MALAYALA CINEMA HISTORY
[Film Technology]
Even much
before the arrival of cinema, the people of Kerala were familiar with moving
images on the screen through the traditional art form ‘Tholpavakkuthu’ (Puppet
Dance). Usually exhibited at festivals of village temples, ‘Tholpavakkuthu’ uses puppets made of leather
with flexible joints. These joints are moved 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. Stories from the mythology were
told so, with accompanying dialogues and songs with traditional percussions
like the Chenda. ‘Tholpavakkuthu’ uses some of the techniques widely used in
cinema like the close-ups and long-shots.
Apart from the
art of ‘Tholpavakkuthu’, which exhibits the nature of cinema, many of the folk
arts and classical dance forms like ‘Kuthu’, ‘Koodiyattam’ and ‘Kathakali’
exhibits very high visual qualities in their form. My be this legacy of
Kerala’s visual culture lead the filmmakers of Kerala to take up cinema in a different
way, rather than mere plain story telling, than anywhere else in India, and the
people of Kerala to appreciate them.
The first
Malayalam cinema was produced and directed by, J
C Daniel, a dentist by profession who didn't had any prior
experience with cinema. His film Vigathakumaran was released in 1928, but failed economically. But
it is notable that while mythological films ruled all over the Indian cinema
arena, J C Daniel had the courage to produce the first ever Malayalam film with
a social theme. The economic failure of Vigathakumaran discouraged him from
producing further films.
The ill luck of
Malayalam cinema continued. The second film Marthandavarma based on a novel of the same name by C V Raman Pillai, was produced
by Sunderraj in 1933. But
due to a legal confrontation regarding the rights of the film, the producer had
to withdraw the film from cinema halls after few exhibitions. Had it not been
for the legal embargo, the film would have had a great impact on the cinema of
South India. By Marthandavarma the history of silent Malayalam cinema too came
to an end.
The Cinema of
Kerala (also known as Malayalam cinema, the Malayalam film industry) is a part of Indian
cinema, where motion pictures are produced in the Indian state of Kerala in the
Malayalam language. Malayalam cinema is known for its realistic portrayal of
relevant subjects in films with less commercial elements. Malayalam cinema has
pioneered various technical, thematic and production techniques among films in
India. The industry is the fourth largest film industry in India. It is also
one of the largest producers of parallel cinema in India.
At first
(beginning in the 1920s), the Malayalam film industry was based in Trivandrum. Although the
film industry started to develop and flourish only by the late-1940s. Later,
the industry shifted to Chennai (formerly Madras), which then was the capital of
the South Indian film industry. In the 2000s, the Malayalam film industry returned and
established itself both in Trivandrum and Kochi with a major chunk of locations, studios and production
facilities.
Guru and Adaminte Makan Abu were the only Malayalam films to be sent by India as its official entry
for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 1997 and 2011
respectively. The first 3-D film produced in India, My Dear Kuttichathan (1984), was made in Malayalam. The first CinemaScope film produced in South India was the Malayalam
film Thacholi Ambu (1978). The
world's first film with just one actor in the star cast was the Malayalam film The Guard (2001).
History of Malayalam cinema
The early era (1907-1950s)
The first cinema hall in Kerala, with a manually operated film projector, was
opened in Thrissur by K. W. Joseph in 1907. In 1913, the first electrically operated
film projector was established (in Thrissur again) by Jose Kattukkaran and was called
the "Jose Electrical Bioscope". Soon such cinema halls were established in other
major cities of Kerala. In the early days, Tamil, Hindi and English films were
exhibited in these theatres.
The first film (silent movie, 1928)
The first film
to be made in Malayalam was Vigathakumaran, which was released in 1930. It was produced and
directed by J. C. Daniel, and for this work he is credited as the father of
Malayalam cinema. The shooting of the first Malayalam film, the silent movie Vigathakumaran, was started
in 1928; the film was released in Trivandrum
Capitol Theatre on November 7, 1930. It was
produced and directed by J. C. Daniel, a businessman with no prior film
experience. Daniel founded the first
film studio, 'The Travancore National Pictures Limited' in Kerala.
The second
film, Marthanda Varma, based on a
novel by C. V. Raman Pillai, was produced by R.
Sundar Raj in 1933. However, it
became stranded in a legal battle over copyright issues and the court ordered
the confiscation of the prints. As a result, the second movie's exhibition
lasted only four days.
The first talkie (1938)
The first
talkie in Malayalam was Balan, released in 1938. It was directed by S.Nottani with a
screenplay and songs written by Muthukulam
Raghavan Pillai. It was
produced at Chennai (then Madras) in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.
Malayalam films continued to be made mainly by Tamil producers until 1947, when
the first major film studio, Udaya, was established in Kerala, in Alleppey
(Alappuzha) by Kunchacko, who earned fame as a film producer and director.
