| Director | Kamal |
|---|---|
| Box office | $680,000 |
Celluloid tells the tale of J. C. Daniel and his love for cinema. He goes to great lengths to get the equipment required to make a movie, writes numerous letters, visits places, and meets Dadasaheb Phalke, the man who brought cinema to India. Getting an actress to act in his movie was a tough task. It is decided that Rosamma, later named as P K Rosy, will play the lead role in J. C. Daniel's revolutionary 'motion picture' venture, Vigathakumaran, the story of which J. C. Daniel himself conceived. He sells everything to make his dream a reality, further borrowing money to meet the expenses. When Vigathakumaran is finally screened at Capitol Theatre, a 'cinemapura', the upper caste members of the audience create a ruckus over a lower-caste girl acting as a Nair lady. Rosie, hunted by the Madambis, leaves town never to be seen again. Years later, the shriveled, impoverished Daniel, with only his wife, Janet, by his side, is leading a life far removed from what he had envisaged. Chelangatt Gopalakrishnan's interest in Daniel's life, his efforts to give him his due, and the flashbacks to the incidents in his life post Vigathakumaran form the rest of the movie.