7 FANTASY FILMS IN MALAYALAM that are worth seeing

film Njan Gandharvan

For a people that viewed anything slightly deviating from the normal with distrust or sarcasm, creating something that challenged realism altogether remained a dare forever. In cinema, fantasy has never been a successful Malayali staple, although it was tried one too many times, and not entirely without occasional successes. But they never earned the appreciation that films with realistic themes did, maybe owing to the alien nature of its subject matter, or due to a general incompetence in convincingly executing the essential surreal imagery. However this had not completely deterred our filmmakers, who occasionally used fantasy to form the spine of narration as in the form of the apparition of St. Francis in Pranchiettan & the Saint and the comic plot line with the lead ghosts in Ayushkaalam and Pappan Priyapetta Pappan. But to step a few serious paces ahead, the challenge was mostly to stay within the confines of realism and put forward the idea of fantasy unhurriedly and as matter-of-factly as possible. Following is a list of such bold attempts in Malayalam language that were both indigenous enough to involve the audience and effective enough to enchant them, far from the glitz and magnanimity of its Hollywood parallels that had long owned the genre.

7. Anandabhadram 2005

Santosh Sivan’s debut directorial venture in Malayalam, Andandabhadram is an ominous spell on the murk and mire of black magic and sorcery. Here it is more the beauty and cunning of the visual drama than the enchantment itself that is fascinating. Originating from the legends of the priceless manikyakallu owned and guarded by the serpents, it also touches on themes of transmigration.

6. Adharvam 1989

Mammootty’s antihero in Adharvam is a vengeful wizard whose bloodlust for the ‘killers’ of his mother will only die with him. Writer Dennis Joseph’s second directorial venture is a revenge chronicle seethed with the sinister verses of the Athravaveda and hypnotic tantric poojas. Primarily dwelling on dark themes, this film stretches the evil grip entranced by the idea of superstition on human mind.

5. Ennu Swantham Janakikutty 1998

Reimagining our very own traditional folk-ghost, M.T. Vasudevan Nair forges here, an unlikely friendship between a lonely adolescent girl with a neighborhood Yakshi that is not only approachable but also a stark contrast from the conventional idea of such beings in temperament and outlook. Directed by Hariharan, Ennu Swantham Janakikutty could also be interpreted as the mere whims of a social outcaste.

4. Nandanam 2002

"Spoler Aler". Ranjith’s Nandanam also features a similar bond between a young girl with one of the chief Hindu deities Lord Krishna, which again could be construed as merely the fancies of the servant girl. Here manifesting the playful persona of the idol, the neighborhood boy she befriends eases the idea of accessibility to a friendly god, also filling the void of a watchful guardian in her desolate existence.

3. Njan Gandharvan 1991

In Padmarajan’s Njan Gandharvan, an age old myth of the eponymous heavenly beings is weaved in with the coming-of-age story of a girl whose infatuation with this outlandish creature slowly develops to love, prohibited in both worlds. This esoteric relationship explores forbidden love brilliantly and delicately balancing on the line that was considered too risky at the time of its initial release.

2. Guru 1997

In a first-of its-kind production in Malayalam, Rajiv Anchal’s Guru uses fantasy for symbolism. Set in an imaginary land populated with blind people, this allegorical film depicts their system as a metaphor for blind religious servitude. With vividly detailed lifestyle of an eccentric tribe, Guru, at the same time as being inventively designed, is a daring social commentary on religious terrorism.

1. My Dear Kuttichathan 1984

It’s quite easy to slot this one as a children’s film, but My Dear Kuttichathan is sure to take every grownup through memory lane telling the story of a friendly imp, in company of three little friends, and fleeing from a menacing sorcerer called Karimbootham. Make sure you watch only the original 1984 version, as all the screwball additions in the 1997 version and in the subsequent revisions are quite pointless.