A Critical Analysis of the Contemporary Popular Malayalam ...

A Critical Analysis of the Contemporary Popular Malayalam Motion Pictures as Compared to the

Malayalam Movies of 1980s

A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the

Requirements for the Award of the Degree of

Master of Philosophy in

Media Studies

by Ajith Paul

(Reg. No. 1134001)

Under the Guidance of Dr. Sagarika Golder Assistant Professor

DEPARTMENT OF MEDIA STUDIES CHRIST UNIVERSITY BANGALORE, INDIA

MARCH 2012

Property of Christ University. Use it for fair purpose. Give credit to the author by citing properly, if your are using it.

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Approval of Dissertation Dissertation entitled A Critical Analysis of the Contemporary Popular Malayalam Motion Pictures as

Compared to the Malayalam Movies of 1980s by Ajith Paul, Reg. No. 1134001 is approved for the

award of the degree of Master of Philosophy in Media Studies.

Examiners: 1. ___________________ ___________________ 2. ___________________ ___________________ 3. ___________________ ___________________ Supervisor: Dr. Sagarika Golder ___________________ Chairman: Mr. John Joseph Kennedy ___________________ Date: ___________ (Seal) Place: Christ University


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DECLARATION

I Ajith Paul hereby declare that the dissertation, titled A Critical Analysis of the Contemporary Popular

Malayalam Motion Pictures as Compared to the Malayalam Movies of 1980s is a record of original

research work undertaken by me for the award of the degree of Master of Philosophy in Media Studies. I

have completed this study under the supervision of Dr. Sagarika Golder, Assistant Professor,

Department of Media Studies.

I also declare that this dissertation has not been submitted for the award of any degree, diploma,

associate ship, fellowship or other title. It has not been sent for any publication or presentation purpose.

Date: ………………… Ajith Paul

Place: Christ University Reg No. 1134001

Department of Media Studies

Christ University, Bangalore


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CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the dissertation submitted by Ajith Paul titled A Critical Analysis of the

Contemporary Popular Malayalam Motion Pictures as Compared to the Malayalam Movies of 1980s is

a record of research work done by him/her during the academic year 2011-2012 under my supervision in

partial fulfillments for the award of Master of Philosophy in Media Studies.

This dissertation has not been submitted for the award of any degree, diploma, associate ship, fellowship

or other title. It has not been sent for any publication or presentation purpose.

Date: ………………… Dr. Sagarika Golder

Place: Christ University Assistant Professor

Department of Media Studies

Christ University, Bangalore

Property of Christ University.

Use it for fair purpose. Give credit to the author by citing properly, if your are using it.

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Acknowledgement

Though only my name appears on the covers of this dissertation, a great many people have

contributed to its production. I owe my gratitude to all those people who have made this dissertation

possible and because of whom my M. Phil. experience has been one that I will cherish forever.

I would also like to thank all the members of the Department of Media Studies, my guide Dr.

Sagarika Golder, Fr. Biju K.C and Joshua G. for encouraging me to complete my research.

This thesis would never have been complete without the encouragement of my family members

and a few closed ones; Sreyashi Dhar, Gautham S. Nair, Winnie J. Panicker, Verghese P. Abraham,

Sreehari K.G. and Sanj Lobo. Their care and support helped me overcome setbacks and enabled me to

stay focused while doing my research. I greatly value their friendship and I deeply appreciate their belief

in me.

Most importantly, none of this would have been possible without the love and patience of my

family members. I am indebted to all of them.


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Table of Contents

Declaration iii

Certificate iv

Acknowledgement v

Table of Contents vi

Table of Figures vii

Chapter I

Introduction 1

Chapter II

Historical Overview of Cinema 23

Chapter III

A Critical Analysis of Select Malayalam Motion Pictures 35

Chapter IV

Conclusion 75

Works Cited 83



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List of Figures

Fig. 1. Movie poster (1986) 35

Fig. 2. Expressing love 39

Fig. 3. In the grape vineyard 39


Fig. 5. A fascinating relationship 41

Fig. 6. Village life 43

Fig. 7. City life 43

Fig. 8. Rain 44

Fig. 9. Writing letter 44

Fig. 10. Low key lighting 45

Fig. 11. In the temple 45


Fig. 13. Central duo 50


Fig. 15. Mild tone 54


Fig. 17. Central characters 58

Fig. 18. In the train 59

Fig.19. Mid shot 59



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Fig. 20. Exterior settings 60

Fig. 21. Interior settings 60

Fig. 22. Controlled lighting 60



Fig. 25. Controlled key lighting 64



Fig. 28. Central characters 67

Fig. 29. Mid shot 68

Fig.30. Close up 68

Fig. 31. Mystic ambience 69



Fig. 34. Close up 73

Fig. 35. Wide angle 73

Fig. 36. Dark tone 73

Fig. 37. Setting 73


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Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Significance of the Study

Kerala‘s visual culture has a rich legacy, as the medium of moving images are familiar to

people of Kerala long back, through the traditional art form ‗tholpavakkuthu‘. It is an art

form prevailed in village temple festivals. It is performed with puppets having flexible joints.

Their motion using sticks and the shadow of these moving puppets are captured on a screen

using a light source from behind, creating dramatic moving images on the screen. This traces

back to a rich legacy over the technique of visual projection existed in Kerala. In the last few

decades Malayalam cinema has created its own space in the galaxy of world cinema.

Malayalam Cinema holds a unique position in the centre stage of Indian Cinema with

noticeable movies.

Malayalam new wave films prominently made by Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Aravindan

bagged several national awards which helped to make a mark in the history of Indian

cinema. But these movies were not reaching the wavelength of general audience who found

it difficult to relate to it. Later the types of movies were produced which was a synthesis of

art films and commercial films. It was called middle stream cinema because it contained the

aspect of realistic portrayal of human life and social issues. It was also easy for the general

audience to grasp the content of those movies. So the period of 1980s where the middle

stream films flourished was a mile stone in Malayalam cinema. The movies which were

produced after 2000 in Malayalam also showed a sense of social reality in it compared to the

previous decade. With the kind of technical advancement filmmakers of current era are able

to experiment in the narratives maintaining the realistic feel of movies. The analysis

showcases changing trends of the movies from the Malayalam movie industry taking into

consideration the technological advancements, socio-economic and cultural factors.


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Malayalam is not just about a language spoken by more than 30 million people in this

vast country but in the context of a state like Kerala which is renowned for its high literacy

rate, longevity, low infant mortality, very low economic indices and of course a considerable

contribution in term of literary and art forms, adds to the importance of a detailed study

about one of the significant visual medium prevailing here.

1.2. Research Objectives

The researcher has used qualitative analysis method to analyse the key areas to trace the

changing trends in Malayalam cinema. The objectives of this research are:

To observe how the plot selection and treatment of the motion pictures have

changed over the years in select Malayalam movies.

To analyse whether middle stream films are reflecting the core of socio -cultural

and economic scenario, keeping the evolution of Kerala society through 1980s

and 2000s.

1.3. Operational Definition

The films by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Aravindan and John Abraham during the early

1970s were reflections of ‗new wave‘ movements all over the world, often termed as

‗parallel cinema‘ movement. These films were acclaimed for their presentation by movie

critics. But these movies were not easily communicating with general public. Later the

commercial movies which was easily communicating with the spectators and the parallel

movies which was not widely responding to the wave length of general public, made a

judicious mix and was called as ‗middle- stream cinema‘ ( middle stream).

1.4. The Socio-Cultural and Economic Context in Kerala during Past Decades

1.4.1. During 1980s

A period of economic gloom was prevailing in Kerala during the 1980‘s in spite of

achieving high literacy rates. The people were looking for greener pastures outside the state


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since they couldn't get opportunities in their country. Also a lot of people were migrating to

the gulf countries and outside the state seeking a fortune. A lot of them were educated and

well qualified but ample opportunities were lacking. The mindset of the public was a bit

conservative those times. They carried their conservative Kerala culture to the places they

went to and they blamed the capitalists for the misery. They find it difficult to change

themselves and still believed in a socialist utopia. The focus was on the need to organise as

workers and hence the principal villain was the factory owner. The focus area of the era was

emigration.

1.4.2. During the 1990s

Economic liberalization raised new hopes for the masses. But the hope of

liberalization of the 1990‘s turned out to be disappointment for Kerala, while rest of the

country capitalised on the economic liberalization since the 1991 reforms. Kerala failed to

make use of the changes. The tables were changed and the trade union leader became the

villain in the course of time. As a result new industries find it difficult to flourish in Kerala.

Again the cause of migration was ascertained as there was no way that people with

entrepreneurship skills could function in Kerala. The cities which were highlighted for

migration were Bombay, Madras and Delhi.

1.4.3. During the 2000s

The period of 2000s saw the return of the gulf Keralites. Another key change

occurred during this time was the fall of rigid communism for capitalism. Several industries

flourished all over the state. Other main area of focus was Gulf returned malayalies with

their globalised children and a change in the value systems of the state. Fidelity become

main focus as money pours and resulted in a gradual loss of conservative Kerala culture.


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1.5. Film Theory

Film theory is an academic discipline that aims to explore the core of the cinema and

provides conceptual frameworks for understanding film‘s relationship to reality, the other

arts, individual viewers, and society at large. Film theory is distinct from general film

criticism, though there can be some crossover between the two disciplines.

French philosopher Henri Bergson‘s Matter and Memory (1896) has been cited as

anticipating the development of film theory during the birth of cinema. Bergson commented

on the need for new ways of thinking about movement, and coined the terms ‗the movement-

image‘ and ‗the time-image‘. However, in his 1906 essay Lillusion cinematographique (in

Levolution creatrice), he rejects film as an exemplification of what he had in mind.

Nonetheless, decades later, in Cinema I and Cinema II (1983–1985), the philosopher Gilles

Deleuze took Matter and Memory as the basis of his philosophy of film and revisited

Bergson‘s concepts, combining them with the semiotics of Charles Sanders Peirce.

Early film theory arose in the silent era and was mostly concerned with defining the

crucial elements of the medium. It largely evolved from the works of directors like Germaine

Dulac, Louis Delluc, Jean Epstein, Sergei Eisenstein, Lev Kuleshov, and Dziga Vertov and

film theorists like Rudolf Arnheim, Bela Balazs and Siegfried Kracauer. These individuals

emphasized how film differed from reality and how it might be considered a valid art form.

In the years after World War II, the French film critic and theorist Andre Bazin reacted

against this approach to the cinema, arguing that film‘s essence lay in its ability to

mechanically reproduce reality, not in its difference from reality.

In the 1960s and 1970s, film theory took up residence in academia importing

concepts from established disciplines like psychoanalysis, gender studies,

anthropology, literary theory, semiotics and linguistics. However, not until the late

1980s or early 1990s did film theory per se achieve much prominence in American


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universities by displacing the prevailing humanistic, auteur theory that had

dominated cinema studies and which had been focused on the practical elements of

film writing, production, editing and criticism. American scholar David Bordwell has

spoken against many prominent developments film theory since the 1970s, he uses

the humorously derogatory term ‗SLAB theory‘ to refer to film studies based on the

ideas of Saussure, Lacan, Althusser, and Barthes. Instead, Bordwell promotes what

he describes as ‗neoformalism‘ (Film theory).

During the 1990s the digital revolution in image technologies has had an impact on

film theory in various ways. There has been a refocus onto celluloid film‘s ability to capture

an ‗indexical‘ image of a moment in time by theorists like Mary Ann Doane, Philip Rosen

and Laura Mulvey who was informed by psychoanalysis. From a psychoanalytical

perspective, after the Lacanian notion of ‗the Real‘, Slavoj Zizek offered new aspects of ‗the

gaze‘ extensively used in contemporary film analysis. There has also been a historical

revisiting of early cinema screenings, practices and spectatorship modes by writers Tom

Gunning, Miriam Hansen and Yuri Tsivian.

1.5.1. Apparatus theory

Apparatus theory, derived in part from Marxist film theory, semiotics, and

psychoanalysis, was a dominant theory within cinema studies during the 1970s. It maintains

that cinema is by nature ideological because its mechanics of representation are ideological.

Its mechanics of representation include the camera and editing. The central position of the

spectator within the perspective of the composition is also ideological.

Apparatus theory also argues that cinema maintains the dominant ideology of the

culture within the viewer. Ideology is not imposed on cinema, but is part of its nature.


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1.5.2. Auteur theory

In film criticism, auteur theory holds that a director‘s film reflects the director‘s

personal creative vision, as if they were the primary ‗auteur‘ (the French word for ‗author‘).

In spite of and sometimes even because of the production of the film as part of an industrial

process, the auteur‘s creative voice is distinct enough to shine through all kinds of studio

interference and through the collective process.

In law, the film is treated as a work of art, and the auteur, as the creator of the film, is the

original copyright holder. Under European Union law, the film director is considered the

author or one of the authors of a film, largely as a result of the influence of auteur theory.

Auteur theory has influenced film criticism since 1954, when it was

advocated by film director and critic Francois Truffaut. This method of film analysis

was originally associated with the French New Wave and the film critics who wrote

for the French film review periodical Cahiers du Cinema. Auteur theory was

developed a few years later in America through the writings of The Village Voice

critic Andrew Sarris. Sarris used auteur theory as a way to further the analysis of

what defines serious work through the study of respected directors and their films

(Film theory).

1.5.3. Feminist film theory

Feminist film theory is theoretical film criticism derived from feminist politics and

feminist theory. Feminists have many approaches to cinema analysis, regarding the film

elements analysed and their theoretical underpinnings. The development of feminist film

theory was influenced by second wave feminism and the development of women‘s studies

within the academy. Feminist scholars began taking cues from the new theories arising from

these movements to analyzing film. Initial attempts in the United States in the early 1970s

were generally based on sociological theory and focused on the function of women


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characters in particular film narratives or genres and of stereotypes as a reflection of a

society‘s view of women.

1.5.4. Formalist film theory

Formalist film theory is a theory of film study that is focused on the formal, or

technical, elements of a film like the lighting, scoring, sound and set design, use of color,

shot composition, and editing. It is a major theory of film study today. Formalism, at its most

general, considers the synthesis (or lack of

synthesis) of the multiple elements of film production, and the effects, emotional and

intellectual, of that synthesis and of the individual elements. For example, take the single

element of editing. A formalist might study how standard Hollywood ‗continuity editing‘

creates a more comforting effect and non-continuity or jump cut editing might become more

disconcerting or volatile.

