Chronic Bachelor is a 2003 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy drama film, written and directed by Siddique. It is about the life of Sathyaprathapan, a bachelor. It features Mammootty, Mukesh, Rambha, Indraja, Bhavana, Innocent and Biju Menon. Jyothika was signed as the lead actress but later was replaced by Rambha. The movie was produced by Fazil. The film was a commercial success. It was later remade in Tamil as Engal Anna starring Vijayakanth and in Telugu as Kushi Kushiga with Jagapati Babu.
Plot
The film opens with a flashback showing the family feud between families of Sathyaprathapan and Bhavani. Sathyaprathapan's sister and Bhavani's cousin are in love. The murder of Bhavani's cousin Vishnu, is wrongly accused on Balagangadharan, father of Sathyaprathapan. Sathyaprathapan's sister commits suicide and Sathyaprathapan turns against his father, who dies soon. He starts to help Bhavani's family and mortgages his own house to finance her factory. A love develops between Sathyaprathapan and Bhavani. But Bhavani's greedy father wants to destroy Sathyaprathapan's family and tries to take their home. That is when Parameshwara Pillai (Sathyaprathapan's uncle) shows up, Sathyaprathapan's mother requests Pillai to prove Balagangadharan's innocence. Parameshwaran Pillai and Sathyaprathapan finds Kuruvilla who witnessed the murder being committed by goons send by Bhavani's father. Meanwhile, Sathyaprathapan's mother faints and dies in the hospital. While in the hospital, his mother tells how Balagangadharan had a different wife and he should ask them forgiveness. He storms into Bhavani's house and accuses her dad, also trying to make her understand the truth but she does not believe him and stands by her father. Then Sathyaprathapan says he does not love her any more and vows that he will never trust a woman by remaining a chronic bachelor forever.
Then film comes to the present time showing a legal battle between Sathyaprathapan (now called SP) and Bhavani. Bhavani becomes furious when SP wins the legal battle to get back his house. She vows to destroy SP.
From here, the story moves to the day-to-day life of SP and falls into a comic track throughout the first half. SP is now a wealthy entrepreneur. SP has a half-sister, Sandhya, who is his step-sister. He now lives for her. But she does not know that SP is her brother, although she stays next door to him. Kuruvilla is SP's aide and he too is a bachelor. Bhama comes to stay in the hostel, near SP's house where Sandhya stays and tries to win the heart of SP. But SP considers her a nuisance.
SP agrees to take care of Sreekumar. He is the son of Parameshwaran Pillai, who had helped SP to become a successful businessman. Sreekumar is a flirt and womanizer. He is now after Sandhya and agrees to stay with SP, when he realises that Sandhya stays next door to SP. Comical scenes recur throughout the movie, where Kuruvilla, who does not like Sreekumar and his friend Ugran staying with them, tries to get them out of the house.
Bhama learns that SP is sponsoring Sandhya's studies and confronts him. SP tells her that Sandhya is his sister. Bhama then asks Sandhya to call SP for her birthday party. But SP gets upset and confronts Bhama. Bhama then reveals that her sponsor was SP all the while. During the birthday party, Bhavani comes and takes Bhama away. Then it becomes clear that Bhama is Bhavani's sister. Rivalry arises between Bhama and Bhavani and Bhama runs away from home and promises to help SP, but he tells her he has no hatred at all. Then Bhama's family members come to take her forcefully, but is stopped by Sreekumar and SP.