Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (Malayalam: ഒരു വടക്കൻ വീരഗാഥ, English: A Northern Story Of Valor) is a 1989 Malayalam film directed by Hariharan, written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, and starring Mammootty, Balan K. Nair, Suresh Gopi, Madhavi, Geetha, and Captain Raju.
The film is based on a legend about the famous Chekavar warriors of present day northern Kerala. The film portrays the legend in a different light. According to the legend, Aromal Chekavar, a well-known warrior, lost his life after a duel in which his sword broke off at the hilt during the fight. The metal rivets holding the blade to the hilt had been replaced with wooden ones by his trusted ally and cousin Chandu. Chandu is said to have betrayed his cousin because he was jealous of Aaromal's popularity and abilities.
The story was filmed numerous times in the early black-and-white era. Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha presents an alternative version of the same legend, as it presents the incident from Chandu's perspective, suggesting that grave injustice has been done to Chandu by wrongly accusing him of replacing the rivets. Though the language of the black and white era was generally heavily melodramatic, in Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha, the director and writer used a more natural tone.
The film won four National Film Awards including Best Actor (Mammootty) and Best Screenplay (M. T. Vasudevan Nair). Mammootty's portrayal of the central character Chandu won great acclaim and is considered one of the best performances by the noted actor.
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