1.5.5. Genre studies

Genre studies are a structuralist approach to literary theory, film theory, and other

cultural theories. The study of a genre in this way examines the structural elements that

combine in the telling of a story and finds patterns in collections of stories. When these

elements begin to carry inherent information, a genre emerges. Conventions are usual

indicators such as phrases, themes, quotes, or explanations that we expect to find in a certain

genre. They could be considered ‗stereotypes‘ of that genre. For example, Science fiction is

expected to be set in the future, and has futuristic events, technological advances and

futuristic ideas. Realistic fiction is expected to contain a story about people who could pass

as real, struggling through real-life situations or real world events, etc.

1.5.6. Marxist film theory

Marxist film theory is one of the oldest forms of film theory. Sergei Eisenstein and

many other Soviet filmmakers in the 1920s expressed ideas of Marxism through film. In


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fact, the Hegelian dialectic was considered best displayed in film editing through the

Kuleshov Experiment and the development of montage.

While this structuralist approach to Marxism and filmmaking was used, the more vociferous

complaint that the Russian filmmakers had was with the narrative structure of Hollywood

filmmaking.

Eisenstein's solution was to shun narrative structure by eliminating the

individual protagonist and tell stories where the action is moved by the group and the

story is told through a clash of one image against the next (whether in composition,

motion, or idea) so that the audience is never lulled into believing that they are

watching something that has not been worked over (Film theory).

Eisenstein himself, however, was accused by the Soviet authorities under Joseph Stalin of

‗formalist error,‘ of highlighting form as a thing of beauty instead of portraying the worker

nobly.

French Marxist film makers, such as Jean-Luc Godard, would employ radical editing and

choice of subject matter, as well as subversive parody, to heighten class consciousness and

promote Marxist ideas.

1.5.7. Psychoanalytical film theory

Psychoanalytical film theory is a school of academic film criticism that developed in

the 1970s and 1980s, is closely allied with critical theory, and that analyzes films from the

perspective of psychoanalysis.

The film viewer is seen as the subject of a ‗gaze‘ that is largely ‗constructed‘ by the

film itself, where what is on screen becomes the object of that subject's desire.

The viewing subject may be offered particular identifications from which to watch. The

theory stresses the subject's longing for a completeness which the film may appear to offer

through identification with an image, in fact according to Lacanian theory, identification


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with the image is never anything but an illusion and the subject is always split simply by

virtue of coming into existence.

1.5.8. Structuralist film theory

Structuralist film theory is a branch of film theory that is rooted in Structuralism,

itself based on structural linguistics. Structuralist film theory emphasizes how films convey

meaning through the use of codes and conventions not dissimilar to the way languages are

used to construct meaning in communication.

An example of this is understanding, how the simple combination of shots can create an

additional idea, the blank expression on a person's face, an appetizing meal, and then back to

the person's face. While nothing in this sequence literally expresses hunger or desire the

juxtaposition of the images convey that meaning to the audience. Straightening out this sort

of extended meaning can become quite difficult. Lighting, angle, shot duration,

juxtaposition, cultural context, and a wide array of other elements can actively reinforce or

undermine a sequence's meaning.

1.6. Literature Review

A critical analysis of the contemporary popular Malayalam motion pictures as

compared to the Malayalam movies of 1980s suggests a study on the cultural vibrancy of the

Kerala society and the visual representation offered by both the select movies.

The DJ scene in La Haine shows the division of the main characters, Hubert,

Vinz and Said and explores the private home life of Hubert as well as also showing

the overall conditions of the French suburbs that they are forced to live in. I have

chosen to analyse Mise en scene and Cinematography in this scene as it focuses on

the appearance of the suburb and the overall effect of the confinement of the people

forced to live there as opposed to the outside world. The scene opens into the setting

of Hubert‘s home, which is presented to the audience has been clean and well looked


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after but very small which gives the impression of confinement, this suggests the

family prides in the caring of their home and the safety of their family despite the

fragmentation of the surrounding location. This is shown through the use of the

homely touches such as the thriving plants and framed pictures that are placed

throughout the house, as well as the overall personality of Hubert, who chooses to

sell drugs and buy stolen goods in order to provide for his family‘s needs. It also

indicates to the audience the personality of Hubert as a character, as he seems to have

much love for his family as he is helping to provide for them, but also he is shown to

be an encouraging character who fights to make a positive impact to the lives of

himself and his peers. This can be seen in his body language when he talks about the

gym that he fought for had been destroyed because of the banlieue and the rioters

(Film Analysis).

The research article Politics of laughter: An introduction to the 1990s Malayalam

popular comic film attempts to consolidate the genre of Malayalam popular comic film of the

1990s. It argues that the comic film cannot be theorized by using categories like ‗star‘ and

‗fan club‘. It also argues that a true and complete symbolization/representation of the

(existing) social field is absent in the Malayalam comic film. It attributes this absence to the

comedian‐hero's telling economic and cultural disability. It explores briefly the historical

reasons behind the ‗representational shortcomings‘ of such heroes in Kerala, and relates

those reasons to the emergence of melodrama and comedy/laughter. It claims that in the

comic film melodrama results from the failure of representation and, given that the existing

socio‐symbolic order is a bourgeois one, it considers this failure positive. It also claims that

the inadequate representation allows for the viewer a radical experience of the failure of the

existing social field to symbolize the subaltern classes/castes (Politics of). Property of Christ University.


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Narrative films generally focus on human characters and their struggles.

Characters possess traits, face conflicts, perform actions, and undergo changes that

enable or hinder their pursuit of a specific goal. The goal may be concrete or abstract,

lofty or banal: in some cases it may be finding love; in others it may be saving

humanity or arriving safely at a destination. Russian narrative theorist Tzvetlan

Todorov argued that all narratives involve the disruption of a stable situation, which

makes restoration of equilibrium an important goal. Chances are good that characters

attain stability only after undergoing important changes: for example, after

reconsidering goals and the means of attaining them and facing down internal

demons or external challenges. Characters encounter obstacles to attaining goals:

these obstacles arise from within, from other characters, from non-human characters

(in horror and science fiction), and from forces of nature. They may be concrete

physical challenges (scaling a mountain), the actions and desires of others (a lover‘s

rejection), or internal psychological or emotional issues (fear of commitment). In

some cases the characters may not achieve the goal they are pursuing: events, or their

own failings, may conspire against them (Film: A Critical).

In a textual analysis of race and gender in Disney Princess films, Vanessa Matyas

states that analyzing race and gender roles in the media has been an important consideration

of scholars for years. Through this analysis, it seems that our work is far from over. As the

media continues to expand, and its reach continues to grow, we cannot neglect the negative

messages that are continuing to be delivered. The Walt Disney Company is a powerful

corporation whose products are observed by numerous individuals worldwide. Since the

films Walt Disney produces are specifically targeted at young impressionable children, it is

increasingly important that we continue to deconstruct the messages being produced. She Property of Christ University. Use it for fair purpose. Give credit to the author by citing properly, if your are using it.

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also mentions that through this study it became clear that race and gender role stereotyping,

which has been found pervasively within the media, continues to present itself (Mathyas 38).

In the interpretation of disability in African films through narrative and semiotic

analysis, Patrick Devlieger states that in Xala, Ousmane Sembene Xala tells the story of El

Hadji Abdou Kader Beye, a Senegalese man in his fifties, who takes a third wife, a sign of

social and economic success, or from our perspective, of his ability in life. The setting is that

of imminent independence, in which the white man changes roles from being in charge to

playing a second, albeit significant role. He mentions that viewer is introduced to the modern

social arrangement of polygamy, as the different wives live in different villas in the city (and

not in traditional common compound), ask to be financially supported, and are being picked

up in a white Mercedes as they are finishing up their make-up, to go to the marriage party.

Already in this first section, there is a hint that the ability of this man may only last as long

as the wives buy into the system. The encounter with an older daughter, who opposes her

father, is significant in this respect. The story knows its turning point when the man is unable

to consume the new union, despite the careful preparation that should have enabled him to

do so (Patrick 14).

C.S. Venkiteswaran discusses on the reflections on film society movement in Kerala.

The state of Kerala has one of the most dynamic cinemas in India. This thought-piece

considers the development of film societies in Kerala since the 1960s and traces its history to

the present. It begins by mapping the scene and goes on to assume a more personal

dimension. The piece argues that the preoccupation with certain kinds of feature films from

certain filmmakers/parts of the world has been a key aspect of the film societies which, along

with a range of other ‗biases‘, has influenced present day concerns and approaches to cinema

in this part of India (Venkiteswaran 24). Property of Christ University. Use it for fair purpose. Give credit to the author by citing properly, if your are using it.

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Rajesh Menon effectively portrays the views and thoughts of people from various

fields, how the works of the master director and screenplay writer P. Padmarajan is still

relevant through the documentary (Menon).

Adoor Gopalakrishnan‘s characters are drawn from real people, real lives. His

cinema manages to frame details that often escape our everyday glance, turning the mundane

into the magical, the commonplace into the startling. In Adoor Gopalakrishnan: A Life in

Cinema, the first authorized biography of the Dada Saheb Phalke Award winner, Gautaman

Bhaskaran traces the ebbs and the flows of the life of this enigmatic director. From his birth

during the Quit India movement to his lonely childhood at his uncle‘s house; from life at

Gandhigram, where Adoor studied economics and politics, to his days and nights at the Pune

Film Institute; and from his first film, to his latest, Oru Pennum Rantaanum, Bhaskaran is

unwinding the twists and turns of the director.

In a Cinemaya interview in 1994, Adoor said,

When you adapt a story, it is very important that the film director sifts out the

original and extracts a text which is all his own to follow. For Instance, in the

story there is a sentence, ―I have kept watch over death.‖ This single sentence

has become a long sequence, quite central to the movie, beginning with the

head warder waking up Basheer long before daybreak (and asking him to

make tea). The convict to be hanged just before daybreak had asked for a

drink. The viewer is around Basheer until the last bell rings for the convict.

The whole scene is built up through little movements, exchange of looks,

dialogues in monosyllables, to get the viewer involved (Bhaskaran 155).

Malayalam cinema‘s presence in the writings on Indian cinema (or indeed, its

absence) is marked by certain important exceptionalist arguments, especially in relation to its

aesthetic and political conventions. In the otherwise colourful and rich history of south


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Indian cinema, Malayalam cinema exists as an anomaly – a status that determines and

sustains its claims for superiority. The arguments that sustain exceptionalism as a condition

for the existence of the industry and cultural form are many. It is now common sense within

the region that popular Malayalam cinema is superior to the popular cinemas of its

neighbours – Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. Apart from the arguments that

favour the realist conventions in Malayalam cinema, the distinction is often couched in a

binary between rationality and irrationality in terms of the role of cinema in the space of the

social (Ratheesh 27).

A graduate of the Film and Television Institute of Pune, John Abraham who died

accidently in 1987, at the age of 49, was both an open Marxist sympathiser and an inveterate

humanis, and one of the most profound and original representatives (like Aravindan) of the

Malayalam art cinema, which he illustrated with four black and white films.

Finally his last film, one of the most complex and perhaps the most perfect of

all his films, Amma Ariyan (open letter to my mother,1986), was produced

thanks to the funds raised publicly by the individuals belonging to the Odessa

Action Group (a name given as a tribute to Eisenstein‘s Battleship Potemkin,

which filmed in the Ukrainian city) and founded by Abraham in 1984, at

Callicut, a political and cultural; Organisation which, in the area of cinema,

wanted to break cultural alienation and fight against the commercial

exposition of the seventh art (Thoraval 384 – 385).

An author of some 15 naturalist novels, P. Padmarajan (1936-91), a scriptwriter and

also one of the Malayalam filmmakers was very active until his death in 1991. Two years

later, he made a new sarcastic film, Oridathoru Phayalvan (A Wrestler Lived Here, 1981),

which is a questioning about ‗virility‘, in the style of a popular tale, through the story of

Rashid, the wrestler at the fair, Koodevide (Where is the Nest). In Thinkalazhcha Nalla


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Divasam (Monday is a Good Day 1985), he describes a nice psychological in–camera

atmosphere of an ancestral residence where a family assembles for the anniversary of its

lonely mother (Thoraval 385).

During the 1980s, even though Malayalam Parallel Cinema made a slowdown, some

of the best films ever made in Malayalam by master film makers Adoor and Aravindan were

made during this decade. Adoor Gopalakrishnan's masterwork Elipathayam (1981) was

followed by Mukhamukham (1984), Anantharam (1987) and Mathilukal (1989). G

Aravindan's major works like Esthappan (1980), Pokkuvail (1981), Chidambaram (1985)

and Oridathu (1986) were released during this period. Other major works produced during

the 80s were K. G. George‘s Aadaminte Variyellu, M. T. Vasudevan Nair‘s Manju, John

Abraham‘s Cheriyachante Krurakrithyangal and Amma Ariyan, K. R. Mohanan‘s

Purushartham, Pavithran‘s Uppu and Shaji N. Karun‘s first film Piravi.

A positive development was witnessed in the field of commercial Malayalam

Cinema too during the 1980s. A new path of filmmaking was introduced by

directors Padmarajan and Bharathan, films that stood equidistant from

traditional 'popular' and 'parallel' cinema. These film makers successfully

made films, which were commercially viable, without using the usual

formulas of commercial cinema. The distance between 'popular' and 'parallel'

cinema reduced so that these films could not be distinguished (Malayalam).

Revathi opined that Malayalam cinema was turning back to the era of 1980s. People

were accepting a film considering only the story. She welcomed this attitude. The people of

Kerala respected intellectual writer‘s contribution to Malayalam cinema. But this changed in

1996. However, this attitude has changed again and people were accepting a film

considering the story value, Ms. Revathi said. She said previously she did not consider the

story of a film before signing. She used to go by the name of Directors like Bharathan.


16

Herself a director, Ms. Revathy said a director‘s job was tough with a large responsibility of

being creative. One also has to be good at man management (1980s era).

Even though the Parallel Cinema movement had a slow down during 1980s, some of

the best films of Malayalam cinema from directors like Adoor and Aravindan came out

during this period. Shaji.N.Karun‘s Piravi (1988) created stir in the International Film

Festival circuits and refreshed the Malayali film sensibility. The major development during

this decade was the growth of another stream of Malayalam cinema, the ‗Middle Cinema‘,

which fused the artistic qualities of ‗Parallel Cinema‘ and the popular form of the

commercial Malayalam cinema. This resulted in the birth of a number of films with down to

earth stories, but with most of them becoming commercial successes. K. G. George with his

films Kolangal (1980), Yavanika (1982), Lekhayude Maranam Oru Flashback (1983),

Adaminte Variyellu (1983) and Irakal (1985), P. Padmarajan with his films like Oridathoru

Phayalwan (1981), Koodevide (1983), Namakku Parkan Munthiri Thoppukal (1986),

Moonnampakkam (1988) and Aparan (1988), Bharathan with Lorry (1980), Marmaram

(1982) and Ormakkayi (1982), Mohan with Vidaparayum Munpe (1981), Lenin Rajendran

with Chillu (1982) and Meenamasathile Sooryan (1985), Pavithran with Uppu (1986) and K.