1950s
Malayalam
cinema has always taken its themes from relevant social issues and has been
interwoven with material from literature, drama, and politics since its
inception. One such film, Jeevitha
Nouka (1951), was a musical drama which spoke about the
problems in a joint family. This movie became very popular and was probably the
first "super hit" of Malayalam cinema. However, this movie's success
was bittersweet. Although its success accelerated Malayalam movie-making, films
that were produced after Jeevitha Nouka closely mimicked its structure, hoping
to find some sort of "success formula", thus hampering creativity for
a long time. Nevertheless, this time was hailed as "the period of giants" in Malayalam film industry, due to the work of film stars Thikurissi Sukumaran Nair, Sathyan, Kottarakara
Sreedharan Nair and Prem Nazir.
In 1954, the
film Neelakuyil captured
national interest by winning the President's silver medal. Scripted by the
well-known Malayalam novelist Uroob, and directed by P. Bhaskaran and Ramu Kariat, it is often
considered the first authentic Malayali film. Another notable production was Newspaper Boy (1955), which
contained elements of Italian neorealism. This film is notable as the product
of a group of amateur college filmmakers. It told the story of a printing press
employee and his family being stricken with extreme poverty. The music took a
turn,away from the trend of coping Tamil and Hindi song. The poets Tirunainaarkurichy Madhavan Nair - Thirunaiyarkurichy, P Bhaskaran, ONV kurup, VR Varma, rose up in
this period as film lyricists. Brother
Lakshmanan, Dakshinamurty, K Raghavan, Paravoor Gevarajan, MS Baburaj, Pukhenthey
Velappan Nair etc started a distinct style malayalam music. Kamukara Purushotamman, Mehboob, Kozhikode
Abdul Kader, AM Raja, Sreenivas , KP Udayabhanu, Shanta P Nair, Leela, Janaki, Shusheela, Vasantha, Renuka, Jikki etc were the
Singer from the 50s. The drama artist and school teacher Muthukulam Ragavhan
Pilla lend many of his skills to cinema in this period.
1960s
Ramu Kariat, one of the directors of Neelakkuyil (the other was
P. Bhaskaran), went on to become a sucessful director in the 1960s and 1970s.
P. Bhaskaran directed many acclaimed and hit films in the 1960s and 70s. The
cameraman of Neelakkuyil, A. Vincent, also became a noted director of the 1960s and
1970s. Notable films of this decade include Odayil Ninnu, Bhargavi Nilayam (1964), Chemmeen (1965), Murappennu (1965) and Iruttinte Athmavu (1966). The era of colour films came to Malayalam
cinema with its first colour film, Kandam Bacha
Coat (1961). Chemmeen (1965), directed by Ramu Kariat and based on a
story by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, went on to become immensely popular, and became
the first Malayalam film to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film.
Most of the films of the 60s were animated by the nationalist and socialist
projects, and centred on issues relating to caste and class exploitation, the
fight against obscurantist beliefs, the degeneration of the feudal class, and
the breakup of the joint-family system. In 1960s M
Krishnan Nair, Kunchacko and Subramanyam were the
leading malayalee producers.
During the 1950s,
1960s and 1970s, Kunchacko made significant contributions to Malayalam
cinema, both as a producer and as director of some notable Malayalam movies. He
started Udaya Studios in Alleppey
(Alappuzha) in 1947, reducing the travel to Madras (Chennai) for film crew and
actors. This boosted Malayalam film production in Kerala. Many directors sprang
up in this period, PN Menon made 'Rosy'and later 'Chemparanthi', then Aravindan and Adoor too started work in 1960s to became
famous later. Arguably M Krishnan Nair was a most prominent director producer of this
period.
1970s
The 70s saw the
emergence of a new wave of cinema in Malayalam. The growth of the film society
movement in Kerala introduced the works of the French and Italian New Wave
directors to the discerning Malayali film enthusiasts. Adoor Gopalakrishnan's
first film, Swayamvaram (1972), brought Malayalam cinema to the international
film arena. In 1973 M. T.
Vasudevan Nair who was by then recognized
as an important author in Malayalam, directed his first film Nirmalyam, which won the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film. G. Aravindan followed Adoor's lead with his Uttarayanam in 1974. K. P. Kumaran's Adhithi (1974) was
another film which was acclaimed by the critics. Cinematographers who won the National Award for their work
on Malayalam films in the 1970s were Mankada Ravi
Varma for Swayamvaram (1972), P. S. Nivas for
Mohiniyattam (1977), and Shaji N.
Karun for Thampu (1979). John Abraham, K. R. Mohanan, K. G. George, and G. S.
Panikkar were products of the Pune Film Institute who made
significant contributions.
