# Amaram (അമരം)
**Amaram** (അമരം) is a 1991 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by [Bharathan](https://www.edgepedia.org/bharathan), written by A. K. Lohithadas, and produced by Babu Thiruvalla, starring [Mammootty](https://www.edgepedia.org/mammootty) as a poor fisherman who sacrifices everything to educate his daughter.[1](https://indiancine.ma/AFMU) • [2](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/movies/amaram.html) It was released on 1 February 1991.[3](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/movies/amaram.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 1 February 1991, Malayalam language, drama genre[3](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/movies/amaram.html) |
| Director / writer | Bharathan (director and one of the art directors); screenplay by A. K. Lohithadas[1](https://indiancine.ma/AFMU) • [4](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/17925/malayalam/amaram/cast-and-crew/) • [11](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/amaram) |
| Lead cast | Mammootty as Achootty, Maathu as Radha, Ashokan as Raghavan, Murali as Kochu Raman, KPAC Lalitha as Bhargavi[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/amaram) |
| Music and camera | Music by Raveendran; cinematography by Madhu Ambat[4](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/17925/malayalam/amaram/cast-and-crew/) |
| Runtime | About 2 hours 16 minutes (02:13:32 per one archive listing)[1](https://indiancine.ma/AFMU) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/amaram) |
| Budget and gross | Made for 2.8 million rupees (28 lakh rupees); earned more than 17.5 million rupees (1.75 crore rupees) in theaters[6](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-news/2021/09/15/1991-golden-years-of-malayalam-cinema.html) |
| Awards | National Film Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (KPAC Lalitha); Kerala State Second Best Actor (Murali); Filmfare Award Malayalam Best Actor (Mammootty, 1992)[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0155487/awards/) |
## Spoilers
### Story
The film is set in a fishing village and was shot on location there.[1](https://indiancine.ma/AFMU) Achootty (Mammootty) is an uneducated fisherman who watched his wife die in childbirth for want of medical aid, and he resolves to make his daughter Radha (Maathu) a doctor.[1](https://indiancine.ma/AFMU) • [2](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/movies/amaram.html) Radha loves her childhood friend Raghavan (Ashokan), but Raghavan disapproves of her education as well as of her possessive father, and Achootty's dreams are shattered when she falls in love.[1](https://indiancine.ma/AFMU) • [2](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/movies/amaram.html)
The supporting cast includes Murali as Kochu Raman, KPAC Lalitha as Bhargavi, Balan K. Nair as Pillaichan, Chitra, and Kuthiravattam Pappu as Raman Kutty.[4](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/17925/malayalam/amaram/cast-and-crew/) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/amaram)
## Production
Bharathan, who lived from 14 November 1946 to 30 July 1998, is noted as a founder of a new school of filmmaking in [Malayalam cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/malayalam-cinema) in the 1980s, along with [Padmarajan](https://www.edgepedia.org/padmarajan) and [K. G. George](https://www.edgepedia.org/k-g-george), making films that were widely received while also critically acclaimed.[8](https://watch.plex.tv/sv/person/bharathan-1?context.unit=HC) On Amaram he worked as director and art designer, the last alongside Sabu Cyril, while A. K. Lohithadas wrote the screenplay.[4](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/17925/malayalam/amaram/cast-and-crew/) • [9](https://moviebuff.herokuapp.com/bharathan) • [11](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/amaram)
The 40-day shoot took place on the Omanapuzha beach at [Alappuzha](https://www.edgepedia.org/alappuzha).[6](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-news/2021/09/15/1991-golden-years-of-malayalam-cinema.html) Much of the film faithfully uses the dialect of the fisherfolk, and one retrospective account locates the film's realism mainly in Madhu Ambat's camerawork.[1](https://indiancine.ma/AFMU) The editors were V. T. Vijayan and B. Lenin, and the production companies were Mak Productions and Symphony Creations.[4](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/17925/malayalam/amaram/cast-and-crew/)
## Reception and box office
Made on a budget of 2.8 million rupees (28 lakh rupees), the film collected more than 17.5 million rupees (1.75 crore rupees) from theaters.[6](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-news/2021/09/15/1991-golden-years-of-malayalam-cinema.html) Manorama's retrospective of 1991, a year it calls a golden year of Malayalam cinema, describes Amaram as a milestone in Mammootty's acting career, noting that many of its scenes still move audiences to tears.[6](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-news/2021/09/15/1991-golden-years-of-malayalam-cinema.html) The film also carries the reputation of being the largest seaside film shot in Malayalam after *Chemmeen*.[6](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-news/2021/09/15/1991-golden-years-of-malayalam-cinema.html)
## Awards
KPAC Lalitha won the National Film Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as Bhargavi.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0155487/awards/) • [3](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/movies/amaram.html) At the [Kerala State Film Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/kerala-state-film-awards), Murali won Second Best Actor and KPAC Lalitha won Second Best Actress, and Madhu Ambat won Best Cinematographer.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0155487/awards/) Mammootty won the 1992 Filmfare Award for the Malayalam film industry as Best Actor.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0155487/awards/)
## Availability and other uses of the name
The film carries an IMDb rating of 8.4 from about 3,500 votes.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/amaram) As of a 2025 check it was available for streaming in India on JioHotstar but not in the United States.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/amaram) A separate 2026 Tamil-language film also titled Amaram, directed by Thiruarul Krishnan and starring Rajan Tejeshwar and Ira Agarwal, is an unrelated crime thriller set in the [Eastern Ghats](https://www.edgepedia.org/eastern-ghats).[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38873953/)
## References
1. [Amaram (B.G. Bharathan) 1991, Indiancine.ma](https://indiancine.ma/AFMU)
2. [Amaram 1991, Filmibeat (English)](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/movies/amaram.html)
3. [അമരം, Filmibeat Malayalam](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/movies/amaram.html)
4. [Amaram Cast and Crew, Nowrunning](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/17925/malayalam/amaram/cast-and-crew/)
5. [Amaram (1991) streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/amaram)
6. [1991; മലയാള സിനിമയുടെ സുവർണവർഷം, Manorama Online](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-news/2021/09/15/1991-golden-years-of-malayalam-cinema.html)
7. [Amaram (1991) Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0155487/awards/)
8. [Bharathan, Plex](https://watch.plex.tv/sv/person/bharathan-1?context.unit=HC)
9. [Bharathan, Moviebuff](https://moviebuff.herokuapp.com/bharathan)
10. [Amaram (2026), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38873953/)
11. [Amaram on Moviebuff.com](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/amaram)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Malayalam films before 2010*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license