THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, OCTOBER 25, 2025 — A scathing dialogue from the 2008 Malayalam film Roudram, originally perceived as a reflection of the deep-seated political rivalry between then-CM V.S. Achuthanandan and CPM Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, has unexpectedly surged back into the political mainstream. Today, the dialogue is being weaponized by critics against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, alleging a complete capitulation to the BJP-led central government.
Directed by Renji Panicker, the film featured a plot where a Chief Minister attempts to manipulate a police investigation—led by Mammootty’s character—to shield his own son, who is portrayed as the villain. This scenario provides the crucial context for the famous monologue that is now intensifying the current political debate.
The Dialogue’s Chilling Relevance
The climactic portion of the dialogue, delivered by Mammootty’s character to the fictional Chief Minister, resonates with chilling relevance to the present:
“When power, titles, and positions are stripped away, and a pyre burns down in the vast graveyard where great men rest, when the last ‘Inquilab’ is proclaimed, only one final epithet will remain engraved in the hearts of the people, in the hearts of comrades, in the heart of your movement: ‘A leftist but arrogant, a comrade who betrayed.’ In one word, Sir: ‘Ottukaran’ (Traitor).“
From Comrade to ‘Father’
Critics argue that this ‘Ottukaran’ label now accurately defines Chief Minister Vijayan, who has governed Kerala since 2016. The accusation is that he has entirely “swallowed” Communist values and principles to protect his family.
The controversy is exacerbated by ongoing central agency investigations into the Chief Minister’s daughter, Veena Vijayan, and the recent summons issued by a central agency to his son. Critics assert that Pinarayi Vijayan has abandoned his Communist principles and become merely a “father” desperate to shield his children.
Political commentators suggest the recent sequence of events—including the lack of further action on the son’s summons and the slow pace of investigation in the daughter’s case—is evidence that the CM’s alleged “fall at the feet of the BJP” has borne fruit.
The PM-Shri Turning Point
The most recent development adding credence to the ‘surrender’ narrative is the Chief Minister’s decision to finally sign off on the Centre’s PM-Shri scheme, a project the state had initially opposed with fierce ideological resistance. This move stands in stark contrast to the firm opposition maintained by fellow non-BJP CMs, such as Tamil Nadu’s M.K. Stalin and West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee.
For critics, Pinarayi Vijayan’s bowing down on the PM-Shri issue mirrors the defeated posture of the Chief Minister’s character in Roudram—a poignant visual metaphor of a Communist leader allegedly betraying the party’s tenets and principles for the sake of his family.
Historians and political analysts warn that the Chief Minister, who once championed unyielding ideological rigidity, risks being recorded in history solely as an “Ottukaran”—the traitor who sold out for his children.