S. Sethumadhavan with Oppol (1980) all were strong presence in Malayalam cinema during

the 80s (History of ).

From the ancients onward, Europeans have puzzled over the face, devising methods

for interpreting its secret language. The classical ‗science‘ of physiognomics involves

deciphering an individual‘s nature by comparing his or her physical appearance to certain

types of races or animals, the nature of which is supposed to be known. In a treatise on

physiognomics attributed to Aristotle, ‗physiognomoici‘ are defined as

writers who infer a person‘s idiosyncratic nature from movements, gestures of

the body, colour, characteristic facial expression, the growth of the hair, the


17

smoothness of the skin, the voice, conditions of the flesh, the parts of the

body and the body as a whole (Davis 26).

As Rossellini said, the cinema is a language of art rather than a specific vehicle. Born

of the fusion of several pre-existing forms of expression, which retain some of their own

laws (image, speech, music and noise), the cinema was immediately obliged to compose, in

every sense of the word. From the very beginning, threatened with extinction, it became an

art. Its strength or its weakness is that it encompasses earlier modes of expression (Metz

147).

The real time duration of a shot, its metronomic value, is not the decisive indication:

it all depends on the intensity of the emotion expressed by the actors and impressed on the

spectators; the number of images required to exhaust a sensation cannot be defined; the

assessment of tis duration in the cinema is subjective and varies. One can be struck with awe,

frozen with horror by fifty centimeters of film; one can on the contrary, insinuate a state of

mind through dozens of meters. Film rhythm, therefore, is not a measure mechanically

accented but a succession of shots of varied lengths, so arranged as to hold our attention, our

emotion, our imagination and our memory constantly awake, without dragging or empty

segments ( Roberge 49).

The basis of auteurism is a belief that the art of film resides in its employment as a

medium for personal rather than public expression. While granting that the production of a

film is a collaborative effort, the auteur critic singles out the dominant personality who has

made that effort cohere and whose force and creative vision have chiefly shaped the finished

film.

This dominant personality, the film artist can be identified and his or her

power and creativity confirmed by a controlling presence in a number of

films, films whose other production personnel shift and change but in which


18

the auteur –the film ―author‖-remains constant. Initially, critics have singled

out the creative and ―authorial‖ presence and force of screenwriters,

cinematographers, actors, and editors. On occasion, even producers have been

seen as artistically and creatively shaping the style of films (Bywater and

Sobchack 53).

While the films of the pre-1970s saw the Left trying to make subtle inroads into the

film arena, especially in trying to valorize what came to be called ‗social realist‘ aesthetics,

the films of the 1980s, which had leaders as stars, thematised the Left in an attempt to

reinforce the melodramatic and, by extension, represented the domain of the popular as a

space of ‗irrational‘ (Ratheesh 41).

A distinction is usually made between the authors who study the language of the

cinema and the authors who study films; thus the theoreticians are considered as belonging

to the former and the critics to the latter; the ones write on cinema in general and the others

on such and such film (Roberge 21).

Remakes reflect the conservative nature of the industry; they are motivated by an

economic imperative to repeat proven successes. But in order to maintain economic viability

remakes are also compelled to register variation and difference (from the originals), to

incorporate generic developments (Verevis 4).

The option of, the close-up, is principally emotional (think of the human face). The

primary use of the close-up is for dramatic emphasis. The moment Romeo sees Juliet it is

time for a close-up. Close-ups were also utilized for the moment of violent death in Sam

Peckinpah‘s ―The Wild Bunch.‖ A variation on the close-up is the extreme close-up—the

missing index finger of the villain in Alfred Hitchcock‘s ―The Thirty-Nine Steps‖ or the key

in Cary Grant‘s hand in ―Notorious.‖ This shot is extremely emotional and can be used to

add a great deal of dramatic emphasis. Use of a wide-angle shot requires being aware of and


19

working with the foreground, the mid-ground, and the background. The wide-angle shot is

contextual in that the background and mid-ground provide context for the foreground. Aside

from the considerable amount of visual information in such a shot, the wide-angle shot offers

an opportunity to visualize conflict, or its opposite, in a single shot. Generally, characters

presented the same distance from the camera are working together, while characters

positioned at different distances are in effect pitted against one another (Dancyger 103).

There must be films available that were conceived and carried out in every detail

under the guidance of definite educational purposes and ideals. It seems almost obvious that

films made primarily to appeal to the largest number, with little or no regard for educational

values, must at best be seriously lacking as educational instruments and at worst maybe

positively harmful. To think of using for educational purposes films designed merely to

entertain would be not one whit more absurd than to think of making a set of trashy novels

serve as serious textbooks (Grainge 25).

This intensity of seeing evokes the drive toward a renovation of vision in

Impressionism. What the eye sees is, for Pissarro, not the world of objects, which begin to

disintegrate in his already pixelated brushwork, but light. Pissarro was, however, caught in a

contradiction between truth to his perception and truth to light. Seeking a clue to the

translation from light to pigment, the divisionists, like the Lumieres, opted for the latter.

This is in particular why the first cinematograph films need to be seen in the

light of the schooled eye emerging from the dialectic of subjective impression and

objective optics. Pissarro‘s works of this period, for example, only come into focus

as depictions when the viewer stands back from them, back further than the painter

could have done while applying the pigment (Cubitt 28).

There are times when I hear a filmmaker say, ―Colour can be whatever you want it to

be.‖ My experience tells me this is a dangerous misconception. It‘s the cart before the horse,


20

really. In fact, my research suggests it is not we who decide what colour can be. After two

decades of investigation into how colour affects behaviour, I am convinced, whether we

want it to or not, that it is colour that can determine how we think and what we feel

(Bellantoni 28).

1.7. Methodology

This dissertation entitled ―A Critical Analysis of the Contemporary Popular Malayalam

Motion Pictures as Compared to the Malayalam Movies of 1980s‖ adopts a qualitative

approach.

Based on the selected movies of directors like P. Padmarajan, Sathyan Anthikad,

Ranjith Sankar and Arun Kumar Aravind, the researcher has attempted to analyse the

following factors of plot/theme, narrative structure, characterization, technicality and

relevance of the movie in the prevailing socio-economic and cultural scenario in the select

movies are Nadodikattu, Varavelpu, Thoovanathumpikal, Namukku Parkan Munthiri

Thoppukal, Cocktail, Ee adutha kalathu and Arjunan Saakshi.

1.8. Justification for Film Selection

P. Padmarajan, a decorated visionary of the Malayalam cinema, was a leading

director of 70s and 80s. He was a prominent contributor to the Golden Era of cinema. He had

his unique style in narrative, which was incomparable with others of his time (or as a matter

of fact, even of this time). He was a master in blending the trivial abnormalities of human

life with its absolute natural emotions. In other words, he brought fairy tales to the present

world. His notable films Namukku Parkan Munthiri Thoppukal (1986) and

Thoovanathumpikal (1987) are selected for analysis by the researcher. Both these films were

commercially successful and critically acclaimed. The movie Namukku Parkan Munthiri

Thoppukal won the Kerala Film Critics Award for best screenplay in 1986. It is rated 7.3 out

of 10 points in the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) which is widely accepted as a public


21

forum for evaluating movies. The film Thoovanathumpikal got Film Chamber Award for

Best Story in 1987. Its rated 7.2 in Internet Movie Databasen (IMDb).

Sathyan Anthikadu is a popular director in Malayalam cinema who has won

numerous accolades including a national award for best feature film in 2001 and 5 Kerala

State Film Awards for his films. The researcher has selected the two widely appraised

movies of Sathyan Anthikadu, Nadodikattu (1987) and Varavelpu (1989) for analysis. The

film Nadodikattu and Varavelpu got immense popularity among the spectators due to its

portrayal of average man‘s dreams in a satirical manner. Both the films got 7.3 rating in

Internet Movie Database (IMDb).

The research is analyzing movies of contemporary directors Ranjith Sankar and Arun

Kumar Aravind. The movies selected for analysis are Cocktail and Ee Adutha Kalathu

directed by Arun Kumar and Arjunan Saakshi and Passenger directed by Ranjith Sankar.

Both the films Cocktail and Ee Adutha Kalathu have earned immense popularity in the way

of storytelling. (Ee Adutha Kalathu, Cocktail). Director Ranjith Sankar got awards for his

debut directorial venture itself including first Lohithadas Puraskaram for best screenplay

(Ranjith Sankar). Both his movies are highly appreciated for the novelty in storytelling and

relevance to the society (Techie-turned director).

1.9. Chapter Division

The chapter division in this research is as follows: Chapter 1 entitled ‗Introduction‘

introduces the topic. This chapter also highlights the significance of study, the objectives of

the research, film theories, the methodology adopted for the research and review of

literature.

Chapter 2 entitled ‗Historical Overview of Cinema‘ discusses about origin and spread of

cinema across world. It also concentrates on Indian cinema and history of Malayalam cinema

in detail.


22

Chapter 3 entitled ―A Critical Analysis of Select Malayalam Movies‖ analyses notable

works of directors like Padmarajan, Sathyan Athikadu and new age Malayalam films. This

chapter also concentrates on how social issues is reflected and perceived in movie subject

lines through various decades.

Chapter 4 entitled ―Conclusion‖ provides a summary of the previous chapters and

highlights the findings of the study.


23

Chapter 2

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF CINEMA

2.1. Origin of Cinema

The first machine patented in the United States that showed animated pictures or movies

was a device called the ‗wheel of life‘ or ‗zoopraxiscope‘. Patented in 1867 by William

Lincoln, moving drawings or photographs were watched through a slit in the zoopraxiscope.

Modern motion picture making began with the invention of the motion picture camera.

The Frenchman Louis Lumiere is often credited as inventing the first motion picture

camera in 1895. But in truth, several others had made similar inventions around the same

time as Lumiere. What Lumiere invented was a portable motion-picture camera, film

processing unit and projector called the ‗Cinematographe‘, three functions covered in one

invention.

The Cinematographe made motion pictures very popular, and it can be said that

Lumiere's invention began the motion picture era. In 1895, Lumiere and his brother were the

first to present projected, moving, photographic, pictures to a paying audience of more than

one person. The Lumiere brothers were not the first to project film. In 1891, the Edison

Company successfully demonstrated the Kinetoscope, which enabled one person at a time to

view moving pictures. Later in 1896, Edison showed his improved Vitascope projector and it

was the first commercially, successful, projector in the U.S.

2.2. Cinema in India

Telling stories from the epics using hand-drawn tableaux images in scroll paintings, with

accompanying live sounds have been an age old Indian tradition. These tales, mostly the

familiar stories of gods and goddesses, are revealed slowly through choreographic

movements of painted glass slides in a lantern, which create illusions of movements. And so

when the Lumiere brother‘s representatives held the first public showing at Mumbai‘s


24

(Bombay) Watson‘s Hotel on July 7, 1896, the new phenomenon did not create much of a

stir here and no one in the audience ran out at the image of the train speeding towards them,

as it did elsewhere. The Indian viewer took the new experience as something already

familiar to him.

Harischandra Sakharam Bhatwadekar, who happened to be present for the Lumiere

presentation, was keen on getting hold of the Lumiere Cinematograph and trying it out

himself rather than show the Lumiere films to a wider audience. The public reception

accorded to Wrangler Paranjpye at Chowapatty on his return from England with the coveted

distinction he got at Cambridge was covered by Bhatwadekar in December 1901- the first

Indian topical or actuality film was born.

In Calcutta, Hiralal Sen photographed scenes from some of the plays at the Classic

Theatre. Such films were shown as added attractions after the stage performances or taken to

distant venue where the stage performers could not reach. The possibility of reaching a large

audience through recorded images which could be projected several times through

mechanical gadgets caught the fancy of people in the performing arts and the stage and

entertainment business. The first decade of the 20th century saw live and recorded

performances being clubbed together in the same programme.

The strong influence of its traditional arts, music, dance and popular theatre on the

cinema movement in India in its early days is probably responsible for its characteristic

enthusiasm for inserting song and dance sequences in Indian cinema, even till today.

Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (1870 - 1944) affectionately called Dadasaheb Phalke is

considered as the 'father of Indian Cinema'. Central in Phalke's career as a filmmaker was his

fervent belief in the nationalistic philosophy of swadeshi, which advocated that Indians

should take charge of their own economy in the perspective of future Independence. Property of Christ University. Use it for fair purpose. Give credit to the author by citing properly, if your are using it.

25

Phalke, with his imported camera, exposed single frames of a seed sprouting to a

growing plant, shot once a day, over a month-thus inadvertently introducing the concept of

‗time-lapse photography‘, which resulted in the first indigenous ‗instructional film‘- The

Birth of a Pea Plant (1912) - a capsule history of the growth of a pea into a pea-laden plant.

This film came very handy in getting financial backing for his first film venture.

Raja Harishchandra was the first film to be made in India. The opening tableaux

presents a scene of royal family harmony- with a space outside the frame from where the

people emerge, and to which space the king when banished seeks shelter. The film's

treatment is episodic, following the style of the Indian folk theatre and the primitive novel.

Most of the camera set-ups are static, with plenty of movements within the frame.

Phalke hailed from an orthodox Hindu household - a family of priests with strong

religious roots. So, when technology made it possible to tell stories through moving images,

it was but natural that the Indian film pioneer turned to his own ancient epics and Puranas

for source material. The phenomenal success of Raja Harishchandra was kept up by Phalke

with a series of mythological films that followed - Mohini Bhasmasur (1914), significant for

introducing the first woman to act before the cameras - Kamalabai Gokhale. The significant

titles that followed include - Satyawan Savitri (1914), Satyavadi Raja Harischandra (1917),

Lanka Dahan (1917), Shri Krishna Janma (1918) and Kalia Mardan (1919).

2.2.1. Regional Cinema

The first film in Southern India was made in 1916 by R Nataraja Mudaliar- namely

Keechaka Vadham. As the title indicates the subject is again a mythological from the

Mahabharata. Another film made in Madras - Valli Thiru-Manam (1921) by Whittaker drew

critical acclaim and box office success. Hollywood returned Ananthanarayanan Narayanan

founded General Pictures Corporation in 1929 and established filmmaking as an industry in

South India and became the single largest producer of silent films.


