CIDMoosa
Joined Dec 2007
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Immigration to the Persian Gulf has spanned a good 4 decades among the people of Kerala starting from the 70's, when the flocking began in illegal boats to Iran (Then Persia). A great majority of the malayalee population have always been attracted by the wealth of black gold compared to an otherwise industrially backward hometown of theirs. Years later, the same community has made their mark in the Middle Eastern states with generations toiling away their life and compromising with their dreams for the sake of families back home. The present generation has seen a lot of delineations of life in the gulf kingdoms from Arabikkadha, Diamond Necklace and literary works such as Dubai puzha or the slightly more different Aadujeevitham. However even in the early 80's, the renowned writer and film maker genius M.T.Vasudevan Nair had made a celluloid adaptation of such a tale. Vilkkanund Swapnangal is indeed the story of dreams for sale, of people who took a plummet into an unknown magical land to realize their dreams. In their quest for more and more money, some people lost their sprint in life, while others compromised for the exterior appearance of lavishness.
As the story unfolds we have Sukumaran playing the protagonist, a typical M.T kind of hero, one could say. His character has all the archetypal individualities and background of a lead man from an M.T novel or short story. The man with a poor and tormented flashback leaves his home land in search of more money and returns back with seeds of vendetta. However things have changed back home and time has reduced his old nemeses to weak personas that started respecting him for his new found fortune. The stand-off with his past and his obligations back in the gulf lands him in a quandary which carries off the latter part of the movie. The first half traces the advance of the lead man right from his illegal mooring in UAE, the trials and tribulations he has to undergo before getting employed and his further rise in the career hierarchy. Those who have seen Dubai only within the last few years, including me would have been flabbergasted for sure after watching this MT piece directed by Azad. It was a totally arid desert land back then, as the movie illustrates, which was transformed in a whiff with a genie's wave apparently! People who have read M.Ts literary works can find an uncanny resemblance to the novels Kaalam, Naalukettu or Bandhanam, in the way the central character is evolved from his beginnings to present. The protagonist is always shown as an ultimate loser in life in spite of his pecuniary gains or social status, as is the case with many of M.T's lead men in bookish works. The script also touches regular areas of M.T like waning of the higher caste groups after land redistribution movement by the communist party, corresponding changes in social strata and nostalgic indulgences of village life.
A very curious trivia about this movie, maybe the only reason this flick is talked about during present times would be the fact that this was the first ever released movie of superstar Mammootty. Playing a miniscule role as the lesser antagonist to Sukumaran, he carries off the part of the drunkard who still basks in his old social glory quite well. It's well known that Sukumaran who was M.T's regular choice for his movies was gradually replaced by Mammootty, who leveraged them well and went on to grow into one of the biggest names in Motion picture production. Considering the time of release of the movie and the novelty of plot, Vilkkanund Swapnangal could be appreciated for such a theme. Nevertheless, it is definitely a less reminisced screenplay of M.T paralleled to his other classics.
As the story unfolds we have Sukumaran playing the protagonist, a typical M.T kind of hero, one could say. His character has all the archetypal individualities and background of a lead man from an M.T novel or short story. The man with a poor and tormented flashback leaves his home land in search of more money and returns back with seeds of vendetta. However things have changed back home and time has reduced his old nemeses to weak personas that started respecting him for his new found fortune. The stand-off with his past and his obligations back in the gulf lands him in a quandary which carries off the latter part of the movie. The first half traces the advance of the lead man right from his illegal mooring in UAE, the trials and tribulations he has to undergo before getting employed and his further rise in the career hierarchy. Those who have seen Dubai only within the last few years, including me would have been flabbergasted for sure after watching this MT piece directed by Azad. It was a totally arid desert land back then, as the movie illustrates, which was transformed in a whiff with a genie's wave apparently! People who have read M.Ts literary works can find an uncanny resemblance to the novels Kaalam, Naalukettu or Bandhanam, in the way the central character is evolved from his beginnings to present. The protagonist is always shown as an ultimate loser in life in spite of his pecuniary gains or social status, as is the case with many of M.T's lead men in bookish works. The script also touches regular areas of M.T like waning of the higher caste groups after land redistribution movement by the communist party, corresponding changes in social strata and nostalgic indulgences of village life.
