Punjabi House

Unni is an unsuccessful entrepreneur, who is in deep debt and in no situation to repay them. Due to torment from his many creditors and lack of solace from his family, he decides to commit suicide (faking it as an accident) so that his debts can be repaid with the insurance money. He jump off the pier into the sea only to be rescued by fishermen from a distant coast, named Gangadharan and his employee Ramanan. Unni pretends to be deaf and mute in front of them, so as to not reveal the truth. Back at home, his family is denied insurance, stating unconfirmed death (owing to lack of body), putting them in a difficult situation on repaying the debt.

Gangadharan has a debt of his own, to a Punjabi family of moneylenders who are settled in Kerala. The situation demands Unni and Ramanan to work at their home, until he can repay the sum. There he meets a Punjabi girl named Pooja, who is mute. She finds out that he is not deaf or mute and considers him to be a fraudster, but later sympathises with him after learning his situation. She pays off his debt through Ramanan, without revealing to his family about their living son. The couple eventually fall in love and decide to get married. Her family agrees to their marriage on the condition that he will never desert her, as she had a traumatic failed marriage proposition in the past.

From Ramanan, by a slip of the tongue, Unni's family comes to know about his survival. They find him and demand him to come back, as Sujatha (Jomol) who was in love with him, still waits for him living as his widow. He is shocked with the news, but decides not to return, because he does not want to put Pooja through more agony. During the marriage ceremony the next day, the family intervenes, but when Sujatha sees Pooja and the pain that she is going to inflict on her family, she finally decides to let go of him.

• Dileep..... Unnikrishnan
• Mohini..... Pooja
• Jomol..... Sujatha
• Lal..... Sikkandar Singh
• Cochin Haneefa..... Gangadharan
• Harisree Asokan..... Ramanan
• Janardhanan..... Manninder Singh
• Thilakan..... Kaimal Master
• Neena Kurup..... Karishma Manninder (Pooja's Cousin)
• Indrans..... Uthaman
• N. F. Varghese..... Sujatha's father Sadashiva Kaimal
• Manka Mahesh..... Unnikrishnan's Mother
• Kunchan..... Thommichan
• Machan Varghese..... Lawrence
• Samshudh Abel ..... Sonia the wrestler
• Reena
• Praseetha Menon ..... cook
• Gayathri
• Vijayalakshmi (uncredited role)

All lyrics are written by s Ramesan nair; all music is composed by Suresh Peters.

This film was released on 4 September 1998, as an Onam release along with six other major releases, becoming the 3rd highest grossing movie of year.

• Punjabi House was remade in Hindi as Chup Chup Ke, directed by Priyadarshan.
• Punjabi House was remade in Telugu as Maa Balaji, directed by Kodi Ramakrishna.
• Punjabi House was remade in Kannada in the same name.

Punjabi House at IMDb

This film was a super hit and after Summer in Bethlehem this film was a third highest grossing film in the year 1998.