During the late
1970s, some young artists started seeing Malayalam cinema as a medium of
expression and thought of it as a tool to revitalize society. A noted director,
Aravindan was famous in
Kerala as a cartoonist before he started making films. His important movies
include Kanchana Sita (1977), Thampu (1978), Kummatty (1979), Chidambaram (1985), Oridathu (1986), and Vasthuhara (1990). 1970s
also saw the emergence of a notable director P. G. Viswambharan with his debut
film Ozhukinethire and mythical
film Sathyavan Savithri from the same director, which was well accepted. Also, commercial
cinema in this period saw several worker class themed films which mostly had M.
G. Soman and Sukumaran in the lead followed by the emergence of a new
genre of pure action themed films, in a movement led by action star Jayan who is usually
considered the first genuine commercial superstar of Malayalam cinema. But this
was short-lived, and almost ended with Jayan's untimely death while performing
a stunt in a film called Kolilakkam (1980). Nevertheless, he paved way for different
films and future actors who proved their talents in both commercial and art
genres, the most famous of them being Mammootty and Mohanlal. date=June 2012. After Jayan came a new super star
Shanker who gave
innumerable romantic hits, Manjil virinjapookal being his debut as hero. Nedumudi Venu, Madhu ,Urvashi Sharadha, KP Ummer, RaviKumar, Vidhubala, Raghavan, Ambika, Sai Kumar, Bhasi, Bhadur, SP Pillai, Lekshmi, Jagadeesh, Jayabharathi, Jagathy srikumar, Ravi Menon and Innocent were the
prominent actors then. Mamutty, Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi started their life to Superstardom in the
seventies.
1980s
Adoor
Gopalakrishnan made Elippathayam in 1981. This movie was widely acclaimed and
won the British Film Institute award. His other movies include Mukhamukham
(1984), Anantharam (1987) Mathilukal(1989), Vidheyan (1994), Kathapurushan
(1995), and Nizhalkuthu (2003), I.V. Sasi the path breaker who has directed more than 131
odd films over a span of 34 years made Kanamarayathu (1984). Padmarajan made his early works in this period including the
movie Koodevide? (1983). The
year 1988 marked the release of Kerala's first super hit soft core film Adipapam
which was directed by P. Chandrakumar.
P. A. Backer and Bharathan are other names worth mentioning.
Golden age of Malayalam cinema
Most critics
and audiences consider the period from the late 1980s to early 1990s as the
golden age of Malayalam cinema. The Malayalam cinema of this period was
characterized by detailed screenplays dealing with everyday life with a lucid
narration of plot intermingling with humour and melancholy. This was aided by
brilliant cinematography and lighting as in motion pictures like Perumthachan (1990),
directed by Ajayan with Santosh Sivan as the cinematographer. These films are also
remembered for their warm background music by composers like Johnson, as in the
motion picture Namukku
Parkkan Munthiri Thoppukal (1986) by Padmarajan. The golden
age saw big actors like Mammootty, Mohanlal, etc.
Many of the
movies released during this time narrowed the gap between art cinema and
commercial cinema in the Malayalam film industry, as in Mrigaya starring Mammootty (1989, directed
by I.V. Sasi and written by Lohithadas), Oru Vadakkan
Veeragatha (1989), starring
Mammootty, Kireedam (1989, directed by Sibi Malayil, starring Mohanlal
and written by Lohithadas), Mathilukal starring Mammootty (1989, directed by Adoor
Gopalakrishnan), Carnival, starring Mammootty (1989, directed by P. G.
Viswambharan), Amaram starring Mammootty (1991, directed by Bharathan), Kakkothikkavile Appooppan Thaadikal(1988, directed by Kamal) and Sargam (1992,
directed by Hariharan).
The period had
an abundance of movies rich in creative humour from directors like Priyadarshan, Sathyan
Anthikkad, Kamal and Siddique-Lal. The internationally acclaimed] Piravi (1989) by Shaji N. Karun was the first
Malayalam film to win the Caméra
d'Or-Mention at the Cannes Film Festival. Other notable contributions of this period include His Highness Abdullah (1990) directed by Sibi Malayil, Abhayam (1991) directed by Santosh Sivan, and the
motion picture Daisy (1988) an expressive depiction of separation and
longing set in a boarding school, directed by Prathap K. Pothan.
1990s
Some examples
are Mathilukal (1990)
directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Kattu Kuthira (1990) directed by P. G. Viswambharan, Bharatham (1991) by Sibi
Malayil, Ulladakkam (1992) directed by Kamal, Kilukkam(1991) directed
by Priyadarshan, Kamaladalam (1992) by Sibi
Malayil, Vidheyan (1993) by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Devaasuram (1993) by I.
