# Bharatham (ഭരതം)
**Bharatham** (ഭരതം) is a 1991 Malayalam-language musical drama film directed by [Sibi Malayil](https://www.edgepedia.org/sibi-malayil) and written by A. K. Lohithadas, produced by Mohanlal under his banner Pranavam Arts. It tells the story of two brothers from a family with a [Carnatic music](https://www.edgepedia.org/carnatic-music) heritage, the elder Ramanathan and the younger Gopinathan, whose bond is strained when the elder's alcoholism forces the younger to take his place on stage[1](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/movies/bharatham.html) • [2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/bharatham). The film is especially known for its music, composed by Raveendran with lyrics by Kaithapram, and it won three [National Film Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-awards) and five Kerala State Film Awards[1](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/movies/bharatham.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 29 March 1991 (India), Malayalam language[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movie-details/bharatham/movieawards/65513704.cms) |
| Director / writer | Sibi Malayil; screenplay by A. K. Lohithadas[4](https://indiancine.ma/AFPG/documents) |
| Producer | Mohanlal, Pranavam Arts[5](https://www.mymovierack.com/show/bharatham) |
| Lead cast | Mohanlal as Kalloor Gopinathan, Nedumudi Venu as Kalloor Ramanathan, Urvashi, Lakshmi, Murali[4](https://indiancine.ma/AFPG/documents) |
| Music | Raveendran (songs), lyrics by Kaithapram; singers include K. J. Yesudas, Chitra, and Balamuralikrishna[1](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/movies/bharatham.html) |
| Awards | 3 National Film Awards and 5 Kerala State Film Awards[1](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/movies/bharatham.html) |
| Commercial result | Made for 2.8 million rupees (28 lakh rupees), collected more than 17.5 million (1.75 crore) from theaters[6](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-news/2021/09/15/1991-golden-years-of-malayalam-cinema.html) |
| Runtime | 2 hours 27 minutes[2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/bharatham) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The film follows the Kalloor brothers of a family with a Carnatic music heritage. Ramanathan ([Nedumudi Venu](https://www.edgepedia.org/nedumudi-venu)) is an accomplished singer whose popularity wanes because of his addiction to alcohol; his protege and younger brother Gopi (Mohanlal) is forced to substitute for him during a performance when Raman is booed off stage[4](https://indiancine.ma/AFPG/documents). This causes a rift between the brothers, and Gopi gives up singing until a chastened Raman persuades him to make a comeback at an important music festival[4](https://indiancine.ma/AFPG/documents).
Raman is then killed in a road accident, and Gopi has to keep the death a secret so as not to ruin the marriage prospects of his mute sister; he is later accused of having murdered his brother[4](https://indiancine.ma/AFPG/documents). Manorama's retrospective describes the sequence that audiences responded to most strongly: Gopi identifies his brother's body, buried as an unclaimed corpse, and then struggles to keep the news from the family[6](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-news/2021/09/15/1991-golden-years-of-malayalam-cinema.html).
The film is widely interpreted as a modern-day adaptation of the Ramayana from Bharata's perspective: in the absence of his elder brother, Gopi takes responsibility for the family and hides his grief, just as the epic's Bharata does during Rama's exile[5](https://www.mymovierack.com/show/bharatham). MUBI's synopsis likewise describes it as a retelling of the epic through the lives of two brothers, their affection, their professional rivalry, and the eventual transition of each person[7](https://mubi.com/en/us/films/bharatham).
## Production
**A story written in days.** The film's origin was unusually hurried. Sibi Malayil recalled that on January 23, 1991, he was set to start shooting a new film in Kozhikode with a switch-on ceremony at 7:30 am. When Lohithadas arrived and heard the story, he pointed out that it closely resembled *Oru Painkilikatha* by [Balachandra Menon](https://www.edgepedia.org/balachandra-menon), a film that had already been released[8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movies/news/i-wonder-how-i-made-bharatham-amid-all-that-stress-sibi-malayil/articleshow/76871422.cms).
The crew went ahead with the ceremony anyway, and Malayil then called Mohanlal, the lead actor and producer, who gave them a week to find a replacement story[8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movies/news/i-wonder-how-i-made-bharatham-amid-all-that-stress-sibi-malayil/articleshow/76871422.cms). According to Manorama's account, Lohithadas abandoned the original story and, traveling with Malayil to the Kozhikode beach, worked out the story of *Bharatham* there[6](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-news/2021/09/15/1991-golden-years-of-malayalam-cinema.html). Malayil remembers creating the story and making the film in two months, with songs sometimes arriving on the morning of the shoot and being executed the same day[8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movies/news/i-wonder-how-i-made-bharatham-amid-all-that-stress-sibi-malayil/articleshow/76871422.cms). In a later interview Malayil said the team never expected National Awards while making the movie, and that the original theme was different, with the story changed during the shooting process[9](https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2024/Mar/17/interview-credit-for-stories-goes-to-writers-i-only-translated-them-visually-says-director-sibi-malayil).
