Achani (1973)

Prem Nazir, Vincent, Sudheer, Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair, Bahadur, Adoor Bhasi, Nanditha Bose, Sujatha, Sreelatha etc.

Certain Studios and cinema theatres in India are co related with Indian films. With the substantial profits obtained from the Tamil film Chinthamani (1937), the producers built a Cinema theatre in Madurai and named it Chinthamani. The Tamil film Karpakam (1961), enabled its producer and director K S Gopalakrishnan to establish ‘Karpakam Studios’. K Ravindran Nair, fondly called ‘Achani Ravi’ donated the proceeds of the successful Malayalam film Achaani, released on July 12, 1973 to build the Public Library at Kollam.

Produced under the banner of General Pictures and directed by A. Vincent, the film was shot at Satya Studios. Based on a story by Karaikudi Narayanan, renowned playwright Thoppil Bhasi wrote script and dialogues for the film. Editing by Venkitaraman and cinematography by Venkit and Prakash was impressive. Music composed by Devarajan was a high point of the film.

Popular artists like Prem Nazir, Vincent, Sudheer, Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair, Adoor Bhasi, Nanditha Bose, Sujatha etc acted in the film.

Vasu (Prem Nazir) who runs a tailoring shop is the head of the family consisting of his wife Seetha (Nanditha Bose), brother Gopi (Vincent) and sister Uma (Sujatha). Gopi is employed at a workshop and Uma is a school teacher. Vasu is respected by all for his noble character. The happy family lives within their means.

Uma falls in love with Babu (Sudheer), son of the rich Raghavan Mudhalali (Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair), a factory owner. Vasu objects to the marriage of his sister with Babu, but Uma is determined and she leaves home and gets married to Babu. Gopi loses his job. Bad luck follows Vasu’s family. Vasu’s tailoring shop is destroyed in a fire accident. Seetha becomes pregnant. Vasu struggles for livelihood, but refuses financial support offered by friends and relatives.

Banker Menon (Sankaradi) appoints Seetha to take care of his son Raju (Master Satyajith). In a furious mood, Raju threw a metal pot at their servant, which hit his mother and killed her on the spot, causing Raju to lose his mental balance. Seetha’s love and care brings changes in Raju. One day, upon seeing Seetha wiping off the dust from a framed photo of his mother, Raju got angry and threw a heavy flower vase at her. Seetha is admitted to the hospital and an abortion takes place. The mental shock that Raju suffers out of this incident brings Raju to normalcy.

Menon offers a huge amount to Vasu out of gratitude. But Vasu refuses the support.

Gopi becomes sick. Vasu even ‘sells’ his blood to raise money to treat Gopi. But fate is cruel, Gopi dies due to lack of proper medical care. Raghavan Mudhalali and Babu fail to repay the loan availed from Menon and are at the verge of confiscation. Babu and Mudhalali plead for extension of time for repayment of the loan. Menon insists that he will allow an extension if Vasu stands as surety. Menon and Babu fall at the feet of Vasu and beg for his support. Menon withdraws all legal proceedings against Babu and his father. Menon requests Vasu to take control of Mudhalali’s factory and he agrees. And a happy ending to the social drama.

Nanditha Bose and Prem Nazir impressed the audience in their lead roles. Hilarious scenes involving Bahadur, Adoor Bhasi ansd Sreelatha gave moments of laughter . Yesudas appeared in a guest role and sang a song.

Songs written by P. Bhaskaran became hits. Instant hits were “Enthe Swapnathin…. “ (Yesudas – acting and singing), “Mallikaa Baanan Thanthe…. “ (Jayachandran, Madhuri), “Samayamam Nadi…. “ (Suseela).

Will be remembered: As a good social film and for its excellent music.

Avalude Raavukal (1978)

Seema in a still from Avalude Ravukal

Soman, Ravikumar, Sukumaran, Kuthiravattom Pappu, Sankaradi, Bahadur, Master Raghu, Seema, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Usha Rani, Meena etc.

V. Shantaram’s classic bilingual filmAadmi/Manoos (1939- Hindi/Marathi) deals with the issue of sex workers, its morality and social acceptance. Considered as one of the best social movies ever made, it was a commercial success too. Hindi films like Sadhna (1958) andDarpan (1970) also focussed on this issue. Early Malayalam films like Kanchana (1952) had the issue as a sub plot and Agniputhri (1967) pivoted around the life of a sex worker.

