Swathi Thirunal (film)
Swathi Thirunal is a 1987 Indian Malayalam-language biographical film co-written and directed by Lenin Rajendran.The story begins with Gowri Lakshmi Bayi entrusting the four-month-old Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma to the care of the English East India Company whose representative was Col. Munro.Then it cuts to when Swathi Thirunal is sixteen and takes over the reins of Travancore from his aunt Gowri Parvati Bayi.After Anant Nag's Kannada film Narada Vijaya (1980) was dubbed into Malayalam and performed well in the Kerala box office, the director Lenin Rajendran and cinematographer Madhu Ambat approached him to portray Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma in their biopic of him.Actor Saikumar was initially offered the lead role, but he later made his debut in Ramji Rao Speaking (1989).