The film was made for 2.8 million rupees (28 lakh rupees) and 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).
## Music
The songs, composed by Raveendran to lyrics written by Kaithapram, are largely Carnatic classical and semi-classical, and the film is known mainly for its music and for the songs sung by the playback singer [K. J. Yesudas](https://www.edgepedia.org/k-j-yesudas)[1](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/movies/bharatham.html) • [4](https://indiancine.ma/AFPG/documents). Yesudas, Chitra, and Balamuralikrishna are the singers of the film's famous songs[1](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/movies/bharatham.html). The song "Ramakatha Ganalayam" earned Yesudas the National Award for Best Male Playback Singer[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237038/awards/).
The film belongs to a run of early-1990s Malayalam musicals in which the Sibi Malayil–Lohithadas team, with Raveendran's music and Mohanlal in the lead, brought Carnatic and semi-classical music into commercial cinema, alongside *His Highness Abdullah* (1990)[11](https://indiancine.ma/texts/indiancine.ma%3AEncyclopedia_of_Indian_Cinema/text.pdf).
## Awards
The film won three National Film Awards for 1991: the Silver Lotus Award for Best Actor for Mohanlal, cited by the jury for his range and the restraint he applied in portraying the much misunderstood musician; the Silver Lotus Award for Best Playback Singer (Male) for K. J. Yesudas for "Ramakatha Ganalayam"; and a Special Mention for Raveendran's music[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237038/awards/) • [3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movie-details/bharatham/movieawards/65513704.cms).
At the [Kerala State Film Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/kerala-state-film-awards) it won five honors: Second Best Film, Best Actress for Urvashi (shared with her work in other films), Best Music Director for Raveendran, and a Special Jury Award for Nedumudi Venu (shared with *Sandhwanam*), among others[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237038/awards/). It also won two Filmfare Awards Malayalam, for Best Director (Sibi Malayil) and Best Music Director (Raveendran)[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movie-details/bharatham/movieawards/65513704.cms).
## Reception and legacy
The film holds an IMDb rating of 8.4 out of 10 from about 3,500 users[12](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237038/ratings/). Commentators have repeatedly placed it among the best Malayalam films; the Indian Express wrote that it may be one of the best films ever made in Malayalam[13](https://malayalam.indianexpress.com/entertainment/mohanlal-movie-bharatham-an-old-pic/).
**A debated award.** The Best Actor National Award to Mohanlal generated lasting discussion, because many argued that Nedumudi Venu, as Ramanathan, deserved it more; the Indian Express records that Venu himself responded that Ramanathan had only one path to travel, while Gopinathan often walked a tightrope over life[13](https://malayalam.indianexpress.com/entertainment/mohanlal-movie-bharatham-an-old-pic/).
The film remains in circulation: it streams on ManoramaMax and, with ads, on JioHotstar in India[2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/bharatham). Decades after release it is still a frequent subject of discussion on social media, and Mohanlal has described it as a film that changed his career[14](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/features/mohanlal-says-about-bharatham-movie-058807.html).
## References
1. [ഭരതം കഥ | Bharatham Movie Story, FilmiBeat Malayalam](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/movies/bharatham.html)
2. [Bharatham streaming: where to watch movie online? JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/bharatham)
3. [Bharatham Awards: List of Awards won by Malayalam movie Bharatham, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movie-details/bharatham/movieawards/65513704.cms)
4. [Bharatham (Sibi Malayil) 1991, Indiancine.ma](https://indiancine.ma/AFPG/documents)
5. [Bharatham (1991), MyMovieRack](https://www.mymovierack.com/show/bharatham)
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. [Bharatham, MUBI](https://mubi.com/en/us/films/bharatham)
8. [I wonder how I made Bharatham amid all that stress: Sibi Malayil, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movies/news/i-wonder-how-i-made-bharatham-amid-all-that-stress-sibi-malayil/articleshow/76871422.cms)
9. [Interview: Sibi Malayil, The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2024/Mar/17/interview-credit-for-stories-goes-to-writers-i-only-translated-them-visually-says-director-sibi-malayil)
10. [Bharatham (1991) – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237038/awards/)
11. [Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema entry on Sibi Malayil, Indiancine.ma](https://indiancine.ma/texts/indiancine.ma%3AEncyclopedia_of_Indian_Cinema/text.pdf)
12. [Bharatham (1991) – Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237038/ratings/)
13. [ഭരതം; എങ്ങനെ മറക്കും മലയാളം ഇവരെ? Indian Express Malayalam](https://malayalam.indianexpress.com/entertainment/mohanlal-movie-bharatham-an-old-pic/)
14. [ഭരതം ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച ചിത്രം, വെളിപ്പെടുത്തി മോഹൻലാൽ, FilmiBeat Malayalam](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/features/mohanlal-says-about-bharatham-movie-058807.html)
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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 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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