Question

When Malayalam film is an adaptation of Othello?

• A. Kodiyettam
• B. Kaliyattam
• C. Udayananu Tharam
• D. Elippathayam

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Kaliyattam

The Malayalam film that is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello is Kaliyattam (1997).

• Director: Jayaraj

• Year of Release: 1997

• Main Cast: Suresh Gopi, Manju Warrier, Lal, and Biju Menon

  Kaliyattam cleverly transposes the plot, characters, and themes of Shakespeare's Othello into the cultural backdrop of Theyyam, a traditional ritual art form of North Malabar, Kerala.

  National Awards Milestones:

  • Suresh Gopi won the National Film Award for Best Actor (1997) for his brilliant portrayal of Kannan Perumalayan (Othello).

  • Jayaraj won the National Film Award for Best Direction (1997) for this movie.

  Character Mapping (Shakespeare vs. Kaliyattam)

  Shakespeare's Othello	Kaliyattam Equivalent	Actor	Role / Description
  Othello	Kannan Perumalayan	Suresh Gopi	The tragic protagonist; a revered Theyyam artist who is insecure about his appearance.
  Desdemona	Thamara	Manju Warrier	Perumalayan's beautiful and loyal wife.
  Iago	Paniyan	Lal	The main antagonist who maliciously manipulates Perumalayan out of jealousy.
  Cassio	Kanthan	Biju Menon	The innocent assistant whom Paniyan uses to spark jealousy in Perumalayan.