What is "vaisali"

Vaisali is a 1988 Malayalam film directed and edited by Bharathan. Produced by Dr. M.M Ramachandran ( Atlas Ramachandran) and scripted by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, it was an adaptation of a sub-story told by Vedavyasa to King Yudhishtira in the epic Mahabharatha. It is the story of Vaisali, a devadasi girl who was assigned the mission of seducing Rishyashrungan, the son of Mahirshi Vibhandakan and bringing him to Chambapuri to perform a mahayagam to bring rain. Shot in a lavish setting, Vaisali was a huge hit at the box office. This film, often considered one of Bharathan's best works, is also considered a cult classic in Malayalam cinema. The cinematography by Madhu Ambat was widely appreciated and won several awards.