V. Sasi, Manichithrathazhu (1993) by Fazil, Ponthan Mada (1993) by T. V.
Chandran, and Desadanam (1997) by Jayaraaj. Swaham (1994), directed by Shaji N. Karun, was the second
Malayalam film entry in the Cannes International Film Festival, where it was a
nominee for the Palme d'Or. Murali Nair's Marana Simhasanam later won the Caméra d'Or at the 1999 Cannes Film
Festival. Guru (1997) directed by Rajiv Anchal was chosen as
India's official entry to the Oscars to be considered for nomination in the Best Foreign Film category for that year, making it the first film in
Malayalam to be chosen for Oscar nomination.
Early-mid 2000s
Slapstick
comedy was the predominant theme in the films of this era. C.I.D. Moosa (2003) by Johny Antony, Meesa Madhavan (2002) by Lal Jose and Kunjikoonan (2002)
directed by Sasi Shanker are examples. Sequels to a number of successful films
were made. These include blockbuster hit Raavanaprabhu (Devaasuram) and the sequels to the 80s hit movie Oru CBI Diarykurippu, named Sethurama Iyer
CBI (2004) and Nerariyan CBI (2005), which were huge hits. Many movies during
the early 2000s were of low quality. But there where some movies which were
examples of exemplary film making like Meghamalhar, Madhuranombarakaattu, Nandanam, Perumazhakkalam, Kazhcha etc. Dileep emerged as a major star force during this period
after the blockbuster, Meesa Madhavan. Malayalam Cinema had a crisis, when a
parallel culture of adult-content movies named "Shakeela films" emerged to be
the best grossers for more than a year. Malayalam cinema saw a rare dearth of
talent. At the same time, Tamil movies saw a surge of new talent in scriptwriters,
directors and actors. This resulted in increased popularity of Tamil and Hindi
movies in Kerala. Several film theatres were closed in rural Kerala and were
converted to marriage halls. But by the last of year 2003, it was a happy
season for the industry.
Late 2000s
Malayalam
movies saw a comeback in 2005. New directors such as Lal Jose, Roshan Andrews, Blessy and Anwar Rasheed brought back
original scripts to Malayalam movies. Notable movies of this era are Nandanam, Meesa Madhavan, Kaazhcha, Udayananu Tharam, Notebook, Classmates, Keerthi Chakra, Vinodayathra, Paradesi, Rajamanikyam, Karutha Pakshikal, Arabikkatha, and Kadha
Parayumbol. Many of Malayalam movies
are remade into other languages. This era has seen new promising actors like Dileep, Kunchako Boban, Prithviraj, Jayasurya along with
stalwarts Mammooty, Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, and Jayaram.
2010s to Present
After several
years of qualitative deterioration, Malayalam films saw the signs of some
renaissance in the last two years with the release of several experimental
films, mostly from new directors. Salim Ahamed's Adaminte
Makan Abu, the Award assembling
drama, has been chosen as India's official entry to the Academy Awards to be
considered for nomination in the Best Foreign Film category for the year 2011.
Malayalam cinema Adaminte Makan Abu is the second Malayalam film to be
nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film after Rajiv
Anchal's Guru. Other films that contributed the most to this renaissance include
Ritu, Kutty Srank, Bhramaram, Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha, Pranchiyettan and
the Saint, Urumi, T. D. Dasan Std. VI B, Traffic, Gaddhama, Pranayam, City of God, Melvilasom, Beautiful, Ee Adutha
Kaalathu, 22 Female
Kottayam, Nidra, Diamond Necklace, Veettilekkulla Vazhi, Manjadikkuru, Aakashathinte
Niram, Red Street (by Jayan
Pothuval), Spirit, Ustad Hotel, Thattathin
Marayathu etc. It encouraged new
generation actors like Prithviraj Sukumaran, Fahadh Fazil, Jayasurya, Murali Gopy, Indrajith, Asif Ali with the emergence of promising directors such as Lijo Jose, Rajesh Pillai, Anjali Menon, Aashiq Abu, Arun Kumar etc..
Pioneered film-making techniques
Malayalam films
cater to people living in the South Indian state of Kerala and emigrants from
it. The total population of Malayalees, as they are called, is around 4 crore.
As of 2002, most Malayalam films without the superstars, were made with a
budget of less than Rs 1 crore. (0.25 million USD) Despite the apparent budget
constraints, Malayalam cinema has pioneered various technical, thematic and
production techniques among films in India and South India. Such films include:
Marthanda Varma (1933):
The first
Indian historical drama film. The film was based on the life of Marthanda
Varma, the Maharajah of the Indian princely state of Travancore in the mid 18th
century. Marthanda Varma was film adaptation of a novel in the same name by C.
V. Raman Pillai, making it one of the first Indian film adaptations from
literature other than the puranas.
Newspaper Boy
(1955):
India's first neorealistic film. The film drew its
inspiration from Italian neorealism and was released a few months before
Satyajit Ray's debut film Pather Panchali, another neo-realistic film.
