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| film Vellimoonga |
The role criticisms have
had in the evolution of the quintessential Malayali psyche is immensely
consequential, and it's difficult to isolate a Malayali from his or her endless
concerns for society, commerce, bureaucracy and numerous things under the sun
in daily realities of life even if it was only for the sake of a chitchat or an
argument. Based on such criticisms, there are a handful of good satires that came into being in
the Malayalam language- thanks to veteran satirists like Sreenivasan- including
a few of those really sharp ones that penalize our questionable political
framework. Following is a list of such piercing political satires that successfully drove
home the message without being all sanctimonious about it.
5. Nayam Vyakthamakunnu 1991
Written
and Directed by Balachandra Menon and featuring Mammootty and Shanthi Krishna
in the lead, Nayam Vyaktmakunnu
follows the slow ascend of a political activist in a ruling coalition to the
office of the ministry focusing on the pressure it exerts on his family,
especially the strained relationship with his wife. The protagonist V.S. played
by Mammootty is said to be a character sketch based on the late Kerala
Legislative Assembly Speaker G. Karthikeyan. The film is a great watch minus
the soppy climax.
4. Vellanakalude Nadu 1988
The
politics, corruption and crime cover-ups in the administrative machinery at municipal
level is exposed here alongside the unethical ways of a desperate road
contractor and his struggles to make ends meet against countless odds including
a pain-in-the-neck ex who is also the newly appointed municipal commissioner. Written
by Sreenivasan and directed by Priyadarshan, Vellanakalude Nadu featuring Mohanlal and Shobana in the lead makes
a potent dig at the money munching municipal mafia stripping bare the rampant
corruption at its core.
3. Vellimoonga 2013
The
focus of Vellimoonga by
cinematographer turned director Jibu Jacob, is more on fleshing out the central
character Mamachan, a garden variety political aspirant played with flair by
Biju Menon, whose shrewd existentialism, that alienates both family and public,
is shown as the key to his eventual success in the dog-eat-dog world of grimy
politics. Cold-blooded manipulation and the deceptive nature of the facade is
at the core of the hullabaloo in Vellimoonga,
but in the end, one might wonder what Asif Ali’s lousy cameo had to contribute
to any of it.
2. Panchavadi Palam 1984
Set
against the sham surrounding the reconstruction of the eponymous bridge, K.G.
George’s political satire is a hard-hitting parody about the fraudulent
undercurrents of the panchayath-level bureaucracy. Panchavadi Palam is a farce verging on burlesque, showing the
contagious nature of corruption with a series of hilarious character sketches that
feeds on the spoils of a massive scam, including an unhinged panchayath
president, his pompous wife, a clique of insecure lackeys and a screwball line
up of greedy opposition with a handful of bloodthirsty contractors.
1. Sandesham 1991
Sathyan
Anthikkad’s classic satire featuring Sreenivasan, Jayaram and Thilakan in lead
roles, deals with the intolerance and the subsequent clash of two opposing
political ideologies overlapped with the hilarious nuances of sibling rivalry between
two brothers in a close-knit middle class Malayali family. Scathing criticisms
are made about the shallow working principles of two very relevant political parties in
Kerala in Sreenivasan’s unflinching script, and its
sidesplitting construct that is not one bit preachy boasts of a wonderful cast,
many of them in their most memorable roles.
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