A very curious trivia about this movie, maybe the only reason this flick is talked about during present times would be the fact that this was the first ever released movie of superstar Mammootty. Playing a miniscule role as the lesser antagonist to Sukumaran, he carries off the part of the drunkard who still basks in his old social glory quite well. It's well known that Sukumaran who was M.T's regular choice for his movies was gradually replaced by Mammootty, who leveraged them well and went on to grow into one of the biggest names in Motion picture production. Considering the time of release of the movie and the novelty of plot, Vilkkanund Swapnangal could be appreciated for such a theme. Nevertheless, it is definitely a less reminisced screenplay of M.T paralleled to his other classics.
While the need of the hour is widely promoted as urgent law reconstruction favouring women freedom in light of the delhi rapes, some might find it strange to believe that our country was once a place which gave the highest regard of its kind to the womenfolk and allowed them freedom in divorce and remarriage. The feudal kingdoms which are often touted for their totalitarian policies often took such liberal cultural stances which cared for freedom of the indvidual irrespective of their gender. The matrilinear system which used to prevail in kerala is a proper example of such a social setup. The advantage of the matrilineal system was that the property was enjoyed by successors of the women in the family. The women were educated and bold. They enjoyed freedom in all respects. The mother in the family was stronger than the father. But by the end of this system, in the 1940s, women lost all their powers and soon became 'slaves' in the hands of a feudal male-dominated society.Ozhimuri as a movie is an observation of the transition from this system to the current patrilinear system. The practices among nairs in southern travancore are shown in a very realistic manner , sometimes adding a bee wit of satire.Madhupal who has earlier proved his mettle with 'Thalappavu' impresses again, this time also touching on kerala history as he did in his earlier adaptation of emergency rajan case.
The primary factor of appeal in ozhimuri apart from its genuine thread would be the originality rendered in presenting the dialects and slangs of malayalam in southern travancore. The subtlelities in diction , some unique vocabularies and that unapprehendable mix with tamil has been so brilliantly reproduced , the obvious credit which should go to Jayamohan, the famous malayalam-tamil bilingual writer and critic. Jayamohan who is famous in the literary world for Vishnupuram, rubber etc has penned dialogues for tamil movies like naan kadavul, angadi theru and the yet to be released kadal. His foray into malayalam films could not be more perfect since it created a movie which finally showed some justice to the southern travancore malayalam, which was earlier reduced to a bafoonerish mockery by suraj venjarammodu and the mega start mammootty himself in Rajamanikyam ! Shot widely around Tiruvattar and other border areas of south kerala, the locales themselves are so orinally selected that they mingle seamlessly with the pplot and characters.
The screenplay basically evolves as insights into Thanupillai's (Lal) life and his character, through the recollections of his son sharath (Asif Ali) and his wife Meenakshi (Mallika). Asif Ali for once gives a mature performance which can help the viewer forget about his on-screen atrocitites earlier in asuravithu or ordinary. Lal gives an amazing performance in his father-son role, making him a sure prospective for some sort of recognition for his effort in this movie. These pieces of flashbacks are sewn together from Balamani's (Bhavana) perspective , who appears for Lal in the divorce case , or rather Ozhimuri case filed by his wife. Swetha Menon once again gets a negative role in the offering , but has little to do with it this time. The best thing about the plot is that it makes no effort to educate the viewers about any gender based assumptions or stances regarding a particular social practice. The viewer is rather left to ponder about the systems mentioned earlier and how it affected Thanupillai or Mallika as humans. The story which swings back and forth between Thanupillai and Sharath or Mallika ultimately ends in a sober note , not your typical happy ending as the latter part of the movie would tempt the viewer to believe in.
The non-appealability of ozhimuri to some masses or its rather dim box-office performace maybe attributed to the same cultural abberations between the north and southern parts of kerala. The local dialects and systems of southern travancore need not neccesarily be an item of fascination for people living in other parts of the state. While these are necessary evils or risks in adapting such a theme to screen, Ozhimuri is without doubt a decent watch to come out in a time when new-generation craps are ruling the industry.