Thacholi Ambu
(1978):
South India's
first CinemaScope film.
Padayottam
(1982):
India's first
indigenously produced 70 mm film.
My Dear
Kuttichathan (1984):
India's first
3-D film.
Amma Ariyan
(1986):
The first film made in India with money collected
from the public. The film was produced by Odessa Collective, founded by the
director of the film John Abraham and friends. The fund was raised by
collecting donations and screening Charlie Chaplin's film The Kid.
O' Faaby
(1993):
India's first
live-action/animation hybrid film.
Moonnamathoral (2006):
First Indian
film to be shot and distributed in digital format.
Notable personalities
Directors
Malayalam
cinema boasts many brilliant film directors, starting with J. C. Daniel, the
director and producer of the first Malayalam film, Vigathakumaran (1928).
Unlike other Indian films at that time, most of which were films based on the
puranas, he chose to base his film on a social theme.[17] Though the film
failed commercially, he paved way for the Malayalam film industry and is widely
considered the father of Malayalam cinema. Till the 1950s, Malayalam film
didn't see many talented film directors. The milestone film Neelakkuyil (1954),
directed by Ramu Karyat and P. Bhaskaran, shed a lot of limelight over its
directors.[12] Ramu Karyat went on to become a celebrated director in the 1960s
and 1970s. P. Bhaskaran also directed a few acclaimed films in the 1960s. The
cameraman of Neelakkuyil, A. Vincent, also became a noted director of the 1960s
and 1970s. Another noted director of the 1950s was P. Ramadas, the director of
the neorealistic film Newspaper Boy (1955).
In the 1970s,
the Malayalam film industry saw the rise of film societies. It triggered a new
genre of films known as "parallel cinema". The main driving forces of
the movement, who gave priority to serious cinema, were Adoor Gopalakrishnan
and G. Aravindan. People like John Abraham and P. A. Backer gave a new
dimension to Malayalam cinema through their political themes. The later 1970s
witnessed the emergence of another stream of Malayalam films, known as
"middle-stream cinema", which seamlessly integrated the seriousness
of the parallel cinema and the popularity of the mainstream cinema. Most of the
films belonging to this stream were directed by PN Menon, I. V. Sasi, P. G.
Viswambharan, K. G. George, Bharathan and Padmarajan.
In the late
1980s and early 1990s, a period widely regarded as the Golden Age of Malayalam
cinema, a new array of directors joined the stalwarts who had already made a
mark in the industry. The Golden Age saw the narrowing of the gap between the
different streams of the industry.[12] Directors like K. G. George,
Priyadarshan, I. V. Sasi, John Abraham, Fazil, Joshy, Bhadran, P. G.
Viswambharan, Kamal, Sibi Malayil,Hariharan, Sathyan Anthikkad, K. Madhu and
Siddique-Lal contributed heavily in the Golden Age. Then there were
extraordinary screenwriters like M. T. Vasudevan Nair, T. Damodaran, A. K.
Lohithadas andSreenivasan who contributed their part as well.
The 2000s
witnessed the decline of quality of Malayalam films. Many directors who
excelled in the Golden Age struggled as many of their films continuously failed
critically and commercially. As a result the gap between parallel cinema (now
known as art cinema) and mainstream cinema (now known as commercial cinema) widened.
The 2000s also saw a commercial film formula being created in line with Tamil
andBollywood films. Directors like Shaji Kailas, Rafi Mecartin and Anwar
Rasheed directed blockbusters which had few artistic merits to boast of.
Despite the overall decline, some directors stood apart and made quality
cinema. Shaji N. Karun, Lenin Rajendran, Shyama Prasad and Jayaraj made films
that won laurels. Notable directors who debuted in this time include Blessy,
Lal Jose, R. Sharath, Renjith, Roshan Andrews, Amal Neerad, Aashiq Abu, Vineeth
Sreenivasan and Lijo Jose Pellissery.
Malayalam film
directors have made their mark in the national level as well. Out of the 40
National Film Awards for Best Director given away till 2007, Malayalam
directors have pocketed 12, trailed only by Bengali (14 awards). The directors
who have won the prestigious award are Adoor Gopalakrishnan (1973, 1985, 1988,
1990, 2007), G. Aravindan (1978, 1979, 1987), Shaji N. Karun (1989), T.V.
Chandran (1994), Jayaraj(1998) and Rajivnath (1999). There are several
recipients of the Special Jury Award as well: Mankada Ravi Varma (1984), John
Abraham (1987), Shaji N. Karun (1995) and Pradeep Nair (2005).
Actors
Lead actors
A lead actor is
called as a superstar when that person has become a driving force at the box
office. Just like other Indian film industries, there are no clear-cut
guidelines for decorating an actor as superstar, and this designation is almost
always bestowed by the media after an actor proves to be a champion at the box
office.