I. V. Sasi, one of the most popular directors, known for his experimental projects, attempted to focus on the theme of sex workers, one which most mainstream directors were scared to get into.

Avalude Ravukal, released on March 3, 1978, told the story of a sex worker. The story, script and dialogues were written by A. Sherif. Seema was introduced in a lead role for the first time in this movie. The film was produced by M.P. Ramachandran under the banner of Murali Movies. Cinematography was by Vipindas and editing by K. Narayanan. The music composed by A.T. Ummer was the highlight of the film. Dubbed versions of this film Her Nights (Hindi) and Avalin Iravukal (Tamil) also were successes at the box office.

The story pivots around Raji (Seema), a young sex worker, and three young men, two college students Babu (Ravikumar) who has a soft corner for her, Jayan (Sukumaran) and a school teacher Chandran (Soman).

Raji loses her parents early in life leaving the responsibility of bringing up her younger brother Sudhakaran (Master Raghu) on her shoulders. Circumstances force her to a life of a sex worker. She begins living with a slum dweller (Meena) with a cycle-rickshaw driver Damu (Kutiravattom Pappu) working as her ‘agent.’

Babu who stayed in a nearby hostel takes a fancy to Raji and she begins to visit him almost regularly. Babu’s friend Jayan, a drunkard, attempts to approach Raji but is prevented by Babu. News spreads about Babu’s relationship with Raji. Sudhakaran is a regular visitor to his teacher Chandran’s room. One day a beggar steals Chandran’s wrist watch through an open window. Sudhakaran is arrested by the police. He is beaten up by the cops. Sudhakaran dies after his release from police custody. The real thief is arrested and Chandran repents for what he had done. But Raji refuses to pardon him and rejects the support offered by him.

Karunakaran (Bahadur) decides to conduct the marriage of his son Babu with Radha (Usha Rani), daughter of Damodaran (Sankaradi) and brother of his wife Lakshmi (Kaviyoor Ponnamma). Karunakaran, accompanied by Damodaran and Radha, reach Babu’s hostel and are shocked to see Raji in his room. They came to know about Babu’s relations with Raji. Radha gets married to another man.

Jayan dies of liver related complications. On his death bed he advises Babu not to abandon Raji whose love for him is pure, though ‘impure’ in the eyes of the society. Raji gets gang raped but Chandran’s timely help saves her life.

Lakshmi comes to the town to meet Babu and Raji. She takes pity on Raji when she comes to know about her past and the circumstances that led her to become a sex worker. Lakshmi accepts her as her daughter-in-law and takes her home.

Seema impressed with her intelligent acting. The film had an adults only certification due to the subject and few suggestive scenes. Kuthiravattom Pappu and Bahadur deviated from their susual comic roles and excelled in the serious character roles.

Three songs written by Bichu Thirumala and composed by A.T. Ummer became super hits. The background score by Guna Singh was excellent. One of the songs, Ragendu kiranangal oli veeshiyilla…. (S. Janaki) was a direct copy of Rajesh Roshan’s composition Pal bhar mein ye kya ho gaya… (Latha Mangeshkar for the Hindi film Swami, 1977) . This was a rare instance where the copy became as popular as the original. The other songs Unni araareero… (Janaki) and Antharindriya daahangal… (K.J. Yesudas) also became very popular.

Will be remembered: As a social movie with a strong message; as Seema’s first film in a lead role and for its excellent music.

Pearl View (1970)

The film was a musical hit too with some brilliant compositions by G. Devarajan. The black and white film even had a song sequence that was shot in colour.

The story pivots around two Christian families settled in the coastal area of the State. Xavier (P. J. Antony) and his wife Prastheena (Aranmula Ponnamma) are blessed with a son, Lawrence (Prem Nazir). The family, headed by Marian (Kottarakkara), consists of his wife Annie (Adoor Bhavani), daughter Stella (Sarada) and Bastian (Govindankutty).

The two families, whose occupation is fishing, are ideal neighbours who support each other. A ‘bad boy’ in school, Bastian is sent to his uncle in Colombo and he grows up there. Cholera spreads in the coastal area and Marian’s family is hit by the disease. The municipal authorities set their house and belongings on fire as a precautionary step to check the spread of the disease. Xavier spends all his savings to build a new house for Marian. Lawrence and Stella fall in love and their parents decides to conduct their marriage.