The primary factor of appeal in ozhimuri apart from its genuine thread would be the originality rendered in presenting the dialects and slangs of malayalam in southern travancore. The subtlelities in diction , some unique vocabularies and that unapprehendable mix with tamil has been so brilliantly reproduced , the obvious credit which should go to Jayamohan, the famous malayalam-tamil bilingual writer and critic. Jayamohan who is famous in the literary world for Vishnupuram, rubber etc has penned dialogues for tamil movies like naan kadavul, angadi theru and the yet to be released kadal. His foray into malayalam films could not be more perfect since it created a movie which finally showed some justice to the southern travancore malayalam, which was earlier reduced to a bafoonerish mockery by suraj venjarammodu and the mega start mammootty himself in Rajamanikyam ! Shot widely around Tiruvattar and other border areas of south kerala, the locales themselves are so orinally selected that they mingle seamlessly with the pplot and characters.
The screenplay basically evolves as insights into Thanupillai's (Lal) life and his character, through the recollections of his son sharath (Asif Ali) and his wife Meenakshi (Mallika). Asif Ali for once gives a mature performance which can help the viewer forget about his on-screen atrocitites earlier in asuravithu or ordinary. Lal gives an amazing performance in his father-son role, making him a sure prospective for some sort of recognition for his effort in this movie. These pieces of flashbacks are sewn together from Balamani's (Bhavana) perspective , who appears for Lal in the divorce case , or rather Ozhimuri case filed by his wife. Swetha Menon once again gets a negative role in the offering , but has little to do with it this time. The best thing about the plot is that it makes no effort to educate the viewers about any gender based assumptions or stances regarding a particular social practice. The viewer is rather left to ponder about the systems mentioned earlier and how it affected Thanupillai or Mallika as humans. The story which swings back and forth between Thanupillai and Sharath or Mallika ultimately ends in a sober note , not your typical happy ending as the latter part of the movie would tempt the viewer to believe in.
The non-appealability of ozhimuri to some masses or its rather dim box-office performace maybe attributed to the same cultural abberations between the north and southern parts of kerala. The local dialects and systems of southern travancore need not neccesarily be an item of fascination for people living in other parts of the state. While these are necessary evils or risks in adapting such a theme to screen, Ozhimuri is without doubt a decent watch to come out in a time when new-generation craps are ruling the industry.
"Wherever there is a filmmaker prepared to stand up against commercialism, exploitation, pornography and the tyranny of technique, there is to be found the living spirit of the New Cinema."
The indian new wave or parallel cinema began as an alternative to the commercial routines, characterized by naturalism and realism, while keeping a keen eye on the social and political upheavals of their respective periods. Reaching its pinnacle during the 70's and 80's the movement began in bengali cinema and spread to other industries. G.Aravindhan and Adoor gopalakrishnan are thought to be the main exponents of this parallel movement in malayalam filmsream.
A docudrama based on some circus people and their impact in a village, Thampu remains critically acclaimed as one of the best works in indian parallel cinema and that of the film maker G.Aravindhan. Shot with some retired or discarded circus artists, the movie is done in a docu-fiction mode , maintaining a natural array of events in the screenplay.
Across a dirt road, the circus truck comes to a village. The tent goes up. Schoolboys run to the tent. Besides a long glittering river some men raise a pole. A tent balloons up. Where there was wide sand and the sound of water lapping, there is now a truck, chairs, hoops, stools, ropes, goats, a lioness, a pair of fat girls, some bicycles, and an old man with a philosopher's dignity, putting on white paste. Village women come and watch an acrobat roll a hoop across a tightrope. A frail leopard hops from one stool to another under the ringmasters instructions. A gap-toothed old woman gazes at a goat on a tight rope; her eyes are wide with curiosity. The drunkards, young men, curious village boys and surprised housewives sit open mouthed , watching the different items.
For three days the cicrus makes small ripples in the life of this village. The village president and areas rich men are treated with pomp and glory to run the circus smoothly. Municipal permits are required. At a toddy shop, a soldier befriends the circus strongman; a pump attendant sits on a rock each day watching a village girl bathe and dry her hair. The dwarf brings back to the circus a watermelon larger than his head. In the film's three days, we, the viewers, learn the geography of the village: the banyan treewith leaves like transparent film, the shining water, the light on the sand at sunset. A frustrated young man of a family settled from abroad struggles to cope up with the change in his surroundings and a conflict with his self. The village prostitute starts making some quick bucks with the trucks and buses coming. When the circus leaves the village, it leaves us.