Thikkurissy
Sukumaran Nair was the first person in the Malayalam film history to be called
a superstar, following the tremendous success of his second film Jeevithanauka
(1951), which is touted as the first superhit of Malayalam cinema. Later Prem
Nazir, Sathyan, Madhu, Jayan, M. G. Soman, Sukumaran,and Shankar came to be
called superstars. Prem Nazir and Sathyan formed a bipolar industry in which a
considerable number of films made in Malayalam in the later 1960s and almost
the whole of 1970s starred one of them, until the rise of Jayan. Curiously, the
trend was continued in the next era as well, withMohanlal & Mammootty being
established as superstars in the 1980s. Suresh Gopi emerged as a superstar by
mid 1990s, following a series of successful movies having police/political
themes, most notably Commissioner, directed by Shaji Kailas.
As with most of
the other Indian film industries, the Malayalam film industry is driven by male
actors. None of the female actors who have been part of the industry have come
to be known as superstars, though there have been immensely popular stars like
Miss Kumari, Sharada, Sheela, Jayabharathi, Vidhubala, Srividya, Shobhana,
Revathi, Urvashi, Manju Warrier, Samyuktha Varma, Meera Jasmine, Navya Nair,
Kavya Madhavan and Samvrutha Sunil.
Many actors
have brought laurels to Malayalam films with their performances. As of 2011,
Malayalam film actors have won 13 out of the 47 National Film Awards for Best
Actor ever given away, including two occasions of double awardees. 13 is the
second highest number of award wins by a film industry trailed only by Hindi
(19 awards). The Malayalam film actors who have won the award are P. J. Antony
(1974),Gopi (1978), Balan K. Nair (1981), Premji (1988), Mammootty (1989, 1993,
1999), Mohanlal (1991, 2000), Suresh Gopi (1998), Balachandra Menon (1998),
Murali (2002) and Salim Kumar (2011). Additionally, Malayalam film actors have
won several Special Jury Awards as well: Mohanlal (1990), Kalabhavan Mani
(2000), Nedumudi Venu (2004), Thilakan (2007).
Malayalam
female actors are not far behind. As of 2007, they have won the National Film
Award for Best Actress 5 times. The winners are Sharada (1969, 1973, 1979),
Monisha (1987), Shobana (1994, 2002) andMeera Jasmine (2004). The actresses to
win the Special Jury Award are Jomol (1998), Manju Warrier (1999) and
Jyothirmayi (2003). Sharada did win another award in 1979 for the Telugu film
Nimajjan; so didShobana in 2002 for the Indian made English language film Mitr,
My Friend.
Notable Current
Super lead actors include Mohanlal, Mammootty, Suresh Gopi, Jayaram, Dileep,
Prithviraj, Dulquer Salman, Jayasurya, Kunchacko Boban, Fahad Fazil, Asif Ali,
Nivin Pauly, Unni Mukundan.
Supporting Roles
In the early
times of Malayalam cinema, supporting roles, though mostly donned by
established theatre artists, did not have any noted supporting actors. In the
1960s and 1970s several supporting actors likeKottarakkara Sreedharan Nair,
Adoor Bhasi, Bahadoor, Balan K. Nair, Adoor Bhavani and Aranmula Ponnamma came into
the scene. Most of them went on to have lifelong careers. In the 1980s and
1990s many more joined them, notably Thilakan, Nedumudi Venu, Jagathy
Sreekumar, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Biju Menon, Vijayaraghavan, Innocent, Siddique,
Jagadish, Kuthiravattam Pappu, Manoj K. Jayan, Murali, Narendra Prasad, Rajan
P. Dev, Sukumari, K.P.A.C. Lalitha and Bindu Panicker. Some of them had short
careers with title roles as well.
Despite the
presence of a number of talented actors, Malayalam films have only won 2 out of
the 24 National Film Awards for Best Supporting Actor so far given away, as of
2007. Thilakan (1988) and Nedumudi Venu (1991) are the only actors to win the
award. The same is not the case with female actors. They have won 6 out the 24
National Film Awards for Best Supporting Actress given away, trailed only by
Hindi (10 awards). The winners are K.P.A.C. Lalitha (1991, 2001), Santha Devi
(1992), Aranmula Ponnamma (1996), Sheela (2005) and Urvashi (2006).
Industry
Recently Malayalam
film industry is getting concentrated in Kochi contrary to the trend in 80's
and 90's when Thiruvananthapuram was the base of Malayalam Film Industry. Most
of the film shooting is now a days done in kochi and its suburbs.