Xavier and Marian get hold of a box full of gold bars which was dumped in the sea by smugglers when pursued by the police. They bury the box on the beach fearing the police and plan to utilise this wealth for their benefit later. Bastian returns from Colombo. He comes to know about the buried gold and secretly takes possession of it by influencing Marian. Xavier finds he is cheated.

Marian buys ‘Pearl View,’ huge mansion. Bastian protests against Stella’s marriage to Lawrence. He takes advantage of Stella’s passion for music and takes her to Bombay to enrol her at the Bombay Music Academy. He misleads Stella by forcing to her to sign marriage documents instead of the music academy admission documents. He manages to get Stella married to Prof. Stephen (K.P. Ummer) at the academy.

At this juncture Lawrence reaches Bombay accompanying a drama troupe. He comes to know of Stella’s marriage and returns home disappointed.

Stella comes to know about the ‘trap’ on the first night of her marriage. Stephen, also unaware of the trap set by Bastian, sends Stella back home. Stella reveals the whole story to Lawrence, who accepts her and allows her stay with his family. Bastian tries to separate Stella from Lawrence. Now it is time for everyone to forget and forgive. Everyone come to know about Bastian’s wicked deeds. Xavier and Marian re-unite; Lawrence and Stella get married.

Sarada, Prem Nazir, P.J. Antony and Kottarakkara impressed with their natural style of acting. The comic scenes involving Adoor Bhasi, S. P. Pillai, and Adoor Pankajam provided moments of laughter.

The songs written by Vayalar Rama Varma and tuned by Devarajan became super hits. Songs likeKaithappoo vishariyumaay … (K.J. Yesudas-P. Madhuri ), Yavanasundari …(Yesudas-B.Vasantha ),Thanka thaazhikakkudamalla… .(Yesudas), Vishudhanaaya Sebastaanose …(Yesudas- Vasantha & chorus), Pushpavimaanavum …(Vasantha & chorus) all became very popular.

Will be remembered : As a good social movie and for its excellent music.

ജീവൻ തുടിക്കുന്ന മറ്റൊരു ഗ്രഹം ഉണ്ടോ ? സൌരയൂഥത്തിനു പുറത്തേക്കു കടന്ന മനുഷ്യ നിർമിതമായ "voyager -1, Voyager -2 " ഭൂമിയിലെ സംഗീതവും കൊണ്ടാണ് അന്യ ഗ്രഹങ്ങളിലെ ജീവനെ തേടിയുള്ള യാത്ര

"ജീവൻ  തുടിക്കുന്ന മറ്റൊരു ഗ്രഹം ഉണ്ടോ ?  സൌരയൂഥത്തിനു പുറത്തേക്കു കടന്ന മനുഷ്യ നിർമിതമായ "voyager -1, Voyager -2 " ഭൂമിയിലെ സംഗീതവും കൊണ്ടാണ് അന്യ ഗ്രഹങ്ങളിലെ ജീവനെ തേടിയുള്ള യാത്ര " -   ആ സംഗീതത്തെ കുറിച്ച് .........

അമേരിക്കയുടെ ബഹിരാകാശ സംഘടന NASA  1977 ൽ  ബഹിരകാശത്തേ ക്ക്  വിക്ഷേപിച്ച പേടകങ്ങൾ - Voyager -1,  Voyager -2 , സൌരയൂഥ ത്തിനു പുറത്തേക്കു കടന്നിരിക്കുന്നു. 2012 ഓഗസ്റ്റ്‌ മാസത്തിൽ പേടകങ്ങൾ സൗരയൂഥത്തിനു പുറത്തേക്കു കടന്നു എന്നാണ് റിപ്പോർട്ട്‌ .

