‘Yugapurushan’ is well acted and seriously mounted, but maintains a half way stand between being a biopic and a historical. As a historical it remains a bit too concerned with its protagonist, and lets history move towards the periphery of the narrative. As a biopic, ‘Yugapurushan’ fails to leave a mark, and very rarely rises above a chronicled picturisation of the great sage’s most popular sermons.

The film as it is, documents the chief happenings during the age, and it’s unquestionable that the Guru is invariably linked to most of these milestones. The Vaikom Satyagraha with T K Madhavan (Devan) at its helm, the meeting of the Guru with contemporary legends as Gandhiji and Tagore, or the capsizing of the ‘Redeemer’ are thus finely captured in the film.

The factual precision that the film maintains throughout is impressive. There are few instances that have escaped the eyes of the filmmaker and starting off with the installation of the Sivalinga at Aruvippuram, he takes us on a journey with the spiritual master as he sets up several temples across the state for the downtrodden. His personal relations with his contemporaries and disciples are explored to a limited extent, be it with Sahodaran Ayyappan (Jishnu), Dr.Palpu (Siddiq) or Pavitran Namboothiri (Sai Kumar). The film ends with the final installation of the mirror as an idol at Kadavamkodam temple.

There are two characters that refuse to be transformed by the passage of time in the film. K C Kuttan, (Mammootty) the firebrand revolutionary who lends a staunch support to the Guru, and Kumaranasan (Saji Vakkanad) the reformer poet who initiated a social revolution through his verse, remain as young as ever, even as the Guru grows older. That they are icons of truth and that truth never grows old might be an explanation, but how would one then explain the Guru growing old, since there is no greater icon of truth than the Sage himself?

There are any number of personae, who walk into the film from across history, and every time it happens, there is a detrimental yank in the account when someone standing around forces a question to find out and let us know who has just arrived. Hence, when a sprightly young man (Babu Antony) challenges the upper caste goons to even as much lay a finger on his hapless associates, someone among the crowd makes his way forward and asks him who he is. Ayyankali is the answer.

The fictional elements in the film that the director brings in to hold a mirror to the highly corroded social landscape are what fail him terribly. The dramatics go overboard both with Paramu (Jagathy Sreekumar), the drunkard who makes life a hell for his family or Koran (Kalabhavan Mani) who marries Savitri Antarjanam (Navya Nair) and who sets off a radical social reform movement. There are also undeniable flashes of superstardom in K C Kuttan, when he embarks on a rampage against social inequity and proclaims that brawn is as necessary as brains in this struggle.

The remarkable similarity of Thalaivasal Vijay to the Guru might seem astonishing, and the actor leaves us breathless with a performance that brims over with such fine nuances and compassion, and that is sure to win him several laurels. The unmistakable piousness in his eyes and the dejection and grief that finally creep into them as he laments the futility of his efforts, ensure that the film entirely belongs to him.

The period sets and the costumes have a tableau like accuracy to them that makes it more picture perfect and perhaps a tad less natural. The song that sounded more like an emotional flare-up and the few action sequences that appear like unneeded diversions, might have been added on as an afterthought.

It’s only in the final moments of the film that we get to the see the Guru as a person; till then he eludes us in a mysterious sort of way, and we get to see him more through the eyes of several others. The portrait of the Guru is unrevealed till the very end, and as much as the biography remains well intentioned, it leaves us wanting for much more.

Biju Menon, Thalaivasal Vijay and Director Joshi were also present with the cast and crew of the movie.. ‘Yugapurushan’ is directed by Mr.R Sukumar.‘Yugapurushan’ has six songs composed by Mohan Sitara. Songs are written by Kaithapram. The film will release in theaters on 5th Feb under the banner of A V A productions.

In 1923 with the blessing of Narayana Guru, he started the Narayana Gurukula Movement. In 1928 Narayana Guru sent his beloved disciple for a final finishing course at the Sorbonne, in Paris, The future Nataraja Guru received his Doctorate of Letters from the Sorbonne on presenting a thesis on “The Personal Factor in the Educative Process.” Subsequently he joined the Fellowship School in Geneva and taught there as a physics teacher for five years,

While Nataraja Guru was in Geneva he wrote a series of articles in the Sufi Quarterly. This caught the attention of eminent western thinkers such as Romain Rolland, Sir Francis Young Husband and Sommersmet Maugham. Afterward Nataraja Guru established fifteen Centers of the Narayana Gurukula in India and also centers in New Jersey (U.S.A.), Ghent (Belgium), Geneva (Switzerland), and Singapore in South East Asia.
In his well known book The Word of The Guru there is a short biography of Narayana Guru, throwing light on the Guru’s teachings. Nataraja Guru also commented on Narayana Guru’sAtmoapadesa Satakam (One Hundred Verses of Self. Instruction). Nataraja Guru’s interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita also throws light on Narayana Guru’s attitude towards the Gita. Nataraja Guru was a strong follower of Guru and was keen to take Guru’s teaching worldwide. He was involved in SNDP yogum too active in the freedom movement. He was much of a scholar, writer and follower of guru than a reformer.