Film Music
Film music,
which refers to playback singing in the context of Indian music, forms the most
important canon of popular music in India. The film music of Kerala in
particular is the most popular form of music in the state.[20] Before Malayalam
cinema and Malayalam film music developed, the Keralites eagerly followed Tamil
and Hindi film songs, and that habit has stayed with them till now. The history
of Malayalam film songs begins with the 1948 film Nirmala. The film's music
director was P. S. Divakar, and the songs were sung by P. Leela, T. K. Govinda
Rao, Vasudeva Kurup, C. K. Raghavan, Sarojini Menon and Vimala B. Varma, who is
credited as the first playback singer of Malayalam cinema.
The main trend
in the early years was to use the tune of hit Hindi or Tamil songs in Malayalam
songs. This trend changed in the early 1950s with the arrival of a number of
poets and musicians to the Malayalam music scene. People who stormed into the
Malayalam film music industry in the 1950s include musicians like V.
Dakshinamurthy (1950), K. Raghavan (1954), Brother Laxmanan, G. Devarajan
(1955) and M.S. Babu Raj (1957) and lyricists like P. Bhaskaran (1950),
Tirunainarkurichy Madhavan Nair, O. N. V. Kurup (1955) and Vayalar Rama Varma
(1956). They are attributed with shaping Malayalam film music stream and giving
it its own identity. Major playback singers of that time were Kamukara
Purushothaman, K. P. Udayabhanu, A. M. Raja, P. Leela, Santha P. Nair, P.
Susheela, P. Madhuri and S. Janaki. Many of this singers like A. M. Raja, P.
Susheela, Madhuri and Janaki were not Malayalis and their pronunciation was not
perfect. Despite that, these singers got high popularity throughout Kerala. In
the later years many non-Malayalis like Manna Dey, Talat Mahmood, Lata
Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam sang for Malayalam films.
This trend was also found among music directors to an extent, with outside
musicians like Naushad, Usha Khanna, M.B. Sreenivasan, Bombay Ravi, Shyam,
Bappi Lahiri, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Salil Chowdhury, Ilaiyaraaja, Vishal
Bharadwaj and A. R. Rahman scoring music for Malayalam films. This can be
attributed to the fact that film music in South India had a parallel growth
pattern with so many instances of cross-industry contributions.
K. J. Yesudas,
who debuted in 1961, virtually revolutionised the Malayalam film music industry
and became the most popular Malayalam singer ever. Vayalar, G. Devarajan and
Yesudas trio also made unforgettable songs like the earlier trio of Kamukara,
Tirunainaarkurichy & Brother Laxmanan. Yesudas became equally popular with
classical music audience and people who patronised film music. He along with P.
Jayachandran gave a major facelift to Malayalam playback singing in the 1960s
and 1970s. Malayalam film music also received heavy contributions from
composers and musicians like Johnson,M.B. Sreenivasan, Pukezhenty Vellappan
Nair, MS Vishwanathan, Kannur rajan,Shyam, M. G. Radhakrishnan, Raveendran, S.
P. Venkatesh, Mohan Sithara, Ouseppachan and Vidyasagar, lyricists
likeSreekumaran Thampi, Yusuf Ali Kechery, Bichu T, Rameshan Nair, Papanamcode
Laxmanan, Chyrinkil M Nair, Baharanikavu Shivakumar and Kaithapram Damodaran
Namboodiri, and singers like M. G. Sreekumar, G. Venugopal, K. S. Chitra and
Sujatha Mohan. A notable aspect in the later years was the extensive of classical
carnatic music in many film songs of the later 1980s and early 1990s.
Interestingly, that particular period is also considered as the peak time for
Malayalam cinema itself and is quite widely known as the Golden Age of
Malayalam cinema,[22] a period in which the difference between art films and
popular films was least felt. Similarly, classical carnatic music was heavily
used in several popular film songs, most notably those in films like Chithram
(1988), His Highness Abdullah (1990), Bharatham (1991),Sargam (1992) and
Sopanam (1993).
At present, the
major players in the scene are young musicians like Rahul Raj, Alphonse, Gopi
Sundar, Jassie Gift, Deepak Dev, and Biji Pal, lyricists Rafeeq Ahmed, Vayalar
Sarath and Anil Panachooran, and singers Madhu Balakrishnan, Afsal, Shewtha,
Manjari and Jyotsna, along with stalwarts in the field.
Young composers
like Rahul Raj and Gopi Sundar are not only known for their catchy tunes, but
also known for bringing in a lot of electronics, digital sound and a variety of
genres in Malayalam film songs.
