| Still from film Vanaprastham |
When the
golden years of the 80s came to a close in Malayalam cinema, there wasn’t much
anybody assumed could be made to trump the sheer excellence of it’s creativity
and inventive oeuvre. But what followed in the 90s was not all that
disappointing in the beginning, with its fair share of brilliance that would
gradually thin out, but not disappear completely even by the end of it. Hence
here is a list of those ones that you certainly don’t want to miss from the
decade following the prime. Since Malayali audience has never been prejudiced about
studio films and independent films, the list have a mixture of commercial as
well as art-house movies from all genres possible.
20. NJAN GANDHARVAN 1991
Still from film Njan Gandharvan
Ace
director Padmarajan's final film before his untimely death, Njan Gandharvan is not probably his best, but certainly one of the
most daring films that came out in the 90s. It is also the only film in this
list that has fantastical, or magic realistic elements at the core of its
narrative. Although it went on to become a cult classic, Njan Gandharvan was a risky business at the time of its release. Malayali
audience that critically admired good cinema was extremely judgmental about the
realism of its subject matter as well as its execution. But here, with the
theme that fearlessly married myth with reality, the initial reception was
greatly clouded, which is what’s assumed to have left the master filmmaker
heartbroken eventually leading to his end.
19. KAMALADALAM 1992
Sibi Malayil directed fourteen
films written by Lohithadas, and Kamaldalam
was one of the two in this list that he made before losing interest in making
good films altogether. With classical Indian dance forming the backdrop, it tells
the story of a washed out choreographer, played by Mohanlal, who following the
death of his wife takes to alcohol wallowing in grief and self-pity. The rest
of the plot revolves around the realization of a modest production of his reinterpretation
of the epic Ramayana as seen through the eyes of its female protagonist Sita. Kamaladalam has a commendable line up of
supporting cast including Monisha, Vineeth, Murali, Oduvil Unnikrishnan,
Nedumudi Venu and one of the briefest appearances by Parvathy in a pivotal role
that leaves a lasting impression throughout the movie.
18. SUKRUTHAM 1994
Sukrutham
is insightful. It is also blunt. But most of all, it’s devastating. It offers an in depth psychological
exploration of the idea of sympathy and loss. Mammootty plays the heartbroken
hero who initially detected with blood cancer survives it only to realize the
sheer emptiness that awaits him on the other side. What is overwhelming here is
the sympathy of the world around him in the beginning that flips to a kind of cruel
apathy the very moment the idea of death fades away. One of the most poignant
films written by M.T. Vasudevan Nair, Sukrutham
directed by Harikumar won the Kerala State Film Award for best story in 1994.
Gautami, who plays the troubled wife of the protagonist, recalls it to have
been one of her most emotionally draining roles ever.
17. THENMAVIN KOMBATH 1994
Still from film Thenmavin Kombath
At first Priyadarshan
created a vibrantly enchanted world teeming with gypsies, bullock carts and fortune
telling parrots, along the frontiers where people talked mixed dialects and stank
of lies and primitive tastes. Then he populated it with richly textured
characters that openly expressed greed and jealousy as much as love and
compassion. Then he named it Thenmavin
Kombath! One of the biggest hits of 1994, this Mohanlal starrer boasts of
now iconic comic performances by Shobhana, Nedumudi Venu and Sreenivasan. The
cinematography and production design of the film are two very noteworthy aspects
of Thenmavin Kombath, both of which
were appreciated on a national level. Just like Marquez’s Macondo and
Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha County endured the test of time, Priyadarshan’s
Sreehalli will remain with the Malayali audience till the end of time.
16. GODFATHER 1991
Still from film Godfather
We have still not gotten
over the fact that the director duo Siddhiq and Lal parted ways way back in
’95. The two had created a bunch of memorable comedies of which Godfather (never mind the hackneyed
title) is undoubtedly the best as a movie in whole. When one briefs the film as
a love story that develops between two warring families, it is easy to summon Romeo and Juliet to mind. But be assured
this has nothing to do with the Bard’s romance. The romance is not even the dominant
theme. The matriarch Anaparayil Achamma and the patriarch Anjooraan from either
sides are the key figures in this rip-roaring comedy that has far invaded the
Malayalam pun vocabulary by now. The title has nothing whatsoever to do with
the Coppola classic either.
