Geetha Vijayan as Anusree, Prostitute
 * Kalabhavan Navas as Prince, Swarnamma's secret lover
 * Sruthi Nair as Meghamala, Kurup's daughter
 * Vimal Raj as CI Dineshan
 * Sona Nair as 'Oppol', Gopi's elder sister
 * Baiju as Prathapan, Gopi's elder brother
 * Kalamandalam Kesavan as Parameshwaran, Gopi's father
 * Machan Varghese as Babu, Kurup's helper
 * Santhosh as Karunan, Gopi's elder brother
 * Ramu as Madhava Menon, Gopi's eldest brother
 * Ambalapuzha Raju as Mohanan, Train Station employee
 * Kunchan as Santhosh, Train ticket examiner
 * Nandhu as Rajeevan, thief
 * Nandu Pothuval as Sugunan, train passenger
 * Hakim Rawther as Kasim, Man at tea shop
 * Ajayan Adoor as Sathyan, Hotel Manager
 * D. Philip as Rameshan, Veena's father
 * Vallathol Unnikrishnan as Varkeyachan, Mathachan's brother-in-law
 * Krishna Prasad as Ganeshan, Hotel Manager
 * Kannan Pattambi as Chackochan, Kurup's helper
 * Joy Badlani as Virendhram
 * Vijayan Peringode as Chandran, Veena's paternal uncle
 * Priya Nambiar as Indu, Gopi's youngest sister
 * Sheetal Bedi as Special appearance in the song "Makkassayi"
 * Jayaram as Taxi driver (uncredited appearance)

Production
The film's producer Suresh Kumar was in deep debt during the post-production stages of the film. An Ernakulam court had ordered a stay on Vettam unless Suresh Kumar pays the due of Rs 64 Lakhs Shenoys Cinemax. Dhanya theatre in Trivandrum had also advanced Rs 50 Lakhs to the producer on condition that the film would be screened at their chain of theatres in Quilon and Changanacherry. Jyothika was initially cast as Veena but due to scheduling conflicts she was replaced by Bhavna Pani. A major part of the film was set and filmed at Howard Johnson's The Monarch Hotel in Ooty.

Soundtrack
The songs were composed by the duo Berny-Ignatius and the film score was composed by S.P. Venkatesh. Lyrics were written by Rajeev Alunkal, B.R. Prasad and Nadirsha. "Oru Kathilola Njan Kandilla", "Mazhathullikal Pozhinjeedumi", "I Love you December "were chartbusters upon release.

Release and reception
The film was released on 20 August 2004 on the occasion of Onam along with other films like Kazhcha, Natturajavu, and Sathyam. The film was average hit at the box office. The film was made with a budget of 2.25 crores. However, the film was only able to collect 4 crore at the box office in its final run, according to a report by Sify.com. It gained popularity after TV release and is considered as one of the movie with high repeat value.