Next, he started a Sanskrit school in Varkala. Poor boys and orphans were taken under his care. They were given education regardless of caste distinctions. At Varkala a temple for Anjengo (Anjaneya) was built. Temples were built at different places – Trichur, Kannur, Tellicherry , Calicut, Mangalore. A temple was built for Sharada Devi in 1912, at Sivagiri. Worship at such temples helped to reduce to a large extent superstitious beliefs and practices. In 1913, he founded an Ashram at Alwaye. It was called Advaita Ashram. This was an important event in his spiritual quest. That Ashram was dedicated to a great principle – Om Sahodaryam Sarvatra (all men are equal in the eyes of God). This became the motto of the new Ashram.

When Narayana Guru attained the age of sixty, his birth day was observed throughout the west-coast from Mangalore to Sri Lanka. Between the years 1918 and 1923 he visited and taught in Sri Lanka. In 1921, a Conference of Universal Brotherhood was held at Alwaye. Again in 1924, a conference of all religions was held at Alwaye. The Guru stressed the need for a Brahma Vidyalaya for a comparative study of different religious faiths. An institution called NarayanaGurukula was established at the Nilgiris. Sree Narayana Guru Devan has many followers and disciples. Nataraja Guru a notable disciple of Sree Narayana Guru introduced Guru’s visions and ideals to the western world. He worked towards buidling ‘Gurukulams’ across the world. He was a great scholar and had a never ending thirst for knowledge. He had pure devotion for Sree Narayana Guru.

During his visit to Kerala he met many Social reformers like Sree Narayana Guru, Chattambi Swami and so on. He was impressed by the by greatness of these social reformers and mentioned about Sree Narayan Guru and Chattambi Swamy in his books. Swamy Vivekanda met Yugapurushan Narayana Guru and shared ideas about the social reforms needed. These discussions later proved useful in the reform movements in Kerala. He had keen interst in the development of weaker sections of Kerala. He wanted the reformers to restructure the social structure of Kerala. He was so surprised by the rigid caste system that followed and he asked to organize themselves against it. He wanted everyone to have education and a standard living condition.

From Kerala he further went south to Kanyakumari where land’s end. Here, the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal meet. By the time Swami Vivekananda had reached Kanyakumari, he was almost penniless. He did not have the money to pay for a boat ride that would take him to a rock out into the sea. Swami Vivekananda plunged into the sea (which was infested with sharks) and swam across to get there. He meditated on that rock for 3 days on the past, present and future of India. Then, looking back as from a mountain, Swami Vivekananda embraced the whole of the country he had just traversed.

Swami Vivekananda said: “The whole universe is one. Everything in the universe is yours, stretch out your arms and embrace it with love. If you ever felt you wanted to do that, you have felt God.”

Sri.Vidyadhiraja Chattambi Swami Thiruvadikal was one of the most worshiped and respected spiritual leaders and social reformer of  Kerala.  Chattambi Swami, born on August 25, 1853 in a poor Nair family known as Ulloorcode, near Kollur Mutt in Kannanmool, Thiruvananthapuram.  Vasudeva Sharma was his father and Thirunanga mother.  He was named  Ayyappan, but he was known by per name ‘Kunjan’.  Unlike Sree Narayana Guru he could not join a school for his studies due to the poor condition of his family.  He still went to the Kollur Athiyar Mutt and  overheard teaching of the ‘Asan’ whom later allowed to sit in the class.

He was taught Malayalam, Sanskrit and Tamil languages from this School. He used to supervise the class and therefore, he was called as ‘Chattambi’, which meant ‘monitor’. After his education, he took the job of document writing .  He was also served as an Accountant in the Government Secretariat. He learnt  ‘Hat yoga’ from Thaikkattu Ayyavu, a hat-yogi. He also learnt Tamil vedic literature. He then became a disciple of the famous pandit and scholar Subha Jatapathikal and was under him for some years.  He also traveled throughout South India to learn different languages and religions.  On return, he mastered the art of yoga from Admananda Swamikal.

