MALAYALAM CINEMA-2000

“Whither Malayalam Cinema?” - that’s the question many people would like to ask after analysing the plight of Malayalam cinema in the past few years. After 1991, when 126 films appeared before the censor board (out of which only 90 or so were released), the number of films censored never went above the 100-mark in the last decade, the numbers falling to as low as 69 and 65 in 1998 and ’99 respectively. And out of these only a few films, only a handful to be precise, emerged triumphant at the box-office every year. It is in this context that every Tom, Dick and Harry seems to ask this question - “Whither Malayalam Cinema?”, without perhaps ever trying to or caring to find an answer.

Well, the last year of the century, the millennium year 2000 fared better compared to 1999 as far as the number of films released is concerned. In all 70 films were censored, but this slight increase in the number turns one a bit cynical. The reason? Well, the slight increase is really on account of the soft-porn wave that happened to sweep over the realm of Malayalam cinema. (Many such films did good business too.) This is a fact that turns analysts a bit cynical.

Taking into the consideration the fact that cinema is essentially an industry, it would be imperative to take a close look at the box-office ratings. Zooming in on the box office, we see that out of the 70 Malayalam films of 2000, only around 15 could emerge triumphant in the real sense. The year started with millennium Stars, a Jayaraj-starrer made with a budget of Rs 2.5 crores, proving a real disaster at the box-office. Screenplay writing is perhaps an area where only few lucky ones can prove their mettle. It was Renjith, who had earlier scripted hits like Devasuram and Aaraam Thampuran, who hogged the limelight with two greatest hits of the year - Narasimham and Valiyettan. Renjith has also, in the process of scripting such hit films, made the decision to turn director with Ravanaprabhu which will be made this year. Another person who made an impact as a scenarist was S Suresh Babu, who has made his debut with Vinayan’s Dadasahib. Suresh Babu has hogged the limelight by being a scenarist who, with his first script itself, got a remuneration which even established scenarists started getting only years after they started.

Lohitadas delivered really excellent scripts for his own directorial ventures Arayannangalude Veedu and Joker. Sab John, who scripted the hit film Priyam, too rank among the hit scenarists of the year. Sreenivasan had done a good work out of the script Swayamvarapanthal, directed by Harikumar. Sibi K Thomas and Udayakrishnan, who had done the script of the hit film Darling, Darling are now sought after scenarists after the success of the film. Coming to cinematography, it was KP Nambiathiri who did the camera work for the most number of films, four to be exact - Naadan Pennum Naattu Pramaanimaarum, Melevaaryaththe Maalaakhakuttikal, Darling, Darling and Aanamuttathe Aangalamaar. Sanjeev Shankar, MJ Radhakrishnan, Venugopal, Salu George and Ravi Verman were active too. Regarding music, it was Mohan Sithara and Vidyaasagar who hogged the limelight with the accompaniment of Yusuf Ali Kechery, S Rameshan Nair, Gireesh Puthencherry, ONV Kurup on the lyrics side. Though many Malayalam films couldn’t make it big at the box-office, it was mainly Hindi and Tamil films that did brisk business in Kerala. Tamil films like Thenali, Khushi, Kandukondain Kandukondain, Vallarasu and Alaipaayuthe and Hindi films like Kaho Na Pyaar Hain, Mohabattein, Fiza, and Mission Kashmir did fare very well, perhaps on account of hit songs, excellent photography and maybe deficiency of Malayalam films which could satisfy the viewers.

Anyhow, though 2000 didn’t do much good for Malayalam cinema, there are promises of a good innings at least in 2001. Many films like Lal Jose’s Ranam Bhaavam, and Joemon’s Unnathangal, to be released soon are likely to do good business in the next year. Many other ventures that have been announced and likely to start soon, like Shaji Kailas’ new films, Renjith’s Ravanaprabhu, Joshi’s Praja (shooting for which has already started), Fazil’s new film and Priyadarshan’s Kaakakuyil hold promises for the box-office while art-house movies like Shaji N Karun’s new film based on noted writer T Padmanabhan’s short story Kadal (with Mohanlal and Jaya Bachchan in the cast), TV Chandran’s Mammootty film and some other films like Satyam Anthicaud’s new film, Lohitadas’ Chempoththu, Noornaadu Ramachandran’s Angulimaala (which has got the blessings of the Dalai Lama), give ample scope to expect much out of the new year.