ഭൂമിയെപ്പോലെ ജീവൻ  - മനുഷ്യരോ , മനുഷ്യരെ പോലെയുള്ള ജീവ സമൂഹം സൗരയൂഥത്തിനു പുറത്തുള്ള എതെങ്കിലും ഗ്രഹത്തിൽ ഉണ്ടെങ്കിൽ ;  ആ ഗ്രഹത്തിൽ  voyager ചെന്നു ചേരുകയാണെങ്കിൽ , ആ ഗ്രഹത്തിലെ ജീവ സമൂഹത്തിന്റെ അറിവിലേയ്ക്കായി ഭൂമിയെ കുറിച്ചും , ഭൂമിയിലെ ജീവജാലങ്ങളുടെ ശബ്ദങ്ങൾ , ചിത്രങ്ങൾ , എന്നിവയ്ക്കൊപ്പം ഭൂമിയിലെ സംഗീതവും ഉൾപ്പെടുത്തിയിട്ടുണ്ട് പോലും !! 50 ൽ പരം ഭാഷകളിൽ ആശംസകൾ ,  അമേരിക്കൻ പ്രസിഡണ്ട്‌ ജിമ്മി കാര്ട്ടരുടെ യും , യു എൻ സെക്രട്ടറി ജനറിലെന്റെയും ശബ്ദത്തിൽ ആശംസകൾ - ഈ ശബ്ദ വീചികലെല്ലാം രികാർ ഡു  ചെയ്തു പേടകത്തിൽ കൂടി അയച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട് എന്നാണു റിപ്പോർട്ട്‌ .

ഈ ശബ്ദ വീചികളിൽ ഇന്ത്യയിൽ നിന്നുമുള്ള സംഗീതത്തിനും വളരെ പ്രാമുഖ്യം നല്കീട്ടുണ്ട് എന്നുള്ള കാര്യം ഭാരതീയ പൈതൃക സംഗീതത്തിനു ലഭിച്ച അംഗീകാരം .  സുപ്രസിദ്ധ ഹിന്ദുസ്ഥാനി ഗായിക "സുർശ്രീ " കേസർ ബായ് കേര്കർ ഭൈരവി രാഗത്തിൽ പാടിയ ഒരു ഗാനം- ഹോരി -   ആണ് പേടകത്തിലെ ഇന്ത്യൻ സംഗീതം .  ഉത്തർ പ്രദേശിലെ ബനാറസ് , മഥുര , തുടങ്ങിയ പ്രവിശ്യകളിൽ വളരെ പ്രചാരത്തിലുള്ള ശൈലിയാണ് ഹോരി .  "ജാത് കഹാൻ ഹോ .... " എന്ന ഹോരി യുടെ മാധുര്യം , ഭൈരവി രാഗത്തിന്റെ മാസ്മര്യം ഏതൊരു "അന്യ ഗ്രഹ " ത്തിലെ ജീവ സമൂഹത്തേയും മന്ത്ര മുഗ്ദ്ധരാകും എന്നതിന് സംശയം ഇല്ല.

ഹിന്ദുസ്ഥാനി സംഗീതത്തിലെ മഹാ പ്രതിഭ ഉസ്താദ് അള്ളാ ദിയാ ഖാൻ ന്റെ പ്രിയ ശിഷ്യ കേസർ ബായ് കേര്കർ 1977 സെപ്റ്റംബർ 16 നു ഇഹലോകവാസം വെടിഞ്ഞു .  അനുഗ്രഹീത ഗായികയുടെ ശബ്ദം ഭൂമിയിൽ മാത്രമല്ല , സൗര യൂഥവും കടന്നു പ്രപഞ്ചത്തിൽ സഞ്ചരിച്ചു കൊണ്ടിരിക്കയാണ് .  അനശ്വര ഗായികയെ കുറിച്ച് ഒരു പുസ്തകത്തിൽ ഇങ്ങനെ പരാമർശം -  ഏറ്റവും പതുക്കെ മന്ത്രിക്കുന്നത് പോലെ ശബ്ദം താഴ്ത്തി  കേസർ ബായ്ക്ക് പാടാൻ പറ്റും .  അതുപോലെ ഏറ്റവും ഉച്ചത്തിലും .  ഒരു സ്തോഭാവും കൂടാതെ , ഒരു സ്വരവും കലന്ബി ക്കാതെ .  വരികൾക്കിടയിൽ നിന്നും ഒരു സ്വരം പെറുക്കി എടുത്തു അതിനെ ഊതി ഊതി പൊന്നാക്കാൻ അവരെ പോലെ ആർക്കും പറ്റില്ല .

