Direction: Shaji Kailas
Screenplay: Renji Panicker
Cast: Innocent, Parvathy, Nedumudi Venu, Jagathy Sreekumar, Rizabawa, Kuthiravattam Pappu, Jagadish, Paravoor Bharathan, Thikkurisi Sukumaran Nair, Kalpana, Meena, KPAC Lalitha, Philomina, Mammukoya, Vijayaraghavan, NL Balakrishnan, Krishnan Kutty Nair, Sainuddin, Kunchan
Release: 1990
‘Dr. Pashupathy’ is set in a rural village named ‘Pokkanamkod’. Most of the people in the village are illiterate. The villagers make a living out of agriculture, fish farming and cattle rearing. Some of the landmarks of the village include a police aid post, which has two cops – Nanu Nair and Govindan Nair (who can’t even afford to buy full trousers), Androse’s Beedi (Cigar) shop, and, Kunjan Nair’s teashop. The biggest problem that the villagers are facing is the absence of a veterinary doctor. Since they are at the verge of drought, and cattle rearing is a pivotal part of the village’s financial backbone, they are in immediate need of a veterinary doctor.
A heated discussion is happening in the Panchayath office, between the ruling party and the opposition. The Panchayath President Unnikannan Nair (Nedumudi Venu), is in real trouble, because the opposition has decided to strip him off his power, if he fails to find a veterinary doctor in a week. The filmmaker soon introduces one of the ‘most loved’ people of Pokkanamkod – UDC Kumari (Kalpana). She has a clerical post in the Panchayath office and is in love with Balan (Jagadish). Balan aka Society Balan is a character in its own. He is an aspiring businessman. Wait for it. He has concrete plans on the same. He wants to be the proprietor of a dairy booth of Pokkanamkod, which is yet to be set up in the village! Balan’s father Kurup (Paravoor Bharathan) is the right hand of the Panchayath President, who also has the hots for UD Kumari(The tangled love story is worth the wait)! There is a parallel love story happening between Ammukkutty (Parvathy), the daughter of the President, and Pappan (Rizabawa), the son of Unnikannan Nair’s sister. Parvathy is Pappan’s
Murappennu, but her dad dislikes him, since he is a member of the opposition party.
As appointing a veterinary doctor is an existential problem for Unnikannan Nair, he urges Kurup to go fetch one. Kurup runs out of options and goes to meet Bhairavan (Innocent), owner of a cycle shop (FYI the second hand cycles that are listed for sale are stolen from the parking lot of packed theatres). Kurup wants Bhairavan to pretend as a veterinarian. Bhairavan is a quite popular conman, from lawyer, doctor and priest, he can shapeshifts into almost anything, so he takes a token advance and signs for the scam.
Next Monday, Bhairavan lands in Pokkanamkod. He receives a warm welcome. From elephant procession, to
Chenda Melam, the whole village gives a
grand reception to Dr. Pasupathy. Well, Bhairavan is now, Dr. Pasupathy. On the arrival, he gives an elaborate speech citing the reasons why he became a veterinarian. Long story short, Dr. Pasupathy decided to become a doctor, because his dad had a pet dog and asked to take care of it on his death bed. Dr. Pasupathy even boasts that he graduated from New Jersy and worked in several countries (which apparently he cannot spell and even doesnot exist!). We warned you! Bhairavan is a talented conman and does it with sheer perfection and the backstories are a must for him! He starts to win the hearts of the villagers. President Unnikannan Nair is now more loved by the villagers, and he accommodates the new doctor at his guest house. Upon seeing Ammukutty, Dr. Pasupathy establishes that he is ‘just 27’ (though he looks in his late 40s!) and is single. As days pass by, Dr. Pashupathy gets a new visitor, his ‘uncle from Singapore’, who is another petty thief.
President Unnikannan Nair and Pappan have a tiff, which results in the latter going to the city in search of a job (other than politics), so that he is worthy enough to ask Ammukutty’s hand in marriage.
Meanwhile, after Pappan leaves the village, Ammukutty’s parents start to plan to marry their daughter off to Dr. Pasupathy! Though Kurup, who knows that Dr. Pasupathy is a conman, tries to talk him off the proposal, the Doctor Strange refuses to do so. Well, if you want to know the rest, you will have to watch the movie!
