Pada is arguably one of the best “based on true events” movies that have been released in the recent past and so you must be curious about what these real-life incidents are. But before we delve into the incident, here’s the trailer if you haven’t had the chance to watch Pada yet.
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The real-life incident that inspired Pada took place on the 4th of October 1996. Four members of the Ayyankali Pada – Kallara Babu, Vilayodi Shivankutty, Kanjangad Rameshan, and Ajayan Mannur – held the then-District Collector of Palakkad, W.R. Reddy, hostage.
The four of them entered Reddy’s chambers posing as visitors but soon brandished a gun and explosives to take the collector hostage. While police reached the scene almost immediately and surrounded the chamber, the hostage crisis lasted 9 hours.
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These members of the Ayyankali Pada, a pro-Maoist group that fought for the rights of the backward classes, took these drastic measures to protest the Tribal Bill that was passed in the State Legislature. According to them, the bill deprived Adivasis of their land. They wanted Reddy to call the chief secretary in Thiruvananthapuram to convey their demand. The Ayyankali Pada released Reddy when the Government assured them that they would consider their demands.
The Ayyankali Pada claimed that their intention was to bring the issue to public notice. Here’s a video of the incident from Asianet News’ archives.
All four of them were let go initially but they were arrested later. The trial against them is ongoing in the High Court. Meanwhile, the Adivasi land issue remains unresolved.
With Kamal KM at the helm and Vinayakan, Dileesh Pothan, Joju George and Kunchacko Boban in lead roles, we believe the movie does justice to the real-life incident that inspired it. What are your thoughts?
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