26

2.2.2. Silent Era Ends

In the early thirties, the silent Indian cinema began to talk, sing and dance. Alam Ara

produced by Ardeshir Irani (Imperial Film Company), released on March 14, 1931 was the

first Indian cinema with a sound track.

Mumbai became the hub of the Indian film industry having a number of self-contained

production units. The thirties saw hits like Madhuri (1932), Indira (1934), Anarkali (1935),

Miss Frontier Mail (1936), and Punjab Mail (1939).

2.2.3. South Indian Cinema

Tamil cinema emerged as a veritable entertainment industry in 1929 with the creation of

General Picture Corporation in Madras (Chennai). Most of the Tamil films produced were

multilingual productions, with versions in Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada until film

production units were established in Hyderabad, Trivandrum and Bangalore. The first talkie

of South India, Srinivas Kalyanam was made by A Narayanan in 1934.

2.2.2. Cinema in Kerala

A decade after Lumiere brothers put up their historic show at Grand Cafe in Paris,

motion picture made its presence in Kerala when wandering showman Paul Vincent screened

some films with his Edison Bioscope at the Kozhikode in 1906. The film production process

took more time to begin in Kerala.

The first Malayalam movie was Vigathakumaran (1928) produced and directed by J. C.

Daniel. This was a silent film and could not mark success in the theatres. In 1933, came the

second film named Marthanda Varma based on the novel written by C.V. Raman Pillai and

produced by B. V. Rao. Unfortunately, the release was held due to some legal issues. The

first talkie movie released was Balan in the year 1938. It was during this time that the

famous film studio Udaya started functioning in Kerala. Many Keralites marked their entry

in the film industry by this time. Even though there was a rise in the number of people taking


27

up the new profession, the number of films produced per year was very few. Kerala only saw

one movie per year or even years without production of films. There were only a handful of

films in Malayalam until the 1950s. It was in the following three decades that film

production gathered momentum in Kerala.

The themes of Malayalam cinema focused on society and they also drew a lot from

literature. The 1950s and 1960s saw themes of literary influence, social-reality, and drama.

Kerala also witnessed a multitude of talents in the fields of directing, music, acting and

screenwriting who in a short span became unforgettable maestros in the industry with their

inimitable pieces of work. Jeevithanouka (K.Vembu, 1951), Neelakkuyil

(P.Bhaskaran/Ramu Kariat, 1954) and Rarichan Enna Pouran (P.Bhaskaran, 1956) to name

a few, were remarkable films of the 1950s that set the trend. These films centred on issues

relating to caste and class exploitation, the fight against obscurantist beliefs, the degeneration

of the feudal class/society, and the disintegration of the joint family system. Some of

the notable filmmakers of this period were P. Subramaniam, P. Bhaskaran, Ramu Kariat,

A.Vincent and K. S. Sethumadhavan. Ramu Kariat‘s Chemmeen (1965) is considered a

milestone in the Malayalam movie industry.

The 1970s saw a movement of new wave when old forms, styles, themes and

narratives were giving way to new ones with a ‗modernist‘ revolution. This was because

several state institutions that were in support of new cinema were set up during the 1970s.

With the establishment of The Film Finance Corporation, the Film and Television

Institute of India (FTII) and the National Film Archives a new crop of trained

professionals entered the scene. This had reverberations in Kerala too. Film school graduates

who were exposed to the current trends in world cinema produced film that created the

feeling of a new wave. Property of Christ University. Use it for fair purpose. Give credit to the author by citing properly, if your are using it.

28

The filmmakers of the earlier era, though they dealt with the individual struggles for

livelihood and dilemmas in their narrative style, focussed broadly on the idea of social and

class liberation. The fate of Neeli in Neelakkuyil or Appu and Sankaran Nair in Newspaper

Boy (the first neo-realist experiment in Malayalam, by P.Ramdas, 1955) or of Pappu in

Odayil Ninnu (K.S.Sethumadhavan, 1965), was embedded in their class identity and

position, and dialectically placed against caste/class interests within the narrative itself.

By the beginning of the 1970s, the dreams and despair of the individual were

gradually coming taking up the limelight over the class and social concerns of previous

decades.

P.N.Menon‘s Olavum Theeravum (1970) is considered to be the trendsetter in this regard.

This movie was shot mainly in outdoor locations and was driven by reality and aesthetics. It

broke the claustrophobic ambiance of the studios and theatrical modes of rendition.

Swayamvaram (1972), directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan (an FTII graduate), brought

about a much more definitive rupture. Even though the plot of the film was conventional,

the film tasted fresh. Careful attention to composition and editing, diligent use of natural

sounds, slow pace, and controlled acting marked it off from the mainstream.

P.A.Backer (1940-1993) whose films consistently dealt with the oppressed and

the marginalized-orphans, sex workers, landless peasants, labourers and rebels took the

socio-realist project into the 1970s. His significant films include Kabani Nadi

Chuvannappol (1975), a bold avant-garde film made during the dark days of National

Emergency; Chuvanna Vithukal, Manimuzhakkam (1976); and Sanghaganam (1979).

Other notable films of the period were Nirmalyam (M. T. Vasudevan Nair, 1973),

Swapnadanam (K. G. George, 1975), Aswathamavu (K. R. Mohanan, 1978) and Yaro Oral

(Pavithran, 1978). Property of Christ University. Use it for fair purpose. Give credit to the author by citing properly, if your are using it.

29

Through sheer prolificacy and distinctive style, these filmmakers radically

transformed the film scene. The films depended more on the spoken word before the new

wave and in form were based on popular theatre and folk traditions. The new wave

brought a new sensibility and self-consciousness to form and treatment. Instead of

‗what to tell‘, focus was shifted on ‗how to tell‘ the story. If ‗commitment‘ and ‗social

change‘ were the buzzwords of the earlier generation, the new word was ‗self-expression‘.

The protagonist (invariably a male) of the post-independence decades was one who

fought against the system and looked forward to the future. His subjectivity was constituted

and defined by a denial of the past and the present, and a yearning for a better tomorrow. But

the hero of the 1970s was disillusioned with the system and the future. He lacked a reason

for existence believed only in him. The 1980s were a period when the denominations

‗art‘ and ‗commercial‘ became most evident in form and popular in public discourses. The

‗art‘ scene was dominated by the duo of Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Aravindan, who, along

with a group of new talents, brought out films with regular frequency, thanks to

entrepreneurs such as Ravindran Nair, recognition at home and abroad, and a receptive

audience base.

Gopalakrishnan‘s films that were firmly placed in the Malayali milieu were noted for

their thematic versatility and mastery over form. They probed various aspects of the life and

polity of the Malayali. Kodiyattam (1977) was about a village barn (played by Gopi, one

among the many finds of the new wave), coming to terms with his life. Elipathayam

(1981) graphically portrayed the claustrophobic state of feudal mind that refuses to change in

a changing world. Mukhamukham (1984) is an introspective look at the Leftist movement

and its decadence. In the 1990s, his films became more introspective and analytical.

The films of G. Aravindan (1935-1991) are marked by remarkable quality in terms of

diverse social themes. Formally innovative, they explored new realms of experience and


30

imagination. While Kanchanasita (1977) was a celluloid interpretation of an epic that dwelt

upon the all-too-human conflicts of the mythic Rama in a tribal setting, Thampu (1978) was

a lyrical film about the arrival and departure of a circus troupe and the ripples it

creates in a sleepy village. Kummatty (1979) was one of the most imaginative of

children‘s films, still an unexpected genre in Malayalam. Esthappan (1979) and

Pokkuveyil (1981) further extended Aravindan‘s formal experiments, though his later

works exhibit a growing concern for the linear narrative.

One of the most enigmatic figures in Malayalam cinema of the period was John

Abraham (1937-1987). Erratic and unpredictable, in life and in his films, Abraham‘s

works are imbued with a deep sense of humanity. In a way, they deal with the very

impossibility of being human and creative. Agrahathil Kazhuthai (1977) is about a

donkey in a Brahmin village, and is a darkly humorous look at the caste driven

society. An element of black humour runs through his next film, Cheriyachante

Krurakrithyangal (1979), also. It is about a small peasant caught in the storm of social

changes; the peasant is so unable to comprehend, absorb, or participate in the changes that

they become his phobias. Abraham‘s last film, Amma Ariyan (1989), is a journey through the

emotional and mental ruins of a radical past.

While the new-wave filmmakers were making a definitive mark in the film

industry and taking Malayalam cinema on the hit charts of good cinema, the commercial

mainstream cinema was also undergoing slow but significant changes. The formal and

technical innovations that distinguished the new wave were being gradually absorbed by

the mainstream, as were the actors and technicians the new wave introduced.

By the 1980s, a kind of osmosis was underway with the gradual dissolution of the

boundaries that separated the commercial mainstream from the elitist ‗art‘ cinema. A new

array of filmmakers, the practitioners of the ‗middle cinema‘, burst onto the scene. Among


31

them were prolific filmmakers such as Bharathan, P. Padmarajan, Fazil, Satyan Anthikkad,

Lenin Rajendran and Balachandra Menon.

In the mainstream, the work of P. Padmarajan and K. G. George dominated the

1980s. Padmarajan (1936-1991), a novelist and short story writer of repute, started his film

career as a successful screenplay writer to Bharathan and I. V. Sasi. He turned to directing in

1979 with Peruvazhiyambalam, a poignant film, set in a rural milieu, about revenge and the

futility of violence. His later films that still lay engraved with its uniqueness and speciality

in the minds of the viewer explored various dimensions of love, human relationships and

sexuality. K. G. George, a graduate of the FTII, started as an assistant to Ramu Kariat and

made his debut in 1975 with Swapnadanam, a psychodrama about marital love. In the

1980‘s he went on to make a series of significant and commercially successful films

centring on women.

The most commercially successful directors of the period were I. V. Sasi, Bharathan

and Fazil. While Fazil‘s concerns were adolescent love and familial relationships, I. V. Sasi

made a series of political melodramas based on public and political scandals of the

1980s. The major themes of the period were romantic entanglements and corruption in

public life. Sex and violence formed an inevitable part of the narrative.

The growing film industry and the dramatic increase in production were

catalysts for new technologies and techniques. The fact that India‘s first 3-D movie, My

Dear Kuttichathan (Jijo, 1984), was made in Malayalam stands as testimony to the

industry‘s vitality and innovativeness. A fantasy film for children, My Dear Kuttichathan

was a great commercial success and was dubbed into several Indian languages.

Kerala, basically a communist state reflected in its movies the changes that occurred

during the radical shift in economic policies in India and fall of the Soviet Union and

the Communist Bloc. This had a tremendous impact on the Malayalam psyche. Meanwhile,


32

the spread of satellite television, made possible by the new economic policies started

to encroach on the stand that cinema had created.

The excess of tele-serials, almost all domestic or romantic melodramas, decreased the

thematic choices of the film industry. This also transformed the audience base of cinema.

With the sobs and soaps invading the drawing rooms, there was a withdrawal of the

family audience from the cinemas, and of such themes from films. Working within

limited economies of scale, with no substantial outside market, and unable to compete

technically with other cinemas, Malayalam cinema of the early 1990s retreated into the only

areas where the indigenous seemed to have an assured market and could not be combated

from the outside – slapstick and sleaze. With the era sure of the difference between ‗art‘ and

the ‗commercial‘, filmmakers confortable in both worlds dominated the scene, the

prominent among them being Sibi Malayil, Fazil, Priyadarshan, Srinivasan, Kamal, Jayaraj,

Balachandra Menon and Lohitadas. Their films were psychodramas and social satires with a

tinge of elan. Their strength was in their scripts and many were commercially successful. In

a way, the commercial films were rediscovering ‗art‘ cinema as yet another formula.

Upper-caste rituals, costumes, concerns and mannerisms were established as the

normative and narrative centre in the 1990s. The Valluvanadan Malayalam (a slang used by

the upper castes in central Kerala and popularized by the highly successful scripts of M. T.

Vasudevan Nair) became the mother tongue of popular cinema. Stereotyping also began

creeping into the industry with the minorities, especially Muslims and lower castes,

gradually being marginalized and tending to appear more as exceptions to the ‗normal‘.

T. V. Chandran and Shaji N. Karun are the two major filmmakers who made their

mark in the 1990s. Chandran made his debut with Krishankutty in 1980, followed in

1989 by Alicinte Anweshanam, a film about the gulf that separates the lives of men and

women. He also made movies that probed into the history of Kerala and his themes were


33

different in every movie that he made. Ponthan Mada (1994) and Ormakalundayirikkanam

(1995) focussed on this theme. The former from a subaltern angle and the latter from the

viewpoint of a teenager. Susanna (2000) is about a woman with a mind and more

importantly a body of her own, who refuses to be a mere victim or an object of

desire. Chandran‘s next film, Danny (2000), is a sequel to Susanna and is a sarcastic

interrogation of Malayali masculinity. In Padam Onnu: Oru Vilapam (2003), he takes a

critical look at the inhuman practices among the Muslim community in Kerala. His last film,

Kathavaseshan (2004), is about a middle-class youth committing suicide as he realised that

he does not want to be alive in times like how it is now.

Shaji N. Karun, the cinematographer of most of Aravindan‘s films, made an

impressive feature debut with Piravi (1988), which won several international awards.

Beginning with a real-life incident, the film deals with the agony of a father who waits

endlessly for the return of his son who is no more. Swaham (1994) is another film about the

struggles and travails of a family in a heartless society. Vaanaprastham (1999), which won

India‘s National Award for Best Film, deals with the inner and outer struggles of a

traditional actor in a society that no longer supports his art or recognises his worth.

The first decade of the new millennium saw a number of young filmmakers fighting

to make their voices heard and talents accepted. Most of their films are low budget, formally

adventurous, thematically introspective and engage the present in all its complexities.

Recent years saw some provocative and bold films such as M. P. Sukumaran Nair‘s

Sayanam, Pavithran‘s Kuttappan Sakshi, Satish Menon‘s Bhavum, Suma Josson‘s

Janmadinam, Liji Pullapilly‘s Sancharam and Rajiv Vijayaraghavan‘s Margam.

This new generation of filmmakers of the post-liberalisation era comes from two

different backgrounds. One, products of film-society activism, film institutes or advertising

films who are based in India, making a living and films. This includes M. P. Sukumaran


34

Nair, V. K. Prakash, R. Sarat, Suma Josson, Priyanandan and Rajiv Vijayaraghavan. The

other group consists of non-resident Keralities, part of the Malayali diaspora who work

abroad and make films in their mother tongue. This includes Satish Menon, Satish Nambiar

and Liji Pullapilly. Murali Nair, who‘s Maranasimhasanam (1999), an acerbic satire on

the degeneration of Communist politics, won the Camera d‘Or at Cannes, could be

considered the pioneer of this group. His other films, Oru Pattiyude Divasam (2001) and

Arimpara (2002) are also black comedies set against the local socio-political backdrop.

