Kaalapani (1996)
Plot
Kaalapaani (transl. Black Water) is a 1996 Indian Malayalam-language epic historical drama film written by T. Damodaran and directed by Priyadarshan. Set in 1915, the film focuses on the lives of Indian independence activists incarcerated in the Cellular Jail (or Kālāpānī) in Andaman and Nicobar Islands during the British Raj. The ensemble cast includes Mohanlal, Prabhu, Tabu, Amrish Puri, Tinnu Anand, Nedumudi Venu, Sreenivasan, Annu Kapoor, Alex Draper, Sankaradi, and Vineeth. The film was produced by Mohanlal for Pranavam Arts in association with R. Mohan's Shogun Films. The film is about the lives of prisoners in British India who are brought to Kālā Pānī. The name Kalapani is derived from the mode of imprisonment in British India. Ilaiyaraaja composed the music, the cinematography was by Santosh Sivan, and the editing by N. Gopalakrishnan. The film introduced Dolby Stereo into Malayalam cinema. It was made on a budget of ₹2.50 crore, making it the costliest Malayalam film made until then. Kaalapaani was released on 6 April 1996 in 450 theaters worldwide, which was the largest release for any Indian film until then. The film is now regarded as one of the classics in Malayalam c
Kaalapani details
| Industry | Malayalam |
|---|---|
| Year | 1996 |
| Genres | Drama, History |
| Runtime | 3h 0m |
| Rating | Not rated |
| Director | Priyadarshan |
| Status | Released |
| Language | ml |
| Record verified | 2026-09-21 |
| Source | Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) · images: TMDB |
Where to watch Kaalapani
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Kaalapani cast & crew
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Kaalapani — questions
What is Kaalapani about?
Kaalapaani (transl. Black Water) is a 1996 Indian Malayalam-language epic historical drama film written by T. Damodaran and directed by Priyadarshan. Set in 1915, the film focuses on the lives of Indian independence activists incarcerated in the Cellular Jail (or Kālāpānī) in Andaman and Nicobar Islands during the British Raj. The ensemble cast includes Mohanlal, Prabhu, Tabu, Amrish Puri, Tinnu Anand, Nedumudi Venu, Sreenivasan, Annu Kapoor, Alex Draper, Sankaradi, and Vineeth. The film was produced by Mohanlal for Pranavam Arts in association with R. Mohan's Shogun Films. The film is about the lives of prisoners in British India who are brought to Kālā Pānī. The name Kalapani is derived from the mode of imprisonment in British India. Ilaiyaraaja composed the music, the cinematography was by Santosh Sivan, and the editing by N. Gopalakrishnan. The film introduced Dolby Stereo into Malayalam cinema. It was made on a budget of ₹2.50 crore, making it the costliest Malayalam film made until then. Kaalapaani was released on 6 April 1996 in 450 theaters worldwide, which was the largest release for any Indian film until then. The film is now regarded as one of the classics in Malayalam c
Who is in the cast of Kaalapani?
Kaalapani stars Prabhu, Tabu, Amrish Puri and is directed by Priyadarshan. The full credited cast is listed above.
Where can I watch Kaalapani online?
We currently have no streaming platform listed for Kaalapani. It may be between rights deals, or only available on a service we do not track yet. This page was last checked on 2026-09-21.
How long is Kaalapani?
Kaalapani runs 3h 0m (180 minutes).
Who directed Kaalapani?
Kaalapani was directed by Priyadarshan.
Can I download Kaalapani?
Not from this site — we host no film files. Where a licensed platform carries the title, that platform’s own app is the place to download it for offline viewing. The download guide explains what each quality and format means, and the buttons there point to an external third-party app we do not own or control.
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