പ്രപഞ്ചത്തിലെ മറ്റേതെങ്കിലും ഗ്രഹത്തിലെ ജനസമൂഹം ഈ പേടകത്തിലെ സംഗീതം ശ്രവിച്ചു , ആ മാസ്മര സംഗീതത്തിന്റെ ഉറവിടം തേടി ഭൂമിയിലെ , ഈ ഭാരത ത്തിലേക്ക് എത്തി ചേരുന്ന ഒരു സന്ദർഭം ഉണ്ടാകുമെന്ന് നമുക്ക് പ്രത്യാശിക്കാം .   ആ സന്ദർഭത്തിൽ ആ അന്യ ഗ്രഹക്കാരെ സംഗീതത്തിന്റെ മാസ്മരികതയിൽ ആറാടിക്കാൻ ആയി നമ്മുടെ പൈതൃക സംഗീതത്തെ നമുക്ക് മൌലികത ഒട്ടും കുറയാതെ, ഒരു മായവും ഇല്ലാതെ നമുക്ക് സംരക്ഷിക്കാം .

Vishukkani (1977)

Prem Nazir, Thikkurissi, Soman, Sankaradi, Adoor Bhasi, Sarada, Vidhubala, Sreelatha, Reena , Master Kumar etc.

Prem Nazir, Thikkurissi, Soman, Sankaradi, Adoor Bhasi, Sarada, Vidhubala, Sreelatha, Reena , Master Kumar etc.

It is usually seen that producers and directors compete with each other to get their films released during the festival season. On most occasions these films have no connection whatsoever with the festivals, whether in the case of story or otherwise. The Malayalam filmVishukkani , released on the festival of Vishu, April 14, 1977, was one such film.

Produced by R.M. Sundaram for RMS Cine Enterprises and directed by Sasikumar, the film was a hit. The music composed by Salil Choudhary played a huge role in the film’s success. Cinematography by Williams and editing by V. P. Krishnan were commendable.

Vishukkani was the remake of the Tamil blockbuster Karpakam (1961) produced and directed by K. S. Gopalakrishnan, who also wrote the story. In fact, the success of the Tamil film enabled the producer to even build a Studio which he named Karpakam Studio. The Hindi remake of this Tamil film, Rishtey Naathey (1965) was also was a hit.

For the Malayalam version the dialogues were by Sreekumaran Thampi. The film was shot at Satya and Murukalaya studios.

Rajendra Panikkar (Thikkurissi Sukumaran Nair) is a rich farmer. He lives in a village with his daughter Radhika (Vidhubala) and son Radhakrishnan (Soman). A young successful farmer Gopi (Prem Nazir) marries Radhika and Radhakrishnan marries Jaya (Sreelatha), daughter of a city wastrel, Prabhakara Pillai (Sankaradi), whose has an eye on Panikkar’s wealth. Gopi lives with Panikkar at his request and takes care of the household and the farm.

Jaya gives birth to a baby girl Ambili (Master Kumar), but her parents neglect her. Radhika, who is childless, takes care of Ambili. The child begins to consider Radhika and Gopi as her parents.

Gopi’s control over the farm and household annoys Radhakrishnan. Prabhakaran Pillai adds fuel to the fire by brainwashing Radhakrishnan into demanding his share of the family wealth. Radhakrishnan leaves the house with his wife and Ambili.

Radhika falls into depression. Ambili does not accept her parents and is sent back to Radhika. In her attempt to save Ambili from a raging bull Radhika is killed. Ambili refuses to return to her parents and opts to stay with Gopi. Panikkar forcibly gets Gopi married to his friend and District Collector Janardanan Nair’s (Veeran) daughter Rajani (Sarada), who was Radhika’s friend, so that Ambili will be taken care of. But Gopi and Ambily who live with memories of Radhika, do not accept Rajani.

Meanwhile, Radhakrishnan and Prabhakaran Pillai conspire to swindle Panikkar. But fail in their attempts. Frustrated, Prabhakaran Pillai, decides to eliminate Gopi. He sends his goons to attack him. Both Panikkar and Rajani come and save him. In the process, Rajani is stabbed. When she is dying, Ambili expresses her love for Rajani, calling her mother. And Rajani returns to life. Pillai is arrested; Radhakrishnan and Jaya repent for their mistakes.

The festival of Vishu finds a place twice in the film. Then, the titles cards of the film have images of the Vishukkani (a ritual arrangement of auspicious articles intended to signify prosperity). Maramadi, a typically Kerala agricultural sport, has also been included in the film to give it that festival feel.