The films of the resident filmmakers concentrate on global issues and universal

themes such as nuclear disarmament and the degeneration of Communist politics, while the

non-residents take up local issues and themes firmly placing their narrative in the physical,

social and mental landscape of Kerala, often with a nostalgic force. They address

such topics as lesbianism, the problems of a village economy in the face of

globalisation and the pitfalls of professionalism. A decade of globalisation has definitely

taken its toll on Kerala, as on other marginal economies and cultures. Kerala‘s current

film scene is one slowly waking up to the new reality of globalised images and mega

narratives.


35

Chapter 3

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF SELECT MALAYALAM MOTION PICTURES

Namukku Parkan Munthiri Thoppukal (1986)

Fig. 1. Movie poster(1986)

3.1.1. Background of the Movie

Considered by many movie critics as the best movie by the legendary director

P.Padmarajan, Namukku Parkan Munthiri Thoppukal (1986) is a landmark movie in the

Malayalam film industry. P.Padmarajan, who was considered as one among the second

generation modernist writers, whose works as a novelist dealt with anarchist ideologies,

about marginalised people and sexual jealousy. Padmarajan has worked as an announcer at

All India Radio and had authored 15 novels before he could enter the world of cinema by

scripting for Bharathan's Pranamam. Padmarajan played a key role in bringing back

Malayalam popular cinema back to common man, by telling stories of ordinary people and

ordinary events. He established his position as a leading advocate of the middle path cinema


36

with his very first film, Peruvazhiyambalam (1979). His second film Oridathoru Phayalvan

(1981) has won the recognition and fame through several awards including international

awards. He maintained consistency in quality of films and remained popular among the mass

during his entire film career. One of the major factors that made Padmarajan movies unique

is the fact that it was never just a story that Padmarajan films gave its audience, but a stream

of varied emotions and feelings. The maestro was always successful in selling a feeling to

his audience making sure that when thy left the theatre they always had a deep felt feeling or

emotion whether it is sorrow or happiness. The movie Namukku Parkan Munthiri Thoppukal

that came out in the year 1986 did just that in the most beautiful of ways.

3.1. 2. Plot/Theme

The movie is a superbly narrated love story with a typical Christian background. The

movie starts off by showcasing the character and attitude of Solomon (Mohanlal).

Padmarajan Portrays Solomon as a fun loving and dedicated man who has a plantation away

from his house. Once in a while he makes a quick visit to be with his mother. Sofia is the girl

from next door. The blossoming of love between Solomon and Sofia is handled brilliantly by

Padmarajan. Here there is no hero who fumbles or sweats when he is expressing his love,

rather a passage from Bible gives indication to Sofia regarding the love of Solomon. But the

girl's situation was worse than he thought when he finds that the man who was told to be her

father was her stepfather. Solomon (Mohanlal) who falls in love with Sofia (Shari) who is

the illegitimate daughter of a nurse now married to a railway mechanic, an alcoholic.

Sofia's stepfather (Thilakan) sets a marriage for her with his junior as well as

drinking partner. When Sofia's mother accepts the proposal from Solomon, the stepfather

rapes Sofia.


37

3.1.3. Narrative Structure

The film has a linear style of narrative structure as there is just one story told in a

direct path. The music has a major role to play for the success of this narrative style in this

film. Understanding this Padmarajan has chosen one of the most prominent music composer

Johnson and for lyrics he has chosen the maestro O. N. V. Kurup who has who won Jnanpith

Award, the highest literary award in India. The music is so prominent in the film that the

music continues to give the listener the kind of emotional experience that he went through

while watching the film.

The movie uses elaborate quotes about love from the bible. ―Let us rise early and go

to the vineyards; Let us see whether the vine has budded. And its blossoms have opened, and

whether the pomegranates have bloomed…‖ (King of Solomon, Bible)

3.1.4. Characterization

The main characters in the film are played by the actors Mohanlal as Solomon, Shari

as Sofia, Thilakan as Sofia‘s step father Paul Pailokkaran.

Solomon

In the film Namukku Parkan Munthiri Thoppukal Mohanlal has played the

protagonist role of Solomon to perfection. Solomon is a typical hard working planter coming

from a Christian background. He represents the upper middle class people and also the so

called civilized lot as mentioned by his mother many times in the movie. Solomon is

showcased as a fun filled person who makes everyone around him energetic. He is attributed

with a hardworking person with passion for farming which was a major means of yearning

of 1980s. He is an obedient son without any bad habits while he is near his mother. But he

takes alcohol and lives a much more liberal life while he is outside his family and society.


38

Sofia

Shari plays the character of Sofia in the movie Namukku Parkan Munthiri

Thoppukal. Sofia is portrayed as a shy but very energetic girl. She is the step daughter of her

father and so is treated very badly by him. Her father won‘t let her study and also won‘t let

her get a job. She is characterized is a way that she feels as a perfect partner for Solomon.

Paul Pailokkaran

Actor Thilakan plays the role of Paul Pailokkaran in the film. Paul Pailokkaran is the

cruel step father of Sofia. He is against the relationship between Solomon and Sofia and tries

to oppose it. As a final step he rapes his step daughter.

3.1.5. Technical Analysis

Editing

The film is edited in a very slow pace with no sudden or jump cuts. The entire plot of

the movie supports such a slow paced editing and there is not much element of excitement in

the film where there is a need for fast paced editing. The script is made in such a way that

the entire movie should go in a smooth and flowing pattern so that the viewers will be able

to immerse fully in to the movie. No fancy transitions are used to keep the flow of the film.

Shot type and camera angles

Lot of wide shots and mid shots are used which helps in capturing the entire mood of

the situation and with the support of good music and excellent dialogues it‘s fair to say that

the attempt is more than a success. There is a beautiful flow to the film and the wise use of

the track shots helps the cause. Ample use of close up shots ensure that the facial expressions

of the actors could be fully utilized and has been used in a way that the audience does not

feel that there is too much expressions given by the actors. The wide use of long shots is

evident that the director was confident in the location and was willing to reveal a lot of the

location space and in turn creating the right ambience required.


39

Lighting and decor

Throughout the film a soft lighting is used giving it a mystic or magical feel. In many

scenes where the characters express the love a whitish tint is given to the scene. This sets up

the mood beautifully for the scene. The movie showcases an atmosphere filled with greenery

and natural locales including the grape yard to add soothing feeling to the tone of the plot.

Fig. 2. Expressing love Fig. 3. In the grape vineyard

3.1.6. Relevance of the Movie in the Prevailing Socio-cultural and Economic Scenario

The movie Nammuku Parkam Munthiri Thopukal is first in addressing the migrant

Keralites life in land far away from theirs it looks at the cultural and sociological milieu of

the Syrian Christians of Kerala who as one of the affluent and educated searched for greener

pastures away from their state. The story revolves around the mundane but shows the

challenges of the liberalization that has crept into the community and how tragedy unfolds in

the life of one of the characters due to the liberalization of the community‘s conservatism.

The family of Sofia is settled out in an area where they could look for a good job settlement

and economic stability. The period of 1980‘s was characterized by economic gloom

prevailed in Kerala in- spite of achieving high literacy rates. A lot of people were migrating

to nearby states searching for a fortune. The mindset of the people was a bit conservative in

those times. The director successfully portrayed all these mentioned factors very realistically

through this movie.


40

Thoovanathumbikal (1987)

Fig. 4. Movie poster(1987)


Padmarajan‘s widely appraised movie Thoovanathumbikal (1987 – Dragonflies in

the Spraying Rain), is based on his own novel Udakappola, belongs to that rare category of

cinema which paved way towards a lot of interpretation and angles of analysis for the movie

critics as well as spectators. The lifestyle of the protagonist Jayakrishnan's in the town, is

loosely based on one of Padmarajan's friends, Karakath Unni Menon. Padmarajan met Unni

Menon when the former was working at All India Radio, Thrissur. The friends of

Jayakrishan were loosely based on the other friends of Unni Menon: Kanjavu Varkey,

Express George and Vijayan Karot. (Karakath Unni Menon)

3.2.2. Plot/Theme

Thoovanathumbikal is a melodramatic movie juxtaposing the characters of three

strong willed protagonists – Jayakrishnan (Mohan Lal), Clara (Sumalatha) and Radha

(Parvathy) – into the background of a small town in Thrissur. It explores the complex web of

love, sex and jealousy that binds these three characters, as their lives clash. Jayakrishnan is a Property of Christ University.


41

young man who leads a double life – one as a planter in his village and the other as a quasi-

hero in the town, where he lives a jovial life with innumerable friends.

He falls in love with Radha, a typical family girl, who rejects his proposal, assuming

that he is just another flirt. Later, through a friend, he meets Clara, a woman who wants to

escape from the hardships of poverty and ill treatment from distant relatives by turning into

prostitution. After being rejected by Radha, he finds solace in Clara‘s arms and that develops

into a fascinating relationship. Admired by his sincerity to love, she finds it difficult to reject

his marriage proposal and so Clara just disappears from his life because, she does not want

to spoil his life by becoming his wife as she has already become a sex-worker.

Fig. 5. A fascinating relationship

When Radha came to know more about Jayakrishnan and she develops an interest

towards him – his dual persona creates a sense of surprise and admiration in her. Clara, still

haunts Jayakrishnan‘s mind and he is unable to open up Radha. Eventually, Clara realizes

the fact that if she still remains in Jaykrishnan‘s life both his and her life will be in hardship,

so she gets married and fades away from Jayakrishnan‘s and Radha‘s life.


42


The movie is progressing through a straight forward linear kind of narration which

takes amazing twists to lead towards the climax. The story is concentrating on the lives of

Jayakrishnan , Clara and Radha. The kind of relationship between Jayakrishnan and Clara is

hard to explain and understand. It is a relationship – unethical, unwelcomed by any society

and unbelievable to a common audience. The director gives it very strong romantic

overtones, especially when compared to the other relationship with Radha. The usage of

Thrissur slang of Malayalam language is a highlight of the movie which is specially points

towards the society and culture of that time and space.

3.2.4. Characterisation

The central characters of this movie are Jayakrishnan (Mohanalal), Clara (Sumalatha)

and Radha (Parvathy). The element of rain plays an important part in this movie.

Jayakrishnan

The character of Jayakrishnan played by Mohanlal has a dual persona. He is a

hardworking planter in his village who is also very stingy. He is that careful in spending

money so that even his relatives are not comfortable with him at times. At the same time

Jayakrishnan visits the nearby town once in a while where we could see a completely

different persona of Jayakrishnan who is a spendthrift leading a jovial life with his friends.

The dual persona of Jayakrishnan is characterised by several features. As shown in (Fig. 6 )

the village persona of Jayakrishnan is a hardworking farmer, implied by wearing the

traditional hat used by farmers in Kerala. The second persona of Jayakrishnan in city is

always surrounded by a gang of rich people of the society. (Fig.7)


43

Fig. 6. Village life Fig. 7. City life

Clara

The character of Clara is portrayed by Sumalatha. Clara is undoubtedly one of the

most interesting characters in this film. She is strong willed, free spirited and has no doubts

in treading the path that she believes is the best one for her. She escapes from the crutches of

the family where she is ill-treated, by getting into prostitution. Later when she realises her

presence will destroy Jayakrishnan‘s life, she marries a widower and fades away from the

life of Jayakrishnan and Radha. However, Padmarajan creates the character of Clara, with

whom the spectators will develop a sense of bonding, someone without negative or

depressive shades. At the time Clara comes back after entering to prostitution, she visits

Jayakrishnan. She wants to walk around with Jayakrishnan in the free space escaping from

the barriers of walls. The character of Clara is of a peculiar kind with so much of boldness

and unbothered about the society.

Radha

The character of Radha is played by Parvathy. Radha is a homely girl who sticks to

the rules of the family and society. She is a straight forward character in the movie as she

tells on the face of Jayakrishnan that she doesn‘t like him. She is also shown as sceptical

about Jayakrishnan‘s affair with Clara, as she keeps an eye on him, when he goes to railway

station to meet Clara.


44

The element of rain

The use of rain as a metaphor (explicitly mentioned and felt by the protagonist)

creates a natural aura about their relationship and it acts invisibly in the background, driving

their relationship. At every important point when they communicate or meet, it rains which

slowly dries up as they move away. The presence of rain is noticeable when Jayakrishnan

write a letter to Clara, when they go out, in the railway station, and when Jayakrishnan

receives a letter from Clara. It can be said rain just reflected their relationship, and when she

says she won‘t come back again to meet Jayakrishnan, there is no rain, indicating everything

is dried up.

Fig. 8. Rain Fig. 9. Writing letter


Editing

The film has adopted continuity editing. The film is edited in a very slow pace with

no sudden or jump cuts.


There is a fair usage of wide shots and mid shots to capture the realistic portrayal of

the village. Since the plot focuses on the intense relationships between the central

characters, a lot of close up shot are used to capture the facial expressions. The presence of

nature elements like rain, tides and other natural backdrops are extensively used adding Property of Christ University. Use it for fair purpose. Give credit to the author by citing properly, if your are using it.

45

symbolic value to the shots. The director used long shot also to mark the presence of nature

elements extensively.

Lighting and decor

The film has used natural lighting mostly. Since the director wanted to portray the

realistic images of the village interiors, temple, beach etc. smart usage of available natural

light is used extensively. In the bar sequence and some of the interior shot controlled key

lighting has been used.

Fig. 10. Low key lighting Fig. 11. In the temple


The character of Jayakrishnan is a representative of the youth of the 1980‘s. The

society and family structure of those times were conservative and unwilling to accept

changes. Jayakrishnan is living a dual life because he doesn‘t want to break the rules of the

society and family in which he lives. But he enjoys himself whenever he escapes to the town.

The character of Clara is the portrayal of the unheard rebellion of the women of those

times. In the movie there is a scene, when they were talking, on the hill side, Clara hears a

cry. She asks Jayakrishnan who is making that noise. He says there is a mad man chained

and locked inside a room. His legs have got lots of bruises because of the chain and he cries

whenever the chain brushes the wounds. Clara says, she wants to be the wound in that mad

man's legs. An un-healing wound which has only relationship with the chain indirectly


46

reveals her traumatic life without a stable relation moving freely like a kite. The society

looks her at a different way than the Jayakrishnan. He is just feeling the affection of Clara.

But society locks her in barriers within walls from which she want to escape.

