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ObituaryInnocent will go down in the history of Malayalam cinema as a stupendously talented actor, who spread unmitigated joy on screen, writes Neelima Menon.The heavily pronounced Irinjalakuda slang, that bashful tilt of his head, the peculiar gesticulations, the fine balance between subtlety and hyperbole, and the unforgettable one-liners delivered with soft precision. What made Innocent one of the most cheering sights in Malayalam cinema is all of these and more. Like most in his legion of stupendously talented supporting actors, Innocent flourished during the late 1980s and 90s, popularly termed as the ‘golden period’ in Malayalam cinema. It was during this period that Innocent, who had already made his debut as an actor and producer a decade earlier, found that his niche lay in initiating Malayalam cinema into the realm of satire. So after 50-60 films in which he played notable as well as forgettable characters, Innocent allied with...

CinemaMalayalam films are known for keeping stories realistic on screen. Though not all are free from problematic stereotypes, many have poignantly questioned conventions. Here are our picks.Malayalam films are known for keeping stories realistic on screen. The same also reflects when it comes to portraying romantic love. Though not all of it is free from problematic stereotypes, there are many romances that have poignantly questioned the status quo and have been celebrated. How about the ones that took the turbulent, unconventional path to reach fruition in love? We give you our picks, this Valentine’s Day. Akbar and Ameer (Moothon) The most poignant stretch in Geethu Mohandas’s otherwise generic gangster film comes when Aamir enters the frame. As Akbar slashes his body with a knife, flagging himself as part of a ritual (Kuthu Ratheeb), Ameer, the gorgeous young man, cannot take his eyes off him. Even when Akbar...

FilmsRevathy’s ‘Bhoothakalam’ and Rohini’s ‘Kolaambi’ are only two of the latest examples to prove how little used many senior women actors are.CrisRohini in 'Kolaambi'It needn’t have been so, but seeing the large picture of Revathy in the poster of Bhoothakaalam was strangely alluring. Not because it was dark and looming, but that it was there, as big as the other actor in the poster – Shane Nigam, young and male and budding. Revathy is in her 50s, an actor who was very active at the turn of the 90s when she was young and budding. For so many years now, she moved away from the centre of a film to behind the curtains and the inside rooms where as a mother character, she often parted words of wisdom or shed tears for an erring son or daughter and then disappeared. It’s what several women actors who...

MollywoodThough Mamukkoya appears for hardly a few minutes in most of his films, the audience remembers all of his one-liners and goofy grins.Sowmya RajendranWhich Malayali worth their salt won't know the line 'Gafoor ka dosth'? The magic recommendation that will win you a warm welcome in alien lands? When Mamukkoya as Gafoorka in the 1987 film Nadodikattu reels off his experience in transporting illegal immigrants to places as far as California, you're just as trusting as Dasan (Mohanlal) and Vijayan (Sreenivasan) that he will take them to Dubai. It's with amazing confidence that Gafoorka makes his promise, and till the revelation — when Dasan and Vijayan land in Madras instead of Dubai — you're just as convinced as them that Gafoorka has a heart of gold. Gafoorka is among Mamukkoya's most memorable roles till date, and it is only fitting that it figured in Sathyan Anthikkad's film. From Gandhinagar 2nd Street, in...

Flix FlashbackWith elections nearing, we revisit Sathyan Anthikad's 1991 comedy about a home that's split over politics, way before family WhatsApp groups did it.Sowmya RajendranScreenshot/YouTubeDiscussing politics is a favourite activity with Malayalis. From tea shops to educational institutions, office spaces and the drawing room, political debate is a way of life in the state. And with Assembly elections just weeks away in Kerala, now is as good a time as any to revisit Sandesham, Sathyan Anthikad's 1991 comedy about a home that's split over politics, way before family WhatsApp groups entered the scene and accomplished it. The film is centered on Raghavan Nair (Thilakan) and his five children — three boys and two girls. While the two sisters (Kpac Lalitha and Maathu), the youngest brother Prashanthan (Rahul Laxman) and mother Bhanu (Kaviyoor Ponnamma) add to the plot, the story is mostly about the neverending quarrel between the two older brothers...

Three years after her husband passes away, the widow of the Patriarch of a famous Namboodiri (Brahmin caste from Kerala) family becomes pregnant. The prestige of the family is paramount and the Namboodiris have devised a way to get the family out of this so-called sticky situation with their respect intact. Learned Namboodiris from all over the land would assemble at the house and conduct an enquiry into what happened and all who were responsible. All the while, the family needs to treat these esteemed guests to daily feasts and monetary allowances. In the end, the woman who brought disgrace to the family would be ostracised and left at the mercy of lechers who wait at the gates.

Though it might seem cruel and matter-of-fact, making a motion picture about such a topic is not easy, as it should make sense to the intellect, be aesthetic and challenge status quo.

MollywoodWith time, the village in Malayalam cinema has grown in size to accommodate a more multidimensional group of characters and ideas.Neelima MenonDirectors often have the annoying habit of creating oversimplified backgrounds to set their stories. Take, for example, the village in early Malayalam cinema, often depicted as an idyllic, pristine small town featuring a host of simple, straightforward characters. But with time, the village in Malayalam cinema has grown in size to accommodate a more multidimensional group of characters and ideas. Here, we take a look at this evolution of Malayalam cinema's rustic locales. Untarred roads, elongated tiled-roof homes, paddy fields, decadent temples, makeshift tea shops, and ponds form the backdrop of the nameless village in Sathyan Anthikad’s Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu. In fact, every Anthikad film village brims with all things cheerful and ordinary, amongst which he finds his unusual story. Everyone knows their way around the village and...

MollywoodFrom the old to the new, here are seven unusually intense love stories from the Malayalam film industry.Neelima MenonRomance as a genre remains largely underexplored in Malayalam cinema. We’ve had love at first sight narratives like Aniyathipravu, Ohm Shanti Oshana, Ennennum Kannettante and Thattathin Marayathu, tragic romantic dramas like Ennu Ninde Moideen, Annayum Rasoolum and Innale, celestial love like Njan Gandharvan, romcoms like Salt N Pepper, Neelakasham Pacha Kadal Chuvanna Bhoomi, Thanneer Mathan Dinangal, forbidden love like Ore Kadal and a fantasy fringed romance like Nandanam. At other times, there have been incredible moments of romance encrusted in unlikely films like Bhoothakannadi , the multiple romances in Venu Nagavally’s Swagatham and Kalipattam, an affair that spills over with lust but ends movingly in Mathilukal, a man torn between guilt and love in Thoovanathumbikal and the coming-of-age narrative of a lad who experiences love at various stages of his life in Premam.

Flix FlashbackThe film features an elderly couple – retired estate manager Krishna Kuruppu and his wife Ammalukutty – whose endearing love shines throughout.YouTube screenshotHusband and wife are watching an old Sathyan film (Adimakal) when she turns to him to ask, “There is a lovely song in the film… “Thazhampoo manamulla thanuppulla rathriyil thanichirinnurangunna cheruppakaari…” and then she trails off, trying to remember the rest of the lyrics. He helpfully fills in for her: “Poomuka kilivathil adakkukilla…” and then stops midway to ask, “Gate adachilley malootty?” It’s these snippets of endearing routineness that shines throughout Mt Vasudevan Nair’s little gem called Oru Cheru Punchiri. Love has not withered in the life of the elderly couple – a retired estate manager, Krishna Kuruppu, and his wife Ammalukutty. They still wake up to the morning song of birds, sometimes to the din of their precious kannimangas falling down in succession. Krishnettan (Oduvil Unnikrishnan...