In the Malayalam film ‘Vellarikkapattanam’ (1985) one of the characters asks its hero Prem Nazir "what would you like to do for the future generation?" Nazir retorts to this question by asking "why should I bother to do something for the future generation? What have they done for me?"
This seemingly harmlessly funny rejoinder happens to be the overall attitude of the film fraternity in Kerala these days. The existing wants to rule for ever though they know that it is not going to happen. Till they tend to act so. Be it our stars or film makers they never really care about identifying the talented newcomers and patronizing their next generation; rather they look at them as enemies who try to snatch their opportunities!
The book “The Sundance Kids: How the Mavericks Took Back Hollywood” by James Mottram cites how in the late 80s and early 90s the Sundance film festival, an initiative by the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid star Robert Redford gave a platform for newcomers like Steven Soderberg, Quentin Tarentino, Robert Roderiguous, P T Anderson and many more wannabe film makers and how they helped each other and their successors in making the films they wanted to make. This new league of film makers redefined the rules of Hollywood’s studio based film making and even the largest studios like twentieth century fox were forced to open up their Independent production wings (Miramax) which allowed total freedom to the film makers.
In the late 90s bollywood also followed the same track. The religiously traditional frame work of the Bombay film industry was largely shook by the advent of Ram Gopal Varma. Varma gave a break to many aspiring film makers and actors. Tapping the talents of the newcomers who bring in their best performance in respective fields, these low budgeted films were widely accepted for their freshness and attitude. This commercial success encouraged other producers also follow the same track. Several more directors turned producers started funding for the films by others. This resulted in the production of some of the biggest commercial and critical success ever in the bollywood such as Munnabhai MBBS, Parineetha, Kaal, Kal ho na ho, Bunty or Bubly, Chak de India etc.
Our closest neighbor Kollywood also didn’t hesitate to follow the track. The lead was taken by the biggest showman of the industry Shankar. His S pictures produced Kadhal with a debut director Balaji Saktivel and a small time cast which turned out to be the biggest hit of the year. S pictures have more films lined-up for new comers. Selvaraghavan also produced films for his assistants.
Come to Malayalam cinema and the scenario changes altogether. Here you won’t find any big fish practicing the same deed of promoting or creating a launch pad for the new comers. We may hear them asking that seemingly harmlessly funny rejoinder Nazir asked in Vellarikkapattanam "why should I bother to do something for the future generation? What have they done for me?" Here what we see are film makers who are in the industry for over a couple of decades and have churned out innumerable insignificant flicks still frantically trying to line up their next project! If you guess it’s for the passion of film making you are wrong. It is the pure passion for money making.
In this greedy race they have little time to consider the future of the medium they are working in or they have no insight to understand it. Big shots like Joshy or Joshiey?!(An artist’s existential agonies!) Sathyan Anthikkad etc. are in the front row of his race. Always after the star value, and incapable of self evaluation, they bring out these days films that help only to further pollute the already hopeless Malayalam cinema.
‘Mayamohithachandran’ the debut film by Shibu who was long an associate director with Sthyan Anthikkad was shelved half way through its production because of financial constrains. I always wonder why a powerful film maker like Sthyan Anthikkad did not salvage his disciple’s first film! A couple of hollywood and Chinese films have earned international release and a larger viewership just because they were “presented by Quentin Trantino” the director of several urban legends. But our legends hailing from the rural side with the ‘trail of goodness’ do not seem to be so good at heart! I feel like quoting the Vellarikkapattanam dialogue again! In fact it has the zeitgeist of our contemporary cinema! "why should I bother to do something for the future generation? What have they done for me?"
Of course, these ’veteran’ film makers have made their contributions ‘once upon a time’, have got their name and fame and have shown us their best. Now there are many other frontiers of cinema other than direction where people like them can perform and do that so well with the stake they hold in the industry as their counter parts do in Hollywood, bollywood and in kollywood.
If they don’t want to follow models from outside the industry they may find some inspiration at home, in Fazil, the only director who dared to godfather a couple of new comers under his banner! Is there any other names? That is what malayalam cinema really needs at this moment.