Chattambi Swamikal wrote Pracheena Malayalam a precious book as far as the Nair community is concerned. Swamikal refused the story from the myths that Kerala was a gifted land of Brahmins by Parasurama.  He strongly refused this story through valid and authoritative documentsfrom the past with proofs and through realistic vision.  This book is the authoritative history of Kerala and that of the Nair community.  He believed that Nairs were the leaders of the people and were lesser to none. He said Kerala was not a gifted land of Brahmins but Brahmins migrated to Kerala from North India and took possession of the land and property of Nairs and even the governing rights and gradually made Nairs  their dependents. The foreign travelers in early times who visited Kerala made made special mention about the lordships and war tactics of Nairs and these were mentioned in Chatabi Swamis teachings and books

Swami also proves that Vedas are not the monopoly of Brahmins, but all Hindus alike can verse it.  He believed and established the fact that even Sudras had the right to learn Vedas as knowledge is essential to all people like food and water and that nobody has the right to deny them.

The works of Chattambi Swami and Narayana Guru contributed for the social progress of Kerala by breaking the supremacy of Brahmins and by doing away with the superstitious beliefs and customs in society. It also contributed much for the social reforms and upliftment of Backward classes. His views for upliftment off all the suppressed castes drew Narayana Guru and him together. He was against treating the Lower castes as slaves. He wanted the lower castes also to get educated. He was believed to teach Sree Narayana Guru Yoga.

Chattambi Swamikal was a multi-faced personality.  He was a saint who attained divine knowledge without performing Thapass , a saint without the saffron, a friend of the world who loved all creations of GOD alike, great philosopherand social reformer who pioneered the social relations without being a part of it, a famous scholar who had no higher education, an expert who built up his knowledge out of his experience, a social reformer who succeeded in establishing cordial relations between different communities and a learned intellectual genius of our times.

Ayanakalli and Guru shared many view points and also had organized many struggles together. But Ayankalli was not interested in the independence movement while Guru was interested in it. Ayyankali and his followers asserted their freedom to travel through the public road from Venganoor to Trivandrum and they exercised it too. But during the return journey the upper caste pounced upon them with weapons, but only to be beaten by the Ayyankali Troops. To organize the untouchables and Dalit Christians, in 1907, Ayyankali founded an organization called the Sadhu Jana Paripalana Sangham (SJPS) patterned on the SNDP Yogam.. The prime objective of this organization was to safeguard the basic rights of the untouchables.
Ayyankali was the first man in Kerala to demand agricultural land for the untouchables.
Although Ayyankali was uneducated, he started a monthly called ‘Sadhu Jana Paripalini’ in 1916 with the help of his colleagues. Probably it was the first magazine to be brought out by untouchable. Ayyankali ordered the untouchable women to give up their habit of wearing necklace of carved granite since it was the sign of slavery. Ayyankali did not give much importance to the temple entry movement in Kerala. Ayyankali did not show any inclination towards the Congress, Gandhi or the Independence movement.

Ayyankali was also conscious about the political rights of his people. In the Maharaja’s Praja Sabha, every section of society was given a representation but the Pulayas numbering 5,00,000 were represented by Karamana P. K. Govinda Pillai, a high caste Hindu. Therefore, in 1912, when the Maharaja as a member of the Sree Moolam Praja Sabha nominated Ayyankali, he requested the Majaraja to nominate one representative per 100,000 Pulayas. In his first speech in 1912, he strongly demanded allotment of public land for the untouchables. On March 12, 1912 he demanded the entry of Pulaya children into schools and fee-concessions for them. He also asked for appointments of Pulayas in health, medical and engineering departments. On February 29, 1916 in his speech at the Praja Sabha, he demanded 500 acres of land for the untouchables.
Ayyankali also started a system of parallel courts to settle the disputes between the untouchables. These community courts were held at the branch offices of SJPS. These community courts followed all the regular practices of the court. Lawyers came to argue and judgments, orders and directives were sent to the branch offices of SJPS for implementation. Without committing the breach of law to save his people from brutal punishments in the hands of the upper caste, Ayyankali created parallel law and order machinery.
Ayyankali died on June 18, 1941. He was a true leader of agricultural labourers, workers, untouchables and all the oppressed people of Kerala. The SJPS under his leadership ,and the SNDP under the leadership of Narayana Guru, were primarily responsible for the social changes in Kerala.