The Fading Creators

A bird's eye view of the main traits of some of the top directors of the 1980s & 90s mainstream or popular Malayalam cinema.

The following was written on whim and of course may be prejudiced. So others are welcome to correct me or add to it. Most observations are in the past tense, assuming that the best of Malayalam cinema is over and done with.

Priyadarshan

For long, I have suspected this man of thriving in the 1980s by playing the only genuine counter-pole to the otherwise somber and pathos-filled movie makers of that era. His slapstick comedies were in stark contrast to the dark, morose themes of most good mainstream movies in the 1980s and early 90s.

Of course, today we all know this man copied—left, right and centre. Yet there was something about him.

He was a master craftsman, with a keen eye for stunning visuals—especially in song picturisation--and a good ear for music. His creativity was suspect though, thanks to his out and out copy-paste jobs.

‘Confusion of identities’ was a staple diet of his flicks.

He had an uncanny knack of getting spontaneous performances from his actors. (The delivery of that time-less cracker: “In this house of my wife and daughter, you will not see any minute of the today.... get out house... Erangippodaaa!” will be etched in gold in the annals of Malayalam comedy)

Seldom did he venture out of this genre of comedy. Of course many of his climaxes—like in Chitram and Kilukkam--were counterpoints to the comic build-up he had in his movies.

For all the rib-tickling moments he provided us, Priyan will also be remembered for his strong casteist tendencies, which very often was palpable in the many innocuous one liners he subtly and not-so-subtly inserted in his movies.

Taken as individual films, these dialogues only come out as a representation of everyday conversations most Malayalees have. But when taken in a continuum, the larger picture emerges—that of Priyan’s obvious higher caste bias.

The strongest such comment was seen in the movie Aryan, where the protagonist says: “Innu aithavum theendalum keezhjaathikkarante manassilaanu.”

Best: Mithunam, Kilukkam (despite being a copy), Chitram, Vellaanakalude Naadu

Worst: Some of his comedies of the 1980s, Kaakakuyil, Kilichunda Maampazham, Vettam, Advaitham.