15. KALAPANI 1996
Set in 1915 Kalapani deals with the life and hardships
of freedom fighters, from British India, who were shipped off to the faraway
cellular jail called Kalapani in Port Blair, and the ruthless routine practiced
under the callous tyranny of a despotic jailer. Directed by Priadarshan with a
pan-Indian cast including Mohanlal, Prabhu, Amrish Puri and Tabu, it was the
most expensive Malayalam film of its time. While paying homage to the patriotic
prisoners that were doomed in the desolate island, the film also deals with
themes of friendship, betrayal and lost love with fineness. There are a number
of scenes that are sheer genius in cinematography and production design. Positively
there is also a serious lack of the conventional Priyadarshan in all the scenes
except the ones that deal with love back in the village.
14. DEVASURAM 1993
Still from film Devasuram
One of the most celebrated
and loved anti-heroes in Malayalam cinema played by Mohanlal, Mangalasherry
Neelakandan, the central character from Devasuram
is a flawed chauvinistic feudal loner who, eventually accepting a path of
redemption from his philandering rowdy ways, falls in love with a willfully opposite
force of nature called Bhanumati played by Revathy. Devasuram is a celebration of deep, poignant dramatic instances,
one after the other, tied by the clever writing of Ranjith. It is also a compelling
exploration of power, villainy and the fickle nature of supremacy. The iconic
scene where Neelakandan forces Bhanumati to dance for him shades a power play metaphor
that dates back to the insult of Draupadi in Mahabharata. The film was inspired by real events, and is the
career best by director I.V. Shashi.
13. SANDESHAM 1991
Still from film Sandesham
Sandesham
marches to the center of contemporary political mindset and launches attack in
all directions. A stimulating political satire by the Sreenivasan- Sathyan
Anthikkad partnership, this film is not just about two quarreling brothers
from different political parties, or their naïve parents, but is a reflection
of the rising tide of discontent among general public towards the current
political approach, and their disenchantment with the state of the system.
Filled with plenty of laugh out loud moments, Sandesham is a true classic with Jayaram and Sreenivasan playing
the two brothers, accompanied by a hilarious lineup of supporting cast. Even despite
having laughed through the entire run of the movie, one cannot help but feel
terribly sorry at the end of it, for the sad state of affairs surrounding our
political scenario today.
12. MITHUNAM 1993
Again born out of the satirical
foresight of Sreenivasan’s script along with Priyadarshan’s lighthearted visualization,
Mithunam is too undervalued for a topical
Malayalam film that dissects, with considerable élan, the trials and
tribulations of common man to survive the corruption of modern world amidst the
swirl of a dysfunctional family, never being melodramatic at any point. When
you come to think of it the gist is a staple Malayali favorite. Mohanlal’s
struggling Sethumadhavan, Urvashi’s lovelorn Sulochana, Jagathi Sreekumar’s
self-centered Sugathan, Innocent’s reckless Lineman K.T. Kurup, Kuthiravattom
Pappu’s cut-throat Palisha Peethambaran and Sreenivasan’s opportunistic Preman
are all live examples of people who breath and walk around us every day. Mithunam is rooted in realism, and is one
of those films where Priyadarshan’s comic timing was effectively used to tame a
serious subject.
11. AMARAM 1991
Still from film Amaram
Considered by many as the
best film by the legendary director Bharathan, Amaram was his first of three collaborations with acclaimed writer
Lohithadas. The plot follows an uneducated father, played by Mammooty in one of his
most heart wrenching performances, nurturing ambitions of raising his only
daughter as a doctor, and the hostile repercussions of such a ‘radical’ choice
in his marginal fishermen community that both disillusions and destroys the
naïve father’s fortitude to live. Amaram explores the dynamics and confines
of close-knit communities as well as how generations relate to it and
interrelates with each other. The basic storyline might not be a revelation,
but its treatment and the overwhelming backdrop of the sea develops a dense
fabric that comes from the dedicated artistry of Bharathan as a director.
