KERALA----MOVIE SCENE--NEW DIRECTIONS
Dr. P.K. John
MALAYALAM MOVIES--WHAT DIRECTION ? June 29, 1996 REPOSTED JULY 16, 1996
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The first Malayalam motion picture was a silent film called "VIGATHA
KUMARAN".This came out some time between 1926 and 1928. It was produced
by mr.J.C.Daniel at The Travancore National Pictures at Pattam,
Thiruvanthapuram. The second picture, also silent was "MARTHANDA VARMA".
This picture which came out in 1934 showed only for 5 days at
Thiruvananthapuram Capitol Theater. A dispute with the publishers of
C.V.Raman Pillai's novel of the same name over copy right issues lead to
court order that stopped further showing of the picture.
The first talkie in Malayalam was "BALAN".Others followed with names like
"NJANAMBIKA" and "PRAHLADAN".
In the 1950s Malayalam movie industry experienced a new revival under the
leadership of UDAYA STUDIO'S KUNCHACKO and MARYLAND STUDIO'S
P.SUBRAMANIAM.
Here are some of the names of motion pictures-NALLA THANKA, STHRI,
SASIDHARAN, PRASANNA, and CHANDRIKA.
Who were the actors ? THIKKURISSI, KOTTARAKKARA, ARANMULA PONNAMMA,
LALITHA, PADMINI, RAGINI and S.P..PILLAI and so on.
Who were the singers ?P.Leela, Kaviyur Revamma, and H.Mehabub.
Who created the songs? P.Bhaskaran, and Ramu Karyattu
NEELAKUYIL which came out in 1953-54 addressed a social cause-even the
lowest of the lowest class have a right to life and dignity. Neela kuyil
was the first south Indian film to get a president's award (silver
medal).
Since those years we have seen Malayalam Movie industry reach it's
adulthood. On the way there we saw art movies, national and international
recognition and mega buck productions.
Where is Malayalam Movie industry going now?
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Dr.P.K.John, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
E-mail VE3OGZ @sympatico.Ca
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Below is an informative article by Manorama's 'The Week' magazine curtesy
of Vinu Abraham.
If you have any comments or arguments with his observations send them to
me by e-mail and I will pass them on to the author.
"
June 27, 1996
Breaking Boundaries.
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Dr. P. K. John, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
(Based on The Week)
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Malayalam action heroes drive crowds crazy in south India, but the films
lose the Kerala flavour
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Even Bollywood distributors are giving his towering frame a long and hard
look. Another mega-hit, and Suresh Gopi could well topple the reigning
idols in south India. His fame is not restricted to Kerala where he is
the 'third force' after Mammootty and Mohanal. Adored as 'Sure-shot'
Gop, his muscular entertainers set movie-houses on fire not just in his
home state: he drives film buffs crazy in Karnataka. Andhra Pradesh and
Tamil Nadu too.
With dubbed films of Mammootty and Mohanial also capturing the
imagination of movie- goers in the neighbouring states, more and more
Malayalam films are being made these days with a multi-state audience in
mind. Even if it means compromising with quality and the Malayali
atmosphere. But it brings in a lot of money for the producers and the
distributors, in fact, most of these films recover their production costs
from their dubbing rights alone sole to distributors outside Kerala.
The Telugu version of Yuvaturky, the latest Suresh Gopi
blockbuster, was sold for a massive
Rs 1.1 crore, and another Rs 90 lakh came from its Hindi and Tamil
rights. There was a scramble among distributors to bag the rights even
before the film costing Rs 1.75 crore was released in Kerala.
The King, a Mammootty mega-hit created by the magic team of Shaji
Kallas and script-writer Renji Panickar for Rs 1.3 crore, got more that
Rs 80 lakh from its Tamil dubbing rights. It was also dubbed into other
south Indian languages.
Mammootty's New Delhi was arguably the first to hit the jackpot
outside Kerala in 1986. Adapted from an Irving Wallace best-seller, the
action thriller had the superstar playing a gutsy newspaper editor. It
was shot on locations outside Kerala and lacked the Malayali atmosphere
from the very first shot. Two of Mohanial's new movies, The Prince and
Yathramozhi too have extensive non-Kerala locations.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Things have reached such a
stage that it is stipulated that Malayalam cinema should not have a
Kerala flavour. Often stories that do not relate to us are thrust upon
us. That leads to the alienation of Malayalam cinema from Kerala
reality. - Director Kamal
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Samrajya,. another Mammootty starer, failed to enthuse the
movie-crazed crowds in Kerala, yet went on to become a huge hit in Andhra
Pradesh. The film established Mammootty as an acceptable super hero in
Hyderabad and paved the way for his entry into the Telugu film industry.
But the dubbing craze really took off with the rising popularity
of macho Gopi in the last two years. His roof-shattering dialogue
delivery and big muscles made a success out of political thrillers like
Ekalavyan, Commissioner and Mafia, which was a big hit in Andhra Pradesh.