The real time duration of a shot, its metronomic value, is not the decisive

indication: it all depends on the intensity of the emotion expressed by the

actors and impressed on the spectators; the number of images required to

exhaust a sensation cannot be defined; the assessment of tis duration in the

cinema is subjective and varies. One can be struck with awe, frozen with

horror by fifty centimeters of film; one can on the contrary, insinuate a state

of mind through dozens of metres. Film rhythm, therefore, is not a measure

mechanically accented but a succession of shots of varied lengths, so arranged

as to hold our attention, our emotion, our imagination and our memory

constantly awake, without dragging or empty segments ( Roberge 49).

The characters of the movie reminds of characters from the Russian novel ‗The

Idiot‘, by Dostoevsky, where the character such as Myskin, Anasthasya, and Aglea

replaced by Jayakrishnan, Clara and Radha. The story doesn‘t have anything to do

with the other, but the characters alone. (The Idiot)

Nadodikattu (1987)

Fig. 12. Movie poster (1987)


47


Nadodikattu, a satirical movie released in 1987, directed by veteran Malayalam

director Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan, a well-known scriptwriter and actor

of Malayalam cinema industry. His popular films include Nadodikkattu (1987), Varavelpu

(1989), Sandesam (1991), Veendum Chila Veettukaryangal (1999) and Manassinakkare

(2003). Sathyan Anthikad-Sreenivasan duo has made marvels in the industry through various

films.

In 1973, Sathyan debuted as an assistant director to Dr. Balakrishnan in Rekha Cine

Arts. Sathyan made a debut in film direction with Kurukkante Kalyanam in 1982. Sathyan

made two novels into films, Appunni starring Mohanlal (a film adaptation of V. K. N.'s

novel) and Irattakkuttikalude Achan starring Jayaram and Manju Warrier (an adaptation of

C. V. Balakrishnan's novel).Of late, he has ventured into screenwriting and made films like

Rasathanthram, Vinodayathra, Innathe Chintha Vishayam and Bhagyadevatha, with credits

of story, dialogues and screenplay.

He is a favourite of family filmgoers because of his selection of plots in family-life

backgrounds with social relevance and because of his comedic tastes. The two main

characters ‘Dasan‘ and ‗Vijayan‘ caught up the Malayalam audience at a very fast pace due

to the factor of relativity that the audience felt with them.

3.3.2. Plot/Theme

The story told through the lives of two under-paid employed men has Mohanlal as

Ramdas and Sreenivasan as Vijayan. They are struggling in Kerala to make money and

finally seek to go the Gulf with a hope to make a fortune. Caught in the hands of a cheater,

they end up being sent to Tamil Nadu instead of Dubai, making their lives even worse.

Dasan is a character who always vents on having to live a lesser dignified life than

what he thinks he deserves to live. Being a proud commerce graduate, he keeps on irritating


48

his roommate and sole friend, Vijayan who is less educated than Dasan. Their relationship is

one full of tension, with Dasan adopting a superior stance on the account of his education

and good looks, which fiercely rattles Vijayan. The film then takes a turn when they end up

in Tamil Nadu. They face a series of unexpected events and are misunderstood as detectives

by few culprits of the place. Due to their luck and coincidental occurrences, they get

appointed in the State Police as CIDs, which finally would change their lives.


This movie adopts a linear style of storytelling. The movie is packed with satirical

dialogues and comedy till the climax which still stay engraved in the minds of the general

audience. The movie unveils unexpected events after events and those that seem very much

realistic. The main factor that binds the movie to the audience is definitely the relativity to

real life incidents and the Scriptwriter Sreenivasan has thought on the lines of the common

public in this script too.


The main characters featured in this movie are Ramdas, Vijayan and Radha rendered

by Mohanlal, Sreenivasan and Shobhana respectively, along with many other sub characters.

The characters are rooted in the semi-urban culture with very poor conditions in the society.

The men are struggling to make a living and are unhappy with their present jobs and pay

scale. Dasan‘s frustration is always shed

upon Vijayan who is comparatively the less privileged in terms of education and looks.

However, Radha is portrayed as a successful employed woman.

Ramdas

Ramdas is a handsome and proud commerce graduate who is very unhappy with the

underpaid work that he is doing. He is portrayed with a tinge of humour and sarcasm and as

someone who vents all his anger on his friend Vijayan who is comparatively poor in terms of


49

education and looks. Ramdas always thinks of making money and a living and hope to grab

all the available opportunities in the first attempt itself. Ramdas satirically expresses the toil

the normal youth of those times went through to bring op their families. Ramdas represents a

large class of the underpaid well educated youth of the state.

Vijayan

Vijayan played by Sreenivasan, the very versatile and distinguished actor of

Malayalam cinema is portrayed as a character that is always bullied by the ‗handsome and

educated‘ Ramdas. Vijayan often displays emotions of complex as he does not look

appealing in looks and status when compared to Ramdas. He also represents a character who

wants to make a living by doing some job. He is a common man with common needs and

wants to see them fulfilled. Vijayan is also a man with a lot of ideas that actually hold a lot

of importance but is always looked down upon by Dasan.

Radha

Radha played by Shobana represents the working women class of the society. Radha

is an independent person who has very bold opinions about matters. She is the earning

member of the family and is not portrayed as the clichéd dependent woman. She is a person

with self-respect and dignity. It was during the period of this film that women started

working to give the family an earning. That was carefully portrayed through the

characterisation of Radha.


Editing

The events in the movie keep unfolding one after the other and so it uses a continuity

editing style. It did not experiment much on editing techniques or various transitions. Only

basic cuts were employed for the mode of storytelling. This was probably because the Property of Christ University. Use it for fair purpose. Give credit to the author by citing properly, if your are using it.

50

director focused on the idea that just the story needs to reach the audience and it may not be

packed with editing techniques.


The movie made use of basic kind of shots like mid shots, close up and few long shots. The

movie also used few high angles shots in the climax scene. The director is keen at using

minimal amount of extravagant shots and visual effects in his movie.

Lighting and decor

Fig. 13. Central duo

The movie is set in a total natural setting giving priority to the development of the

central characters towards a fortune in their life. Controlled natural lighting dominates the

movie.


The movie shot in the late 1980‘s clearly focuses on the economic and social

situations that prevailed during that time. Employment was not an easy man‘s ticket during

the late 1980s. The common educated men actually struggled to get the deserving paid jobs.

1980s was also the decade that saw a rise in migration. The ‗Gulf‘ was the ultimate

choice for the common man to make money and hence they migrated to the Gulf. The path to

reach the gulf was not easy as today and many misfortunes have happened in the same


51

course when deceivers cheated the needy by offering them false promises of getting a

foreign visa. These two socially relevant concepts were successfully tailored into the movie

through its satirical approach of storytelling and strong script.

Varavelppu (1989)



Varavelppu (welcome) is a very notable Malayalam movie which saw the genius of

three prominent people in Malayalam cinema- Sathyan Anthikadu who directed the movie

excellently well, Srinivasan who penned this story and Mohanlal who put forward one of his

most memorable performances ever. The movie is highly acclaimed for its realistic portrayal

of the socio-economic situations towards the end of 1980‘s in Kerala.

3.4.2. Plot/Theme

After seven long years Muralidharan (played by Mohanlal) returned to Kerala, his

homeland from Gulf. He was working abroad for years and really helped his brothers to

uplift his family. He was happy since he had been missing home so much. His two brothers Property of Christ University.


52

and their families were eager to receive him. His sister-in-laws had even made special meals

for him. Everybody was happy that their dear Murali was home. Or so it seemed.

When Murali announced that he would not be going back to Dubai, it was apparent

that the family was deeply shocked and annoyed. In fact it was because of Murali alone that

both the brothers were leading a decent life without any debts. For them Murali was a source

of income; all they wanted was that he continued working for them and supplied them with

money with everlasting generosity. Murali was quite unaware to all these and thought

everyone loved him from their hearts. But he was soon to find out their true colours the hard

way.

When the two brothers understood that Murali‘s decision was final they approached

him separately with ideas of putting his savings to good use .However Murali did not fall for

their traps and decided something on his own- to buy a bus. Even though the brother got

annoyed, finally they decided to stand along with him. Murali thus became the proud owner

of a bus which he named ‗Gulf Motors‘. However everything was not going to be a smooth

run.

The rest of the movie is about the various problems Murali faces as a bus owner- the

bad condition of the bus, the unfaithful employees, the strict vehicle inspector (played by

Srinivasan) and ultimately the wrath of the trade union.


The film follows a linear narrative structure. There are no major sub stories told and

all the stories are in direct relation with the protagonist Murali. All the other characters and

situations in the movie revolve around Murali. The narrative incorporates black humor very

effectively to covey the messages of the film.


53


The major characters in the movie are Mohanlal as Muralidaran, Murali as

Prabhakaran and Revathy as Rama.

Muralidaran

In this film Mohanlal plays the role of an NRI who has just returned from abroad and

is trying to make a living in his home town. He showcases a typical NRI‘s mannerisms like

showoffs and silly comparisons between the Gulf countries and his home town. He tries to

be the owner of his new bus and later due to lots of problems and situations he had to face,

he becomes the worker in his bus.

Prabhakaran

Murali (25 May 1954 - 6 August 2009) was an Indian actor and author. He was

closely associated with the Communist Party of India. He mainly acted in Malayalam and

Tamil films. He won the National Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of a communist

freedom fighter and professional weaver in the film Neythukaran (2002). He was also a stage

actor and television actor. He was known for his powerful portrayal of character roles, lead

roles, and negative roles. In this film Murali plays the role of a party leader who comes in to

the life of Muralidharan supporting one of his staff from the bus who stole money from the

bus. Muralidharan tries everything possible to oppose the leader and finally Prabhakaran (

Murali) destroys the bus making a huge statement in the movie.

Rama

Revathi (8 July 1966) is an Indian actress and film director. She has acted in Tamil,

Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu and Hindi films, directed several feature-length films, and has

acted in and produced multiple television programs, totaling over twenty years of experience

in the entertainment industry and over a hundred films to her credit. She has won several

accolades, including three National Film Awards. Revathy in this film plays the role of


54

Rama, a smart village girl who is working hard to keep her family afloat. She is

characterized as a girl who reacts to situations around her and shows her street smartness by

making a fool out of Muralidharan. Rama is portrayed as a keen observer and supports and

understands the problems of the protagonist.


Editing

In this film normal editing tools are effectively used to create the desired effects on

screen. Normal continuity cuts are used and no jump cuts have been used as not many

situations in the film require such an editing style other than a small fight sequence.


Basic shots like mid shots, close ups and long shots are used. The situations in the

film do not require any extravagant or artistic shots as the narrative style is simple direct.

Few fast movements are used during fight sequence.

Lighting and decor

Mostly natural lighting is used and night shots are well taken with strategic light

settings. Proper use of shadows ensures a good visual experience for the viewers. The mild

tone of the film is that helps viewers relate to a village.

Fig. 15. Mild tone


55


The movie has great significance since the socio economic scenario towards the end

of 1980‘s was clearly reflected in the movie. The rise of economic liberalization, more

control in the hands of trade unions and inapt approaches from authorities to gain benefit

from the amount of opportunities characterized those times. Even though there were

numerous opportunities for more investments in Kerala, people with power in hands and

politicians who made profit out of working class proved detrimental to development.

The protagonist Muralidaran worked for several years in a gulf country and is trying to find

his roots back in Kerala by starting a small business with his savings. But his plans are not

welcomed by his family itself since they all are dependent on the money send by him. After

a series of discussion he plans to start a bus service. The protagonist is having the attitude of

a NRI malayalee, who boasts about the yearnings and tries to dominate the common man.

Then Muralidaran realizes he can‘t ill-treat the working class in any sort neither

question then even if a mistake happens on their part. Later on the movie revolves around the

hardships; the protagonist had to face due to unnecessary intervention of trade union leaders.

He doesn‘t even have the right to question the ticket collector of the bus who ran away with

the festival collection amount. There is a situation where Murali speaks out against the

corrupt trade union leader who force fully calls for a strike in a mill for his vested interests.

This reference still has significance because Kerala is a state where more than 50% of the

working days of an year are affected by different breeds of strikes declared by various

political parties.


56

Passenger (2009)



Passenger is the debut film of Ranjith Sankar, which ignited the starting of a new

way of storytelling in the contemporary Malayalam film industry. The film won the first

Lohithadas Puraskaram for Best Screenplay, an award to commemorate screenwriter A. K.

Lohithadas. This film is mentioned as the start of invasion of a new age cinema in

Malayalam cinema.

Born in Thrissur, Kerala, Ranjith Sankar completed his education from M A College

of Engineering, Kothamangalam. For the young director it all began with his love for

storytelling and he likes to think he is a writer first and then a director. Shankar‘s writing

career began with television series such as Nizhalkal, and American Dreams. Despite the

euphoria of his first film, he still retains his job as an IT professional. He is also one of the

few Malayalam filmmakers who have a blog.

Ranjith made his second film Arjunan Saakshi, starring Prithviraj, in 2011. The film

was inspired by his real-life experiences. The film won positive reviews from the critics. It is Property of Christ University. Use it for fair purpose. Give credit to the author by citing properly, if your are using it.

57

a thriller movie, which uses parallel narratives to unwind the story. The film was a critical

and commercial success.

3.5.2. Plot/Theme

The movie which is penned down by the director himself unveils the story through

the incidents in the life of three characters in a span of three days. The story is told in the

backdrop of a train journey and a group of usual travellers spending some common time

daily in the train journey. Sathyanathan (Sreenivasan) one of the central characters of the

movie belongs to the group. A parallel story of Adv. Nandan Menon (Dileep) and his TV

journalist wife Anuradha (Mamta Mohandas) later joins to the main story. They are also

social activists who are fighting against social injustice. The antihero character is assigned to

Home Minister, Thomas Chako (Jagathy Sreekumar) who is acquitted over an

environmentally disastrous case of sand mining, which would displace a whole community.


The movie adopts a parallel kind of narrative structure. The main backdrop of the

storyline is the train journey and people around it. Later the parallel story of Adv. Nandan

Menon and his wife are added judiciously to the backdrop. With familiar characters with

contemporary orientations, the movie displays a magnificent, tranquil festivity of middle

class values, reflecting our times, with a few principled men taking the helm of activity.


The central characters of this movie are Sathyanathan, Adv. Nandan Menon and Anuradha

portrayed by Sreenivasan, Dileep and Mamta Mohandas respectively.


58

Fig. 17. Central characters

Sathyanathan

The role of Sathyanathan, a social responsible noble pharmaceutical employee is

rendered by Sreenivasan, an acclaimed actor/screenwriter who is famous for his satirical

works. Sreenivasan had penned down a lot of movies bearing the plot of social criticism

which was critically acclaimed and popular among the public. The character of Sathyanathan

is of a sharp tongued middle class man with good observations and social awareness

possessing simple dreams.