The National
Award-winning music directors of Malayalam cinema are Johnson (1994, 1995),
Bombay Ravi (1995), Ouseppachan (2008), Ilaiyaraaja (2010) and Issak Thomas
Kottakapally (2011). Till 2009, the 1995 National Award that Johnson received
for the film score of Sukrutham (1994) was the only instance in the history of
the award in which the awardee composed the film soundtrack rather than its
songs. He shared that award with Bombay Ravi, who received the award for composing
songs for the same film. In 2010 and 2011, awards were given to film score and
both were bagged by Malayalam films: Pazhassi Raja (2010; Score: Ilaiyaraaja)
and Adaminte Makan Abu (2011; Score: Issak Thomas Kottakapally). Ravindran also
received a Special Jury Award in 1992 for composing songs for the film
Bharatham. Thelyricists who have won the National Award are Vayalar Ramavarma
(1973), O. N. V. Kurup (1989) and Yusuf Ali Kechery (2001). The male singers
who have received the National Award are K. J. Yesudas (1973, 1974, 1988, 1992,
1994), P. Jayachandran (1986) and M. G. Sreekumar (1991, 2000). Yesudas has won
two more National Awards for singing in Hindi (1977) and Telugu (1983) films,
which makes him the person who has won the most National Film Awards for Best
Male Playback Singer with seven awards, closely followed by S. P.
Balasubrahmanyam with six awards. The female singers who have won the awardare
S. Janaki (1981) and K. S. Chitra (1987, 1989). Chitra had also won the award
for Tamil (1986, 1997, 2005) and Hindi (1998) film songs, which makes her the
person with the most National Film Awards for Best Female Playback Singer with
six awards, closely followed by P. Susheela with five awards.
Remakes into other languages
Many Malayalam
films have been remade in other languages, including Dindigul Sarathy, Sundara
Travels,Seedan, Friends, Ninaithale Inikkum, Perazhagan, Kuselan, Chandramukhi
(in Tamil), Classmates,Chandralekha, Nagavalli (in Telugu), Aaptamitra,
Manmatha, Bellary Naga (in Kannada), and Garam Masala, Gardish, Kyon Ki, Billu,
Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Hera Pheri, Chup Chup Ke, Khatta Meetha, De Dana Dan,Mere Baap
Pehle Aap,Dhol (2007 film), Malamaal Weekly, Bhagam Bhag, Bodyguard, Kyon Ki,
Hulchul, Yeh Teraa Ghar Yeh Meraa Ghar (in Hindi) and Kaavalan (in Tamil).
Kerala State Film Awards
The Kerala
State Film Awards are the most prestigious film awards for a motion picture
made in the Malayalam language. The awards have been bestowed by Kerala State
Chalachitra Academy since 1998 on behalf of the Department of Cultural Affairs
of the Government of Kerala. The awards were started in the year 1969. The
awardees are decided by an independent jury formed by the academy and the
Department of Cultural Affairs. The jury usually consists of eminent
personalities from the film field. For the awards for literature on cinema a
separate jury is formed. The academy annually invites films for the award and
the jury analyses the films that are submitted before deciding the winners. The
awards intend to promote films with artistic values and encourage artistes and
technicians.
International Film Festival of Kerala
The
International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) is a film festival held annually
in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala. This film festival was
started in 1996 and is organised by Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on behalf
of the Department of Cultural Affairs of the State Government. The festival is
held in November/December every year and is acknowledged as one of the leading
film festivals in India.
Film studios
The Travancore
National Pictures was the first film studio in Kerala. It was established by J.
C. Daniel in 1926 in Nagercoil, which was then a part of Travancore.
Producer-director Kunchacko and film distributor K. V. Koshy established Udaya
Studios in Alappuzha in 1947. The studio influenced the gradual shift of
Malayalam film industry from its original base of Madras, Tamil Nadu to Kerala.
In 1951, P. Subramaniamestablished Merryland Studio in Nemom,
Thiruvananthapuram. The other major studios are Sreekrishna (1952, Kulathoor),
Ajantha (1964, Thottumukham), Chithralekha (1965, Aakkulam), Uma (1975,
Vellakkadavu), Navodaya (1978, Thrikkakkara) and Chithranjali (1980,
Thiruvallam).
Organisations
Association of Malayalam Movie Artists
The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA)
is an organisation formed by artists of Malayalam cinema to safeguard their
interests. It aims to act against piracy, to safeguard the interests of member
actors and actresses, and to serve as a common forum to raise concerns and
address issues. The activities of AMMA include endowments, insurance schemes,
and committees on wages and benefits on revision, fund for research, pensions,
education loans for their children etc. for the members. The organization
ventured into film production in 2008 with Twenty:20 to raise funds for its
activities.
AMMA was involved in the film industry deadlock of
2004 and the alleged denial of work to senior actor Thilakan.
Other organisations
·
Malayalam Cine
Technicians Association (MACTA)
·
Kerala Film
Chamber of Commerce
·
Federation of
Film Societies of India - Keralam
·
Malayalam Film
Chamber of Commerce
·
Kerala Film
Producers' Association
·
Film
Distributors Association, Kerala (FDA,Kerala)
·
Kerala Cine
Exhibitors Association
·
Kerala Film
Exhibitors Federation
·
Film Employees
Federation of Kerala (FEFKA)
