Balan, a teacher, has a mentally unstable uncle. There is a belief that the family is cursed to have a lunatic at all times. When the uncle passes away, people believe that Balan will be the next.
Thaniyavarthanam is a 1987 Malayalam language psychological drama film written by A. K. Lohithadas and directed by Sibi Malayil. It stars Mammootty as school teacher Balagopalan, Thilakan as the uncle of the matrilineal family, Mukesh as Gopinathan, and Kaviyoor Ponnamma as Balagopalan's mother. The film became a cult classic. Thilakan won Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actor.