Adv. Nandan Menon

The role of advocate Nandan Menon, a social activist himself is portrayed by Dileep,

a well-known actor in Malayalam cinema for his humorous roles. Nandan Menon is a bold,

sensible citizen always working towards a better society. He encourages his wife Anuradha

for bringing out certain injustice in front of the law which in turn prove threatening for their

life itself. Even at the crucial juncture of losing his life for a noble cause character of Nandan

Menon is shown as bold and fight-full against the wrong doers.

Anuradha Nandan

The role of Anuradha Nandan, a TV journalist is portrayed by Mamta Mohandas.

Anuradha is a sharp, efficient journalist always standing with her husband‘s efforts to social


59

developments. She is cleverly making use of modern technology to reveal certain

conspiracies of the antihero and his gang which might result in a huge human life loss. Her

timely interventions and tactical steps are turning phases in the story. The glamour quotient

of the actress is rarely used for the character thereby doing justice to the character formation.


Editing

As the movie adopts a parallel method of story narration, including sub stories

adding to the main backdrop, it makes use of a continuity editing style. Cross-cutting is used

widely in this movie which conveys an undeniable spatial discontinuity. It is achieved by

cutting back and forth between shots of spatially unrelated places. In these cases, the viewer

will understand clearly that the places are supposed to be separate and parallel.


As the movie is making use of parallel stories, a lot of long shots and cross cut mid

shots are used. Generally the movie sticks to static mid shots, slow pan shots and few long

establishing shots.

Fig. 18. In the train Fig.19. Mid shot

Lighting and decor

Décor constitutes the objects contained in and the setting of a scene. The movie Passenger

uses comprehensive settings of a railway station, surroundings, interiors of train and home


60

atmosphere with very realistic effect to add impact to the credibility factor of the plot. Fig

(18 )

The lighting used apart from the hidden camera sequence is controlled key lighting to give a

natural feel to the scenes. Segments narrating the visuals of taping the antihero as well as

following chase and murder uses low key lighting to create the tension build up.

Fig. 20. Exterior settings Fig. 21. Interior settings

Fig. 22. Controlled lighting Fig. 23. Low key lighting


Passenger is also another movie that focused on the influence that media can bring to

the society. The way in which a mass disaster was avoided in the movie was through the help

technology and to a great extent with the help of new media. It also shows how a single

person can change a complete situation. Any common man can be a change maker. The

change makers are often not known to the public. A very broad concept employed in the


61

movie is the idea of inculcating a helping mentality among people. The people who were

strangers are the ones who helped each other throughout the film. Hence, one can say that if

peace is practiced at an individual level, it can be bring major changes to the society at large.

Arjunan Saakshi (2011)


3.6.1. Background of the movie

Arjunan Saakshi, a fast paced thriller released in 2011, written and directed by

Ranjith Sankar, a much focussed story teller that Malayalam movie industry caught on

recently. Arjunan Sakshi takes the audience through the reinvestigation of a murder of Firoz

Moopan with the evidence of an eye witness‘s letter. The theme is clichéd but the narrative

style is focussed and interesting.

3.6.2. Plot/Theme

The story is taken forward by the character ‗Arjunan‘ who never appears on screen,

but is rendered in disguise by Prithviraj as Roy Mathew. The movie unfolds through a letter

that is received by journalist Anjali Menon, done by Ann Augustine where in the sender

reveals that he was witness to a murder that shook the state few months ago but is unwilling

to disclose his identity due to fear of being caught. He signs his name as ‗Arjunan‘. Roy


62

Mathew, a successful architect is unexpectedly drawn into the plot and misunderstood as

‗Arjunan‘ and is forced to bring out the truth behind the murder with the help journalist

Anjali Menon.


The narrative style is completely suspense oriented and a thriller. The audience is

kept glued to the screen to know the murderers behind the scene and moreover to know who

the real ‗Arjunan‘ is. The climax however does not reveal the real Arjunan, hence leaving

space for audience interpretation of the title and the real eye witness. One can view that as a

single person or as a person representing the society that is scared to voice their opinions in

the insecure society.


Apart from Roy Mathew and Anjali Menon, being rendered by Prithviraj and Ann

Augustine respectively, the movie has other characters namely Firoz Moopan and Dr.

Ibrahim Moopan Mohanlal done by Mukesh and Jagathy Sreekumar. All the characters are

portrayed to be living in an urban situation where Roy Mathew is a very successful smart

young architect of the upper class who has to advantage of having a luxurious life. Anjali

Menon is portrayed as the vibrant enthusiastic journalist who has rooted family values and a

strong family support.

Roy Mathew

Roy Mathew is an expatriate returnee who wants to settle with an architectural job in

Kerala. He is a smart, young, initially an ignorant man in the late 20‘s. He is then portrayed

as a person who wants to bring out to the society the hidden truths about a murder. Roy

Mathew, according to circumstances becomes a very responsible citizen who very tactfully

brings out the murder. Roy Mathew also represents the carefree youth of today initially and


63

also brings out the idea that a single individual who has courage can bring a change to the

society.

Anjali Menon

Anjali Menon played by Ann represents the bold and independent Media woman

who is very keen on investigative journalism and scoop stories. She is also represented a

teenager who has rooted family values and who wants to bring a social change to the society.

Anjali is however at times presented as a normal girl who is afraid of fatal situations when

anti-social elements cause a threat to her life due to the investigative journalism she does. In

a way, this movie portrays her as a slightly dependant person as without the support of Roy

Mathew, the success would not have reached.


Editing

The film follows continuous editing pattern sticking to its linear narrative structure.

The movie editing generally proceeds in a medium pace. Even though the cuts are generally

good, some of the match on action cuts has minor glitches. For instance the second angle of

the car in the harbor scene is not exactly matching to the previous shot.


The movie doesn‘t make use of any extravagant shots. The common pattern of the

shots are a compilation of medium shots, close ups and very few long shots. For the climax

scene some shots are taken in a candid fashion.

Lighting and decor

The movie uses judicious mix of controlled key lighting as well as low key lighting.

The settings of the movie are consists of modern aspects of an IT city since it is set is Kochi.


64

Fig. 25. Controlled key lighting Fig. 26. Low key lighting


This movie is very much relevant in the present day scenario as it focuses on many

aspects that are prevailing today.

The Media: The media that is available at a very easy reach today can be made a very

effective tool to bring out the untold mysteries. The role positive journalism could play in

our society has been effectively portrayed.

Fear of common man: The fear of common man to raise their voices in the public is evident

through the movie as the eye witness never revealed his identity. This fear is because of the

damage that people who hold unauthorized power can do to the common man in a case

where their corrupt practices may be brought out.

Society: The movie also brings out the positive vibe that with the advancement of

technology even a common man can become judiciary. All that one requires is will power

and a tricky intelligence. These concepts have been woven into the story which has all

elements of a commercial movie and that which would be liked by any general audience.


65

Cocktail (2010)


3.7.1. Background of the movie

Cocktail, a thriller Malayalam movie is released in 2010, directed and edited by

Arunkumar. He has 11years of experience as a video editor and has also bagged the national

award for best editor in 2008 for the movie Kanchivaram. Cocktail is the debut directorial

venture of Arun kumar who has been assisting well- known director Priyadarshan for many

years. Arun, who hails from Thiruvananthapuram, had done his schooling in the prestigious

St.Thomas Residential School, graduation from M.G.College, Trivandrum and later on

moved to Chennai to master visual effects from Pentamedia .He started his career as visual

effect artist in Pentamedia. Cocktail is a remake of the Canadian flick, the Pierce Brosnan

starer 'Butterfly on a wheel'. Though the script has even converted some of the dialogues

from the original for the Malayalam version, the director and his crew carefully adapted the

movie in Kerala landscapes with needed credibility.


66

3.7.2. Plot/Theme

The movie set at Kochi has Anoop Menon as Ravi Abraham (Anoop Menon), a

perfect family man and top architect of a construction firm, famous for skyscrapers. With a

loving wife Parvathi (Samvrutha Sunil) and a lovely daughter, he lives a wonderful life that

is often envied by others and expects to be promoted in his job sooner. When Ravi's boss

invites him to spend the special day with him, he hires a nanny named Beatrice to take care

of his daughter, as his wife Parvathi needs to join a party with her closest friend Ancy, the

very same day.

Thing go out of control on the day as a stranger asks for a lift, while Ravi is taking

Parvathi to Ancy's place. The perfect stranger who appears a little odd suddenly starts

dictating things and blackmailing the couple as he informs them that their daughter is already

in his custody. The couple who is forced to withdraw their entire money in the bank soon

sees the stranger, later known by the name Venki (Jayasuriya), burning the currency and

throwing the entire treasure into a river. In that disastrous day, the couple is made to obey a

lot of weird things asked by the calculating sociopath who appears to have nothing to lose.

But towards late night, the couple is also made to realise the biggest truths behind their

perfect life.


The story adopts a linear kind of narrative structure. The narrative structure of the movie

unveils the story without giving any hinds about the climax. The script writer Anoop Menon

succeeds in engaging the spectators throughout the movie with clever placement of songs

and twists. The very few diversions from the original including the opening placement of

office rivalries and the short epilogue in the climax also is adapted well enough to suite the

narrative structure. Property of Christ University.


67


The main characters featured in this movie are Ravi Abraham, Parvathi and Venki

rendered by Anoop menon, Samvrutha Sunil and Jayasurya respectively.

Fig. 28. Central characters

The characters are rooted in an urban culture with elite positions in society. The story

is being told in a contemporary setting in one of the fastest growing cities in Kerala, Kochi.

The character of the protagonist of the movie Ravi Abraham is created around the popular

concept of an ideal upper middle class family man adorned with a well settled family and

elite job. He is young, talented business man and a loving husband and caring father holding

all the qualities of a well groomed society man. But as the story progresses the dual face of

the hero is revealed. Through his character traits the director is trying to portray the

suppressed/hidden human desire towards sex and money.

The character Venki rendered by Jayasurya is attributed with villainous and cunning

traits who tries to tuck away all the fortunes of a noble family. He is identified for his dark

character with his thick beard (fig.). He is satisfying the common concept of a spectator for a

villain with all negative traits and psychotic expressions at times may give a feel like he is

abnormal. As the story progresses the villain character turns to be the silent victim of the

deeds of the hero. This role interchange suggests a dichotomy in the way looks and outside

projections mask the real side in modern day societies.


68


Editing

As the movie adopts a linear kind of story narration, it makes use of a continuity

editing style. A lot of jump cuts are there and a fast paced rhythm is maintained to keep

along with the pace of the movie. Eye –trace is given importance as the facial expressions of

the central characters and location is adding significance to the story telling method.


The movie revolves around the interactions of the three major characters who are

most of the time sharing same screen space. Hence a lot of mid shots and close ups are used.

Candid shots, over the shoulder shots and tripod mount panning shots are used mostly. Since

a major chunk of the shots are placed in interiors as well as the car journey eye level angle is

used largely.

Fig. 29. Mid shot Fig.30. Close up

Lighting and decor

Decor constitutes the objects contained in and the setting of a scene. The movie

Cocktail uses the kind of decor settings as shown in the fig (31 ) the dominant mood of the

film which is suspense.


69

Fig. 31. Mystic ambience Fig. 32. Low key lighting

Lighting which is used mostly in this film is low key lighting which creating strong

contrasts between the brightest and darkest parts of an image and often creating strong

shadows that obscure parts of the principal subjects. This lighting scheme is often associated

with suspense genres such as film noir.


The movie is dealing with the hypocritical public projections and fragile family

relationships evolving as a result of greed for money and power. It also shows the

helplessness of a person and the situation in which all his possessions and belonging doesn‘t

bring value at times of despair. The current socio – economic scenario of the metro city in

which the story is staged is in a similar stage where growth is engulfing many values of life.

Ee Adutha Kaalathu (2012)



70


Ee Adutha Kaalathu (English translation: In Recent Times) is a 2012 Indian

anthology film scripted by Murali Gopy and directed by Arun Kumar Aravind. It marks the

second directorial venture by Arun Kumar Aravind, after his notable directorial debut

Cocktail (2010). The narrative is patterned like a Rubik‘s Cube; it‘s a brainy entertainer that

mixes various genres. It features the lives of six different persons from different strata of the

social life of the city, interconnected due to unexpected events beyond their control. The film

was released on 24 February 2012 in Kerala to positive critical reviews and has been

adjudged a super-hit.

3.8.2. Plot/Theme

Metro matinee cited that ―Life is like a Rubik‘s cube, which has

43,252,003,274,489,856,000 possible configurations. There are countless numbers of wrong

twists and turns, but when you get it right, it looks perfect no matter what way you look at

it.‖ Lives crisscross and change each other every day. Our fates are linked intimately with

those of people we don‘t know. Some term it synchronicity, others coincidence.

In Ee Adutha Kaalathu a marriage is on the rocks in one of the most flourishing

suburbs in the city, and both Ajay Kurien (Murali Gopy) and his wife Madhuri (Tanushree

Ghosh) have finally realized that there is nothing much that they can do about it. Far away,

under a thatched rented house that threatens to topple down any moment, Vishnu (Indrajith),

his wife Remani (Mythili) and their two kids make do with whatever little they have. The

Commissioner of Police, Tom Cherian (Anoop Menon) lives in constant dread of being

made a laughing stock by the public, since a serial killer is on the loose, and the police

department hasn't been able to do anything about it. His journalist girlfriend Rupa (Lena) has

had it up to the hilt with the yellow press having a field time proclaiming the details of their Property of Christ University. Use it for fair purpose. Give credit to the author by citing properly, if your are using it.

71

clandestine romance, and keeps forcing Tommy to tie the knot with her.


Ee Adutha Kaalathu uses multiple narratives which is usually termed as anthology

films or package films which refers to a feature film consisting of several different short

films/narratives, often tied together by only a single theme, premise, or brief interlocking

event (often a turning point). Multiple narratives have almost become overused in the world

of cinema in general, and yet if it works extraordinarily well in Ee Adutha Kaalathu, it is

because there are no deliberate efforts to link them together. Here, it‘s just that these

characters hurriedly move about on the uneven landscape that carries them, and every now

and then cross paths, sometimes to return and sometimes never to see each other again.


Vishnu

The character of Vishnu is played by Indrajith Sukumaran. His character is a mixture

of different roles like a rag-picker, a contract pinch hitter for amateur cricket clubs, a loving

father, and an obedient husband. He is having a wife who considers him a hopeless guy. He

has an ailing mother and two daughters. Altogether, they constitute the BPL (Below Poverty

Line) family. And they live in fear, in a world infested by loan sharks.

