Kavyamela (1965): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1965, Kavyamela is a drama film directed by M. Krishnan Nair, running about 138 minutes.

What it’s about. Jayadevan is a blind poet who lives with his sister, her husband and their child. He leaves because he no longer wishes to be a burden to them. He decides to go to Trivandrum to seek treatment, but on his way he meets the crooked Vikraman, but later leaves him. Lost, he stands and sings to the goddess Sridevi, just as Sridevi and her friends have come to a park for a picnic. Not realizing he is blind, Sridevi slaps him. Several men who saw the incident take him to a local doctor, who happens to be the father of Sridevi. The doctor was also friends with Jayadevan's father, so he takes him in and operates on him. When Jayadevan is able to return to working, he creates a collection of poems, but Vikraman gets hold of it and publishes it under his own name. The poems become a sensation, Vikraman is to be honoured for the work, but Jayadevan manages to reveal the truth.

Who’s in it. Kavyamela stars Prem Nazir as Jayadevan, Sheela as Shridevi, Adoor Bhasi and Nilambur Ayisha as Bhavaniyamma, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 8.0/10, Kavyamela sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Sun Nxt. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Kavyamela page.

If you liked it. Fans of Kavyamela tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.