Varavelpu

Varavelpu is a 1989 Indian Malayalam language black comedy film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan, starring Mohanlal, Revathi, Sreenivasan, Thilakan, Murali, Innocent, and Jagadish. The film was produced by K. Rajagopal. It depicted trade union problems plaguing Kerala and the issues created by union members and the dirty politics which is prevalent in present governance and is narrated in a satirical dark comedy

The film was based on a real life incident in Sreenivasan's father's life. The film was an average grosser at box office but later gained a cult status and following. The movie was remade in Hindi as Chal Chala Chal.

Murali returns to his hometown after spending 7 long years hard working in the gulf to settle down peacefully in his hometown. Much against the greedy wishes of his family members, he decides to buy a second hand bus that comes along with a route permit. This is when he faces a lot of hardships. Starting from an accident because of the inefficient driver, a cheating conductor, to a cunning union leader, Murali's life is taken for a toss with ever growing challenges one after the other. He eventually gets an offer from a labour officer, which he turns down. He says that he has already lost this game, and he prefers to move for a better job. At last, it is shown that he leaves for Bombay.

In 2003, the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee mentioned the film and Mohanlal in his inaugural speech at the Global Investor Meet held in Kerala. He said: "I am told that there is a Malayalam movie called Varavelppu in which your famous actor Mohanlal acts as a Gulf returned Keralite. He invests his savings in a small business venture with high hopes. But in the end, he is forced to close it down after going through many unpleasant experiences. Therefore, this conference should serve as an occasion for introspection".