The songs written by Sreekumaran Thampi and set to tune by Salil Chaudhary became extremely popular. Poovili poovili ponnonamaayi … (K.J. Yesudas and chorus), Malarkkodi poley … (S. Janaki-Yesudas), Raappaadi paadunna ragangalil … (P.Susheela), Ponnushassin upavanangal … (P. Jayachandran), Kannil poovu chundil thenu … (Vani Jayaram) and Hey munnottu munnottu kaaley … (Yesudas & chorus) have stood the test of time.

Will be remembered : For its excellent music and as a good family drama.

Sindooracheppu (1971)

The HinduThe film highlights the evil of violence against elephants.

TOPICS

cinema

Malayalam cinema

Madhu, Sankaradi, JAR Anand, Bahadur, Jayabharathi, Prema, T.P. Radhamani, Philomina , Baby Shobha , Master Vijayakumar

Sindooracheppu, released on November 26, 1971, was the first Malayalam film that featured an elephant and a mahout as its main characters. And not surprisingly, the film was a huge hit.

The Tamil film Yaanaippaakan (1960) had a mahout as its central character. This film, as well as its Hindi dubbed version Mahout (1961), also succeeded at the box office. But these films did not portray the true life of a mahout. Sindooracheppu was a realistic presentation of a mahout’s life and his emotional bond with the animal.

Directed by actor Madhu, the film was produced by noted lyricist-poet Yusuf Ali Kecheri, who also wrote the story, script, and dialogues. Produced under the banner of Anjana, the film was shot at AVM, Prakash and Venus Studios.

The rich Kerala landscape and folklore formed its backdrop. The outdoor scenes were canned at Deshamangalam Mana (a traditional mansion of Namboodiri Brahmins) and Cheruthuruthy village, located on the banks of the Bharathapuzha River.

Cinematography, which was by Martin Aloysius, Vasanth B.N. and Benjamin, supervised and controlled by noted cameraman U. Rajagopal, was outstanding. Editing by G.Venkitaraman, art direction by Konnanat, and music by G. Devarajan were the other highpoints of the film.

Madhu, Sankaradi, Muthiah, Premji, Jayabharathi, Prema etc. essayed important roles.

But the star of this somewhat violent film was the elephant Gopi. The elephant behaves and even thinks like a human, like his mahout, rebelling against ill-treatment and injustice. Some of the ‘star elephants’ of the time, such as Vishwakumar of Periyanampatta Devaswom, Lucky, owned by Bharat Circus and Ramachandran of Guruvayoor Devaswom, have been featured in this film.

The story revolves around an elephant and its mahout. Sankaran Nair (Sankaradi) is a mahout who lives in a remote village with his daughter Ammalu ( Jayabharathi) and wife (Prema). Sankaran is appointed as mahout of Gopi by its owner Namboodiri (Premji), a rich landlord. The village soothsayer, Kaniyan (JAR Anand) foretells that Gopi will kill three people. This prophecy instils fear in Ammalu’s mind. As a child she even attempts to kill Gopi by putting ants into his trunk.

Once, Sankaran in a drunken state annoys Gopi. He changes Gopi’s position in a temple procession allowing another mahout to place the thidambu (idol of the deity) on the top of his elephant. Humiliated, Gopi goes wild and kills two mahouts. The police team that arrives on the scene decides to shoot down Gopi. Kesavan, a wandering mahout, reaches the place and saves Gopi’s life by calming him down. Kesavan is appointed as Gopi’s mahout, and Sankaran as his assistant.

Ammalu falls in love with Kesavan and they decide to marry. Sankaran is dismissed from service by the landlord when he finds out he had been ill-treating Gopi. Sankaran turns against Kesavan. He decides to marry Ammalu to another person. Ammalu believes that Gopi was the cause for all her sorrow and bad luck. She attempts to kill Gopi once again. This time Gopi reacts and tramples Ammalu to death. Kesavan leaves the village throwing the mahout’s hook into the river, symbolic of giving up his profession in protest against cruelty to elephants.

Some of the scenes and the minor characters closely resembled those in Thomas Hardy’s novels. The village barber (Thodupuzha Radhakrishnan), tea shop owner (Bahadur) and the mad woman (Philomina) are examples.