The circus comes and leaves; life goes on.
A general warning : dont be surprised if u doze off in the middle, the movie is really slow with no major happenings or even a background score. watch only if you are bored with the normal movies and want to watch soemthing different :) :)
Experts from an interview with Aravindhan on thampu :
When you planned the film THAMBU, what was uppermost in your mind: was it the problems and insecurities of the circus artists or the response of the villagers to the circus tent? I planned THAMBU as a documentary feature. The film was shot in Thirunavaya on the banks of Bharathapuzha. I came to this village with ten to fifteen circus artistes who had already left their circus company. We did not have a script, and we shot the incidents as they happened. What we did on the first day was to call all the villagers and perform a circus act for them. There were a lot of people who had not seen a circus before. We shot their responses as they were watching. We did not ask them to do anything. After the initial hesitation, they forgot the lights and the shooting and completely got involved in the circus. It was all very original. At that time the village was also getting ready for the Ayappan Vilaku festival, which we used in the film. Finally the whole village got so involved in preparing for its festival, they lost their interest in the circus. The film ends there. In fact it is a location film.
- Glauber Rocha in Politics of Hunger
The indian new wave or parallel cinema began as an alternative to the commercial routines, characterized by naturalism and realism, while keeping a keen eye on the social and political upheavals of their respective periods. Reaching its pinnacle during the 70's and 80's the movement began in bengali cinema and spread to other industries. G.Aravindhan and Adoor gopalakrishnan are thought to be the main exponents of this parallel movement in malayalam filmsream.
A docudrama based on some circus people and their impact in a village, Thampu remains critically acclaimed as one of the best works in indian parallel cinema and that of the film maker G.Aravindhan. Shot with some retired or discarded circus artists, the movie is done in a docu-fiction mode , maintaining a natural array of events in the screenplay.
Across a dirt road, the circus truck comes to a village. The tent goes up. Schoolboys run to the tent. Besides a long glittering river some men raise a pole. A tent balloons up. Where there was wide sand and the sound of water lapping, there is now a truck, chairs, hoops, stools, ropes, goats, a lioness, a pair of fat girls, some bicycles, and an old man with a philosopher's dignity, putting on white paste. Village women come and watch an acrobat roll a hoop across a tightrope. A frail leopard hops from one stool to another under the ringmasters instructions. A gap-toothed old woman gazes at a goat on a tight rope; her eyes are wide with curiosity. The drunkards, young men, curious village boys and surprised housewives sit open mouthed , watching the different items.
For three days the cicrus makes small ripples in the life of this village. The village president and areas rich men are treated with pomp and glory to run the circus smoothly. Municipal permits are required. At a toddy shop, a soldier befriends the circus strongman; a pump attendant sits on a rock each day watching a village girl bathe and dry her hair. The dwarf brings back to the circus a watermelon larger than his head. In the film's three days, we, the viewers, learn the geography of the village: the banyan treewith leaves like transparent film, the shining water, the light on the sand at sunset. A frustrated young man of a family settled from abroad struggles to cope up with the change in his surroundings and a conflict with his self. The village prostitute starts making some quick bucks with the trucks and buses coming. When the circus leaves the village, it leaves us.
The circus comes and leaves; life goes on.
A general warning : dont be surprised if u doze off in the middle, the movie is really slow with no major happenings or even a background score. watch only if you are bored with the normal movies and want to watch soemthing different :) :)
Experts from an interview with Aravindhan on thampu :
When you planned the film THAMBU, what was uppermost in your mind: was it the problems and insecurities of the circus artists or the response of the villagers to the circus tent? I planned THAMBU as a documentary feature. The film was shot in Thirunavaya on the banks of Bharathapuzha. I came to this village with ten to fifteen circus artistes who had already left their circus company. We did not have a script, and we shot the incidents as they happened. What we did on the first day was to call all the villagers and perform a circus act for them. There were a lot of people who had not seen a circus before. We shot their responses as they were watching. We did not ask them to do anything. After the initial hesitation, they forgot the lights and the shooting and completely got involved in the circus. It was all very original. At that time the village was also getting ready for the Ayappan Vilaku festival, which we used in the film. Finally the whole village got so involved in preparing for its festival, they lost their interest in the circus. The film ends there. In fact it is a location film.