Gopi's next three films The City, Ratholsavam and Rudraksham just about
made the grade in Kerala but stormed the box-office in the neighbouring
states. "It is as if even when Malayalis don't accept the super human
hero in Malayalam films, the Telugu or Tamil audiences are ready to do
so," says film maker Shaji Kailas.
At the moment, many big shots from the Malayalam film world are
working in the industry in the other states. Shaji Kailas is all set to
start a Telugu movie starring Gopi; director Sibi Malayil is shooting
Amaithipoonkattu, also with the sure-footed Gopi. And two of the hottest
stars in Tamil are from Kerala: Jayaram and Mammootty. Mohanlal had
recently made his debut with Anandam, a Mani Rathnam creation.
Yet for all his success outside Kerala, Gopi is unhappy with the
poor quality of his multi- lingual projects.
"Except for a few films like Ekalavyan and Commissioner, they are
sorely lacking in aesthetics and logical strength. Often I am forced to
act in films which are carefully designed to appeal to audiences outside
Kerala. But of late even Kerala audiences are refusing to accept films
having an exclusive Malayali ambience", says the superstar. Take for
instance, Sindhoorarekha, which had a typical Malayali backdrop. Despite
a good emotive performance by Gopi, it failed to become a hit.
Renji Panickar, from whose pen flowed the dialogues which made
Suresh Gopi the favourite of the masses, admits that the latest craze has
lowered standards. He cites the case of The King which revolves round a
street-smart district collector, in typical Tamil thriller tradition, the
hero bursts on to the scene on horseback in the all-important climax.
"Many had told us that the non- Kerala look of the film had a jarring
effect on Malayali sensibility," says Renji.
Yet, it was a phenomenal success even in the urban centres in
Kerala where movie-goers are rather fussy about what they see. But then,
Kailas claims that the tastes of the Malayali audiences are changing.
"There is no longer a big audience for sensitive films with a Malayali
ambience because of the arrival of cable TV and videos. Instead there is
a huge audience comprising the lower class masses who would return to the
movie houses if the film is good,' says Kailas. The film-makers are
wooing them with lavish and extravagantly action-packed ventures. Such
films, he says, cannot be produced only for the Malayali market because
of the huge cost of production. "In such films what obviously suffers is
what you call Malayali sensibility," he says.
Renji Panickar, in any case, believes that the Malayalis are no
longer crazy about typically Malayali movies. Says he, 'Kerala, more
than any other state, is the receptacle of radical changes in all spheres
of life and as such there has been an erosion of its exclusive features
in real life.' But it is another matter that the multi-lingual films
have also played a role in the erosion of Malayali values.
It is not as if films made only for the Kerala market are
uniformly good. There are local directors who pack their frames with
cheap comedy and dance sequences copied from Tamil 'B' grade movie. Says
Shaji Kailas; "No longer is it possible to enjoy meaningful lyrics set
to rural Malayali tunes."
The loss of Kerala flavour is apparent even in the apparel. In
Hitler, for instance, Mammootty is swathed in flashy Tamil costumes even
though the story is set in rural Kerala. "If Mammootty and Mohanlal wear
mundu and baniyan, it will not go down well with audiences outside
Kerala. Things have reached such a stage that it is stipulated that
Malayalam cinema should not have a Kerala flavour. Often stories that do
not relate to us are thrust upon us. That leads to the alienation of
Malayalam cinema from Kerala reality," says film director Kamal.
Malayalam films have suffered an erosion in quality, says A. K.
Lohitadas, currently the most sought- after scriptwriter after M. T.
Vasudevan Nair. He says that despite the increasing accent on western
values, it is still possible to make a hit out of a simple story set in a
rural background, though its market would be limited to Kerala.
Lohitadas cites the example of his delightful, pastoral entertainer
Sallapam, directed by a newcomer and featuring second-string actors. But
films like that are an exception these days.
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With more and more fans in the state getting hooked to Rajnikant and
Chiranjeevi, it is becoming difficult for people like us to create films
which, even while being commercial, cater to a higher sensibility. -
Scriptwriter Lohitadas.
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Lohitadas feels that the trend could be arrested if superstars
like Mammootty, Mohanial and Gopi become a little bit more choosy. Says
he, "By selecting projects which don't have grandiose locations and sets
for the heck of it, the production costs can be brought down. Then our
films need not depend on a multi-state audience."
But then unadulterated projects are hard to come by. Gopi felt
on top of the world when a hot-shot director known for his films on
highly sensitive issues approached him with an offer. "Here at last was
a chance to prove my real acting talents," thought Gopi. But before he
could thank the director, he was told, "Look Suresh, this is not really
an offbeat film." The renowned director was moving with the times and
planning an action thriller with sure-shot Gopi. "I am forced to do
these kind of films," confesses the action hero.
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