The cellular jail or kalapani was imprisoned in 1906 by the Britishers in India to imprison Indian independence fighters. This notable prison shelter is located in Port Blair in Andaman.Vd. Prominent freedom fighters like Savarkar, Barin Ghosh, Hemchandra Das, Maha Beersim, Kamal Nath Tiwari, Bhukteshwar Dutt, Shiv Verma, Jaidev Kapoor and Gaya Prasad were also jailed for cellular imprisonment. It was later made a memorial in 1969 after Independence.G. S. Sethu of the Indian Army goes to Ross Island, Kaalapani to find the whereabouts of his aunt Parvathi's husband, Govardhan Menon(Mohanlal) who has been sent to jail in the year during the British Rule. In an old room containing record of prisoners held at the jail, Sethu comes across Govardhan's records and learns his story.indicating that she will never come to know about Govardhan's death and will keep waiting for him for the rest of her life.

I have heard about KalaPaani punishment and read about Andaman cellular jail,and its jailers brutal punishments and also as a Indian of this after independence age i was curious about making a film on such an issue and how well they might make(made) it?after watching movie(i have heard about it when am just 12 yr old n watched now 28..)i felt sad not about film but the punishment given to inmates...film is made very well with blasting cast mainly MohanlaL ,praBU ,AMARI SH PURI, TEENU -ANanD ANnu kapoor..in every department film excels well.. i have watched many hilarious comedy movies by pr i y an, but never thought he'll make such an film (kancheevaram too)..but he's genius on far with Mani rathnam and ram gopal varma...its a cinema which will showcase Indian directors capability to handle such an issue well and make films on far with west film makers.>>>splendid performance by MOHAN LAL,AMARISH PURI,PRABHU(SHIVAJI),MOHAN LAL Excels ONCE AGAIN AFTER IRUVAR(ANOTHER FANTASTIC MOVIE BY MANI RATHNAM N MOHAN LAL'S PERFORMANCE)all Indians should watch it too know the freedom fighters plight their sacrifice for our country's independence ...i give whole 10/10 for it... it deserves it..go watch it...

I wish that I could agree with the viewers below about the cinematography, sound, and overall quality of the film but the Eros DVD completely failed to capture any of that. The picture quality was somewhat grainy like an old 70s film and, halfway through the film, I had to reduce the sound substantially because of all the static and distortion. Finally, I had to spend close to 45 minutes to finish the last chapter since it kept stopping and, at times, had to see it frame by frame.Aside from the technical aspects, I felt that the acting by the British actors was either stilted, poorly acted or over acted. I also wish that the two main actors did not look so much alike -- same moustache and body type. In one scene, when they were fighting, it was frequently difficult to tell them apart. Had the same problem with some of the leads in LA Confidential. Teen Deewarein was much better at giving three very distinct characters in every way. I also wished that the director would not have borrowed a scene from Schindler's List -- where all the prisoner's are registering on the island. For anyone who has seen Schindler's List, this scene lessens the impact of the film from then on since, in the back of your mind, you start to wonder what else has been taken from what movies and how much of the overall film can really be believed.Despite all my misgivings above, I felt the story was well-written and all the Indian actors performed exceptionally well. I only wish that I had seen the same film that everyone else saw.

Priyadarshan's magnum-opus is one of the finest depictions of pre-independence India that i have ever seen. In this moving cinematic spectacle, Mohanlal essays the role of Govardhan with elan, while Prabhu acts as a perfect foil, with the supporting cast also doing a commendable job. The cinematography is breath-taking, and the screenplay and editing are top-class. Being one of the first Indian movies to use DTS technology, it has been used very effectively in the movie. The plot is brilliantly crafted, and the ending is superb. An absolute must-see.