Azhakiya Ravanan 1996

Shankar Das Mammootty is a wealthy man who returns to his ancestral village in Alappuzha, keeping his past hidden from the locals. During his youth, he served the local feudal lord, Chathothu Panicker Rajan P Dev. He left after being severely punished for kissing the lord’s young daughter, Anuradha Bhanupriya, and later fled to Mumbai to build a successful business empire.

Back in the village, incognito, he basks in the praise of his sycophants. He reveals his identity to Ambujakshan Sreenivasan, his childhood friend who works as a tailor and dreams of becoming a novelist. He also confides his interest in Anuradha, and Ambujakshan convinces him to back a film, arguing it would earn him the villagers’ respect and help win Anuradha. The production of the film begins under Sharath Biju Menon, a man who is also Anuradha’s love interest.

Shankar offers unsolicited financial help to Panicker’s family. He soon notices the growing affection between Anuradha and Sharath, which brings the filming to a halt. Shankar then proposes to Anuradha, but she declines. Yet the family, indebted to him, pressures her to marry him. Infuriated, Anuradha decides she will not present herself as a virgin before Shankar and instead has a relationship with Sharath. After the marriage, Shankar reveals that Sharath accepted money from him to refrain from causing trouble for their union, causing further heartbreak for Anuradha. She eventually confesses her liaison with Sharath to Shankar. In the end, Shankar embraces Anuradha, and their marriage resumes.