Peruvazhiyambalam is a 1979 Malayalam film directed by P. Padmarajan based on his novel of the same name. It marked Padmarajan's directorial debut and the acting debut for Ashokan who plays the central character Raman. The film is an incisive examination of how violence or totalitarianism works in our society; it dealt with disturbing questions relating to masculinity and how people adore and dread it at the same time. The Hindu described this film as one of the finest films in Malayalam. It won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam. The film was included in IBN Live's list of 100 greatest Indian films of all time.