10. KILUKKAM 1991
Still from film Kilukkam
Following the success of Akkare Akkare Akkare director
Priyadarshan made a laugh riot which, despite a warped storyline, went on to become
the highest grosser of 1991, in large part due to the impeccable comic timing
of the ensemble cast including Mohanlal, Revathy, Jagathi Sreekumar, Thilakan
and Innocent, as well as the series of rollicking situations the improbable
plot weaved into the picture back to back in the haze of all the hypnotic Ooty
mist. Kilukkam is one of the best comedies in Malayalam cinema and it will never stop amusing even after repeated
viewings. Years later when the cast and crew sat reminiscing the making of the
film, they all vouched to the fact that not one of them could ever have
predicted the sheer size of its success.
9. PERUMTHACHAN 1991
Still from film Perumthachan
The legend of the enigmatic
folk figure Perumthachan, is brought to life in vivid realism by the one-time director
Ajayan and writer M.T. Vasudhevan Nair in this timeless period piece of the
same name with Thilakan playing the titular ‘master-carpenter’. A biopic made
entirely from fables, heresy and the terrific imagination of one of Malayalam’s
most resourceful writers, Perumnthachan
is an important film in the Malayalam canon that explores the twisted nature of
human mind, not just because of its artistic bearing, but also since it rationally
takes a stand about the time and life of an icon whose legacy, sometime written
as propaganda and other times simply as entertaining folk tales, has clouded
much scholarship.
8. MANICHITRATHAZHU 1993
Still from film Manichitrathazhu
Undoubtedly one of the most
popular Malayalam films ever made, Fazil’s Manichitrathazhu
is a tour-de-force of entertainment. Part comedy drama- part psychological thriller,
this ambitious movie giant treads areas that no others dared to before it. Having
already been remade into a number of other Indian languages owing to the
mass-appeal of the theme, Manichitrathazhu
bullies the imagination of its audience to visualize a substantial series of
events happening off-screen. What starts of as a tribute to the classic haunted
mansion genre of films, gradually and grippingly gets embroiled in a maze of mysterious
events, and finally explodes with a rewarding plot twist in a shocking third
act. Saying anymore could giveaway the climax although it’s highly unlikely
there exist even a single Malayali who hasn’t watched it.
7. KALIYATTAM 1997
Still from film Kaliyattam
This one is another example
of how William Shakespeare could be adapted to any language, land or race with
unconditional plausibility. Skillfully placed amidst the harsh fire, untamed
hues, and violent aesthetics of the ritualistic Theyyams, the Bard’s Othello
is audaciously transplanted here to the primitive badlands of Malabar by the resourceful
cunning of Jayaraj, who is as gifted as is unreliable. Although Manju Warrier’s
Desdemona in person is not as strikingly superior to the unsightliness of
Suresh Gopi’s Othello, it seems sufficiently fitting in the erstwhile rural
milieu where virtue is assumed as a sign of beauty. Lal in his acting debut,
playing the diabolic Iago is what forms the core of all the energy that
sustains Kaliyattam as an intensely menacing
tragedy of human depravity precipitating under the irreparable disintegration of
trust.
6. THALAYANAMANTHRAM 1990
Still from film Thalayanamanthram
Thalayanamanthram directed by Sathyan Anthikkad is the perfect example of a good
Malayalam film in every sense of the word, one that is serious cinema with intelligent
humor, makes a social commentary so subtle that it will never be misunderstood
as preachy, and that will be devoured by the masses no matter what. Here, the
characteristic sarcasm of Sreenivasan’s writing has also created, as the
centerpiece of this remarkable movie, one of Malayalam Cinema's greatest female characters
in Urvashi’s Kanchana, which at the same time as being manipulative, greedy and
funny, is also believably vulnerable to the vices of progress at which the film
also makes a fleeting pass. If not for the brilliant ensemble that takes this
social drama forward one has to watch this film for the enduring actor that
Urvashi is.