This seemingly harmlessly funny rejoinder happens to be the overall attitude of the film fraternity in Kerala these days. The existing wants to rule for ever though they know that it is not going to happen. Till they tend to act so. Be it our stars or film makers they never really care about identifying the talented newcomers and patronizing their next generation; rather they look at them as enemies who try to snatch their opportunities!
The book “The Sundance Kids: How the Mavericks Took Back Hollywood” by James Mottram cites how in the late 80s and early 90s the Sundance film festival, an initiative by the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid star Robert Redford gave a platform for newcomers like Steven Soderberg, Quentin Tarentino, Robert Roderiguous, P T Anderson and many more wannabe film makers and how they helped each other and their successors in making the films they wanted to make. This new league of film makers redefined the rules of Hollywood’s studio based film making and even the largest studios like twentieth century fox were forced to open up their Independent production wings (Miramax) which allowed total freedom to the film makers.
In the late 90s bollywood also followed the same track. The religiously traditional frame work of the Bombay film industry was largely shook by the advent of Ram Gopal Varma. Varma gave a break to many aspiring film makers and actors. Tapping the talents of the newcomers who bring in their best performance in respective fields, these low budgeted films were widely accepted for their freshness and attitude. This commercial success encouraged other producers also follow the same track. Several more directors turned producers started funding for the films by others. This resulted in the production of some of the biggest commercial and critical success ever in the bollywood such as Munnabhai MBBS, Parineetha, Kaal, Kal ho na ho, Bunty or Bubly, Chak de India etc.
Our closest neighbor Kollywood also didn’t hesitate to follow the track. The lead was taken by the biggest showman of the industry Shankar. His S pictures produced Kadhal with a debut director Balaji Saktivel and a small time cast which turned out to be the biggest hit of the year. S pictures have more films lined-up for new comers. Selvaraghavan also produced films for his assistants.
Come to Malayalam cinema and the scenario changes altogether. Here you won’t find any big fish practicing the same deed of promoting or creating a launch pad for the new comers. We may hear them asking that seemingly harmlessly funny rejoinder Nazir asked in Vellarikkapattanam "why should I bother to do something for the future generation? What have they done for me?" Here what we see are film makers who are in the industry for over a couple of decades and have churned out innumerable insignificant flicks still frantically trying to line up their next project! If you guess it’s for the passion of film making you are wrong. It is the pure passion for money making.
In this greedy race they have little time to consider the future of the medium they are working in or they have no insight to understand it. Big shots like Joshy or Joshiey?!(An artist’s existential agonies!) Sathyan Anthikkad etc. are in the front row of his race. Always after the star value, and incapable of self evaluation, they bring out these days films that help only to further pollute the already hopeless Malayalam cinema.
‘Mayamohithachandran’ the debut film by Shibu who was long an associate director with Sthyan Anthikkad was shelved half way through its production because of financial constrains. I always wonder why a powerful film maker like Sthyan Anthikkad did not salvage his disciple’s first film! A couple of hollywood and Chinese films have earned international release and a larger viewership just because they were “presented by Quentin Trantino” the director of several urban legends. But our legends hailing from the rural side with the ‘trail of goodness’ do not seem to be so good at heart! I feel like quoting the Vellarikkapattanam dialogue again! In fact it has the zeitgeist of our contemporary cinema! "why should I bother to do something for the future generation? What have they done for me?"
Of course, these ’veteran’ film makers have made their contributions ‘once upon a time’, have got their name and fame and have shown us their best. Now there are many other frontiers of cinema other than direction where people like them can perform and do that so well with the stake they hold in the industry as their counter parts do in Hollywood, bollywood and in kollywood.
If they don’t want to follow models from outside the industry they may find some inspiration at home, in Fazil, the only director who dared to godfather a couple of new comers under his banner! Is there any other names? That is what malayalam cinema really needs at this moment.
2 comments:
All these are but the death pangs of Malayalam cinema. It is dying a slow and painful death, like it happened to Bengali cinema. We should phrase the best possible obituaries and escape to other industries which won't foetcide its future film makers.
It is sad to see it dying, the industry that produced films that we grew up watching...films that amused us, thrilled us, tickled us and inspired us...lets hope its just another bad phase.
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