Madhuri

The character of Madhuri is played by Tanushri Ghosh. Madhuri spent her childhood

and teen in Mumbai. She had a father who was pushing her into acting by introducing her to

strangers while she was interested in becoming a photographer. She was casted in a B-

grade movie due to the pressure from her father. She is now a home maker and a mother of

an eleven-year-old boy, Ayur who is a cricket addict. But yet, years have been easy on her

and she remains a head turner.


72

Ajay Kurien

The role of Ajay Kurien is portrayed by Murlai Gopi. Ajay is a street smart CEO of

an up market hospital in the city. He is a self-made man, who climbed the ladder years ago in

corporate Mumbai. He is portrayed as the husband who tries to prove to his wife that he has

no interest on her and tries to convince his wife that he is pursued by many women at his

work place. He is a person who always tries to demoralise his wife.

Tom Cherian

The character of Tom Cherian is portrayed by Anoop Menon. Tom is the City

Commissioner of Police, who is an ambitious cop, who wants to earn his medals the easy

way. But he is always a failure in his job unable to prove any major cases. He lives in

constant dread of being made a laughing stock by the public, since a serial killer is on the

loose, and the police department hasn't been able to do anything about it.

Roopa

The character of Roopa is portrayed by Lena. Roopa, the girlfriend of Tom Cherian,

is a stub born journalist. She is insisting Tom to tie a knot with her. Roopa is a good friend

of Madhuri with whom she shares all her secrets.

Rustam

Rustam is a North Indian bloke on some short term contract in the city. He lives in a

small rented cabin in the migrant workers colony. He speaks broken Malayalam with a

heavy but endearing accent. He drives a rented bike and has a vintage air of flamboyance

about him. He is a natural born Rake.


Editing

The film follows a mix of continuous editing pattern and montage editing sticking to

its parallel narrative structure. The movie editing generally proceeds in a medium pace. Property of Christ University.


73

Cross-cutting is used to convey spatial discontinuity. It can be achieved by cutting back and

forth between shots of spatially unrelated places.


The movie make use of tight close ups and mid shots dominantly. Ample use of close

up shots ensures that the facial expressions of the actors could be fully utilized. The director

uses good use of wide angle shots to capture the locale importance of plot.

Fig. 34. Close up Fig. 35. Wide angle

Lighting and decor

The movie uses dark tones and controlled key lighting to depict intense faces in

society. Ambience details of lower class society as well as infrastructure of city are given

utmost importance in this movie.

Fig. 36. Dark tone Fig. 37. Setting


74


The relevance of the movie lies in portraying a visual narrative of Trivandrum city in

the current time. The movie is realistic representation of the life style of different sectors of

people dwelling in Trivandrum city. In between the parallel narrative the director was able to

bring out the issue of waste disposal and recycling in the movie which is a public interest

seeking issue nowadays in Trivandrum city. The crisis of migrated labours from other states,

law and order issues, exploitation of bankers, issue of hidden cameras causing violation of

privacy etc. are brought to notice in this movie. More over the entire movie will be a visual

history of Trivandrum city for those who see this movie after some years.


75

Chapter 4

CONCLUSION

The researcher has analysed four movies belonging to the 1980s and four movies

made after 2000s. The criteria of selection of movies were based on the critical acclaim

received by the movies in terms of awards as well as popularity among the public. All the

movies are focussing on the socio-cultural and political scenario of the prevailing time

periods in one way or another. The selected movies also belong to the middle stream

category, since they are not art category based or stereotyped commercial entertainers with

packaged sequences.

The research focussed on the narrative structure, plot, editing, shots and camera

angles, lighting and decor as well as relevance of the movie in the prevailing socio-cultural

scenario. The researcher analysed whether middle stream movies are reflecting the core of

social and human issues, keeping the evolution of Kerala society through 1980s and 2000s.

The research also went through the changing trends in the plot selection and treatment of the

select Malayalam motion pictures across years. Cinema is considered as the youngest of all

art forms and it also holds the credit of being defined and re-defined so many times within a

very short period of time. Every new definition was a fresh one and each of them

contradicted the earlier ones in form, the language and the very purpose of cinema. For

instance if we take the movies of the 1980s like Varavelpu and explore the presentation of

plight of an NRI who has returned from a gulf country to get settled in his home town doing

a small business, we can see the entire ambience around the protagonist were quite so

different from the current scenario. Another movie Arjunan Saakshi from the contemporary

times also explores the plight of an NRI returned to Kerala thinking about settling here. The

point of focus here is the way in which the medium of cinema is changing the style of

narrative and reaction of the characters to the situations. Even though the back drop of the


76

two movies is similar, the way in which the protagonist reacts to his surrounding is entirely

different. The language and very purpose of movies is changing time to time. Then only it

will resound to the changing needs of society.

But one would be compelled to accept that most of the greatest works of cinema that

survived the test of time were creations that surpassed and even rejected all such theories and

definitions. If we notice the most critically acclaimed movies of Padmarajan like

Thoovanathumbikal, it hardly sticks to popular concept of mass entertainers like the element

of action sequences or cliched reunion of hero and heroine in the climax of the movie.

Padmarajan showed the courage to present heroine taking a different route to save

hero‘s life in Thoovanathumbikal and hero accepting heroine after she getting raped by the

villain character in Namukku Parkan Munthiri Thoppukal. The contemporary directors like

Arun Kumar Aravind also depicted bold themes in his movies like Cocktail which was

widely accepted by the audience. The acceptance of these approaches from directors reveals

the art of cinema can‘t be restricted to any borders or definitions. It has to evolve from time

to time.

It can also be noticed that most of these movies instead of dwelling upon the

periphery of the social issues of the time of its creation, probed deep into the core of these

issues, making them relevant for all times. Good cinema cannot be defined into few words or

sentences and it cannot have a definite form. The form of existence of cinema keeps

changing with the changing times. The act of defining good cinema, good art and placing

them in narrow compartments would be nothing more than mere absurdity. One needs to

have a free mind, free from all shackles and chains, an atmosphere where the knowledge

formation and the placement of thoughts have an identity of its own to make a movie that

would stay in the minds of the viewers and the art thus created would definitely break-free

from the closed compartments. Malayalam Cinema once had occupied the centre stage of


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Indian Cinema with some its noticeable movies. At the time when the ‗Indian New Wave‘

movies- the face of Indian serious cinema- nose-dived to superficial story telling on social

issues, Malayalam Parallel Cinema with its extraordinary form and content shook the

cinematic sensibilities of our viewers and to an extent its presence was felt in our society in

general. The importance of parallel cinema is Malayalam probably started losing its shine

due to the overdose of academism and the discussions on serious cinema reduced to mere

opinions on its form leading the very face of Malayalam ‗Parallel‘ Cinema with its slow

paced narrative and irrelevant contents and as a result forcing away the general public from

serious cinema.

Now, some of our moviemakers and academicians have come up with a magic

formula to save the ailing slow paced Malayalam Parallel Cinema (‗Mathrubhumi Illustrated

Weekly‘ – Cinema Special, June 1, 2008). They hypothesise that fast paced cinema based

upon contemporary topics is the need of the time. But sadly, movies coming out of this

school of thinking disappoint us with its characteristic superficiality and their shallow

images of contemporary social issues. The middle stream movies produced during the

golden age of Malayalam cinema provides a guideline on how we can explore different ways

of depicting social issues with the touch of life in common narratives. If we are looking at

movies like Nammuku parkam munthiri thopukal it is first in addressing the migrant keralites

life in land far away from theirs it looks at the cultural and sociological milieu of the Syrian

Christians of Kerala who as one of the affluent and educated searched for greener pastures

away from their state. The story revolves around the mundane but shows the challenges of

the liberalization that has crept into the community and how tragedy unfolds in the life of

one of the characters due to the liberalization of the community‘s conservatism. The family

of Sofia is settled out in an area where they could look for a good job settlement and

economic stability. The character of Sofy is showing all the boldness she is attributed from


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the societal circumstances. But there is hidden conservatism inside the family which in turn

ruins her life. The role played by Thilakan is epitomising the hidden conservatism,

exploiting the fact that Sofy is not his direct daughter and is trying to take advantage of the

situations. However, it takes sharp dig at the conservatism showed by the community over

its internal family issues such as sexual abuse thus clashing the idea of liberalism with

conservatism. The ending of the movie also challenged the societal norms when rightly the

emotion of love overrode the entire stigma associated with dishonour and Solomon proves

that he is a real hero.

The widely acclaimed Thoovanthumbikal reflects the social behaviour of 1980s and

the director created a sphere where the characters fought against the social norms.

Jayakrishnan and Radha have a strange relationship which evolves as the movie proceeds.

She has strong faith in him and is willing to accept the nature of his relationship with Clara,

as long as it remains in the past. But the ever lurking presence of Clara creates an element of

doubt in their relationship and it requires Clara‘s initiative to put that to rest. The movie

makes a bold statement, without drawing any moral judgments on any of the characters and

startles us with the independent ideas expressed.

The look into a wide array of classic movies of the past and the contemporary

attempts on new methods of storytelling gave the researcher some insights. The noticeable

difference in the origin of plot and story structure of the movies of 1980s and 2000s are the

originality itself. During 1980s directors like Padmarajan and Sathyan Anthikad relied on the

literary works or core story of themselves for their screenplays. The tendency after 2000s

shows that the passion towards reading is relatively low and directors tend to adapt plots

from foreign language movies for their movies. As far the directors are able to implant the

plots from foreign language movies with a sense of credibility, it will be accepted by the

audience. The movie Cocktail successfully incorporated the elements of a developing city


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Kochi in the movie. The narrative structure of the contemporary movies is exploring

different areas of storytelling. The movie Passenger brought out a change to the usual

pattern of storytelling in Malayalam. It introduced a new level of thriller story with parallel

stories interconnected to the backdrop.

The latest experiment in this format is Ee Adutha Kaalathu which bridged multiple

stories brilliantly weaved together to tell the story of a society. While the 1980s movies

generally followed the linear method of storytelling contemporary movies are adopting

innovative structures. In 1980s due to technical reasons there were limitations to the usage

of different kinds of tones, editing techniques etc. Many of the contemporary movie makers

find the digital revolution as a boon, since directors like Arun Kumar was working with

editing department for several years. So it will give them confidence in treating movies with

innovative approaches.

Based on select movies, it can be stated that the middle stream movies of both 1980s

and movies produced after 2000s reflected the socio – cultural and economic scenario of the

prevailing times. The 1980s were featured by a period of economic gloom prevailing in

Kerala in spite of achieving high literacy rates. The people were looking for greener pastures

outside the state since they couldn't get opportunities in their country. This is depicted in

movies like Namukku Parkan Munthiri Thoppukal (1986), Nadodikattu (1987) and

Varavelpu (1989). The period of 2000s saw the return of the gulf Keralites. Another key

change occurred during this time was the fall of rigid communism for capitalism. Several

industries flourished all over the state. The increased flow of money and change in value

systems of the state were the main focus. This is reflected in movies like Cocktail (2010),

Arjunan Saakshi (2011) and Passenger (2009).

Some of the suggestions which could work for the better production of Malayalam

movies can be: like background work and homework before going to the actual shoot is a


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must. One must plan the story, do the needed research and get the facts right and loopholes

fixed. One should structure it, make a bound script, work on the script and also consult

experts. It is of prime importance to make sure that the story worth doing in the big screen

format.

Promotion of the movie prior to its release should be done very tactfully. While

promoting the movie, pay a dedicated creative writer to provide captions/ slogans and other

literal content to your trailer/poster.

The concept of "Making Global Movies‖ has to be taken in a right sense. Movie is a

medium of art and expression. The moviemaker is the mother of the art that should be seen

with love and fine finish. The moviemakers should not make movies for the sake of money.

―Making Global Movies‖ would undoubtedly give more importance to money than

creativity. And moreover, a global movie must be global in all senses. It should reach a

global audience‘s acceptance level. Fixing a square in a round peg will not work in good

moviemaking. Hence, the content of the movie should be worth it. Malayalam industry can

take the way in which South Koreans do their movies as a great lesson.

The art of proper movie making needs more care. It‘s not about just technicalities.

Being a director cannot be achieved from watching movies or reading movie magazines.

Along with high level of technical knowledge about every aspect of a movie, the process of

movie making needs the mind of an author - a person who crafts the story. If we observe

closely, almost all the master directors were able to pen their screenplays as well. At least a

sense of feasible and reasonable aptitude towards good story frame works should be there for

a successful director.

Lip-Sync songs in movies will be fine when the movie's core subject is music (eg:

Bharatham, Sagarasangamam, Rockstar) But when you are making a broadway style musical

around the 10 tracks you own in a period war movie/ a cop story/ a military operation will


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be not be apt. You can still use songs in a montage which is much wiser and also a smart

cue technique to restore control of the movie's pace. We had a lot of songless single-genre

movies in the 80s among that ‗August 1‘ is a brilliant example.

Malayalam movies have to come back to the trend of depicting relationships

honestly. Be it any relationship. When actuality men and women have entirely different

subjects to converse while being in a group many of our movies are still not realistic. Either

the men in movies act like girls or kids from middle school. This is something which came

in so prominently after the 95‘s; A bunch of working guys in the late 20s talking about

holding hands with his girlfriend while sitting next to her in the theatre. This can be seen in

Malayalam movies released in this decade. The way in which emotions are portrayed in

movies can get life when they are realistic, otherwise it could be misleading to the

spectators.

Marketing is good, but it has to follow certain parameters. If we look at some of the

new branding on movie titles - ‗Confident Casanova‘ and now ‗Confident Rajavintemakan‘.

Soon we will be witnessing the dawn of ‗GokulamRandamoozham‘, ‗Idea Chemmeen‘,

‗HarpicBhargaviNilayam‘ and so on. Why would one want to tag a brand name along with

the name of a movie? This will rust away the shine that the movie can otherwise hold. As

said earlier, this medium of art will become a complete corporate material.

Amidst the challenges faced by Malayalam movies in terms of strong plots and

master directors the new generation is coming up with bright projects where they are

privileged to use greater opportunities of digital revolution.

Contemporary Malayalam cinema through its various manifestations in the mainstream and

off beaten paths is responding creatively and critically to social reality in multiple ways. The

new movies by young and talented directors are positively engaging with society and its Property of Christ University. Use it for fair purpose. Give credit to the author by citing properly, if your are using it.

82

political issues in an ethical and aesthetic way that lures human interest from Kerala and the

world at large.


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