5. BHARATHAM 1991
Still from film Bharatham
There are not many movies
that examine ego and jealousy between artistic forces as delicately as in Sibi
Malayil directed Bharatham. Here the conflict
occurs between two brothers who are also teacher and protégé (played respectively
by Nedumudi Venu, and Mohanlal in his National
Award winning role) with unkind situations twisting the chord further, increasing
the number of psychological variables to grapple with. Bharatham, based out of a rich heritage of classical Carnatic music
based films, is exquisitely written (by Lohithadas), cleverly directed and
powerfully acted, with the last half hour that is a tearjerker that would make
even the unshakable man weep like a baby. One of the best films to come out of
the enduring Sibi Malyil- Lohithadas partnership ever, this one should not be
overlooked.
4. VIDHEYAN 1993
Still from film Vidheyan
Indian cinema’s veteran perfectionist,
Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s seventh feature film Vidheyan
is a masterpiece examining the psychology of power and human bondage. The premise,
in the desolate and bleak landscape, is the life of the titular servile, played
by Gopakumar, hopelessly intertwined with that of his vicious master played by
Mammootty in arguably his fiercest performance to date as the most complex and intimidating
villains in the history of Malayalam cinema (with an impeccably crude accent robust
with a Kannada drawl). It’s an adaptation of Paul Zacharia’s novella Bhaskara Patelarum Ente Jeevithavum
that was inspired by true events. If, as Adoor says, it was “the senseless
violence and mindless crime” in the world that prompted him to make this film, Vidheyan is as relevant today as it was back
in 1993.
3. VENKALAM 1993
Still from film Venkalam
Venkalam
is drama at its best. Starting with a casual reflection on the downfall of
traditions before the inescapable surge of modernity, this scalding Bharathan
film loudly wonders if all traditions are virtuous and worth preserving, by
following the series of events in the lives of two brothers (played by Murali
and Manoj K. Jayan) who are expected to marry the same woman, adhering to an age-old
custom in the community. Pretty dark in ambition, and frequently treading the
uneasy, not uncommon in Lohithadas scripts, the anticipation of heartbreak is
what forms the stirring course of this intense narrative. For a film that won Kerala State Film Award for the most
popular film of the year, Venkalam
goes fairly unnoticed today, and it’s criminal to not notice this piece of cinema!
2. VANAPRASTHAM 1999
Still from film Vanaprastham
Roughly around the time when
we thought Malayalam cinema was in its final lap before the doom, National Film Award winning Vanaprastham came as a buoyant
reassurance dismissing the fear of the overthrow of the stinker films that
began its coup in the second half of the 90s. Also a fitting honor to the
genius of Mohanlal’s faculty, this artistically arrogant classic by Shaji N.
Karun tells the story of a Kathakali artist embroiled in a quixotic
relationship with an eccentric noble woman remarkably portrayed by Suhasini. Along
with Zakir Hussain’s music and the photography of Santosh Sivan and Renato
Berta, Vanaprastham is a true celebration of artistic intelligence although you
will find absolutely no reasons as to why it lost to Jayaraj’s Karunam for that year’s Kerala State Film Award.
1. PARINAYAM 1994
Still from film Parinayam
Brilliantly written by the
maestro M.T. Vasudevan Nair, and directed by his frequent partner Hariharan, Parinayam is as fresh in its subject
matter as it is in its treatment and structure. The story is loosely based on
the sensational trial of a Namboothiri
woman in 1905 and opens a window into an area quite unfamiliar to today’s
audience. So the less you know, the better it is, as the unraveling character
of the learning experience it provides occasionally takes the form of a
whodunit while continually sketching the portrait of an outdated society
teeming with stigmas and paradoxes that is chilling to know existed in a past
not that distant. The drama is compelling and the aesthetics elegant. Parinayam
is one film that should not be missed at any cost.
Also check out a few others from the decade that
are also worth your time...
Kathapurushan (1995) dir.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan
His Highness Abdulla (1990)
dir. Sibi Malayil
Deshadanam (1996) dir.
Jayaraj
Meleparambil Aanveedu (1993)
dir. Rajasenan
Aadhaaram (1992) dir. George
Kithu
Ente Sooryaputhrikku (1991) dir.
Fazil
Chintavishtayaya Shyamala (1998)
dir. Sreenivasan
Bhoothakkannadi (1997) dir.
Lohithadas
Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu
(1999) dir. T.K. Rajeev Kumar
Guru (1997) dir. Rajiv
Anchal
I remember each movie from this list! :)
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