The songs, written by Yusuf Ali Kecheri and composed by Devarajan, were well received. Some of them like Omalaale kandoo njaan (K.J. Yesudas), Ponnil kulicha raathri (Yesudas), and Thambraan thoduthathu (P.Madhuri) turned huge hits. The other popular songs included Thanneeril viriyum thamarappoo (Yesudas) and Mandachaare mottathalaya (Madhuri-Susheela Devi).

Will be remembered: As the first Malayalam film with an elephant and its mahout as main characters and for its excellent music.

Devatha (1965)

The HinduSathyan and Sushama from the film.

Sathyan, Prem Nazir, Muthiah, S.P. Pillai, Adoor Bhasi, Ambika, Sushama etc.

Most of the ‘social films’ of 1950s and 1960s in South Indian languages were stranger than fiction. The stories developed for cinema were highly melodramatic with unusual twists and turns.

The Malayalam film Devatha released on January 14, 1965, was a compilation of sequences from some such South Indian social films.

Produced by Bharathi Menon under the banner of Thejo Films, the film was directed jointly by K. Padmanabhan Nair and W. R. Subba Rao.

The theme of Devatha closely resembled the storyline of Malayattoor Ramakrishnan’s novel Yakshi. Both the stories focussed on the thought of Beauty of the Soul.

Devatha did not do well at the box office. Sivaji Ganesan’s Deiva Makan, released much later and discussed the Beauty of the Soul theme, was a huge hit.

Apart from popular artistes Sathyan, Prem Nazir, Muthiah, Ambika, Adoor Bhasi and S. P. Pillai, Sushama, (her screen name was Maya), who made her Malayalam film debut in Udaya Studio’sKadalamma (1963), acted in this film. In fact, she quit cinema after this film.

Mohan (Sathyan) is a scientist involved in research. His junior Rema (Sushama) is in love with him and she always preaches about the beauty of the soul. Mohan meets with an accident in the laboratory and his face suffers burns. Rema, who always said that she loved Mohan for his ‘beautiful soul’, rejects him when his face is burnt and deformed. Rema turns her attention to another young research student, Venu (Prem Nazir). Deformation of his face and the cruelty of his lover forces Mohan into a secluded life. His mother Kalyani Amma’s (Bharathi Menon) efforts to console Mohan and bring back him to normal life fail.

Ammini (Ambika) is an orphan who loses her eyesight following a fire in the orphanage. Along with Vasu (Muthiah), an inmate in the orphanage, she her earns livelihood by singing and begging on the streets. Mohan gets fascinated by her singing. Kalyani Amma brings her home hoping that she would be able to bring some happiness in Mohan’s life. Mohan is mesmerised by Ammini’s sweet voice and soon they get married. It was Mohan’s confidence that Ammini, being blind will not see his burnt face that resulted in their marriage. They are blessed with a son.

Venu comes back after his higher studies abroad in ophthalmology. He advises surgery for Ammini. Mohan is afraid that Ammini would abandon him if she happened to see his face and is reluctant to conduct the surgery.

Venu rejects Rema’s proposal of marriage. He succeeds in convincing Mohan about the need for the surgery. Ammini undergoes surgery and regains her eyesight. She faints on seeing Mohan’s face. In his fury, Mohan picks up a revolver and attempts to shoot himself but finds that the gun was not loaded. Ammini recovers and expresses her true love for Mohan. For her it is the beauty of the soul that matters.

Sathyan, Ambika and Adoor Bhasi as Compounder Kittu excelled.

The film had eight songs written by P. Bhaskaran and set to music by P. S. Divakar. Verses from Jayadeva‘s Geeta Govindam and ‘Athmananda’ Krishna Menon’s Radha Madhavam were also included in the film. Kannukalennaal kalavukal parayum…. (K.J. Yesudas-P. Leela), Ormavekkenam ee premarangam…. (M. Balamuralikrishna-S. Janaki), Janmabhoomi Bharatham karmabhoomi Bharatham…(Yesudas- Latha and chorus) became hits. The other songs include the Ashtapadi (Geeta Govindam) Dheera sameerey Yamuna theerey…(Balamuralikrishna- Leela), Kannillenkilum karalin kanninaal…. (Leela), and Padachavan namukkoru varam…(Yesudas- K.P. Udayabhanu-Raghu).

Will be remembered: As an early Malayalam social film with a different theme – Beauty of the Soul. For some of the songs, especially the patriotic number Janmabhoomi Bharatham….