Following is a list of some of the most worryingly enduring images of deaths in Malayalam cinema thus far…
#Spoiler Alert#
10. The Suicide of Aniyan Thampuran in Ulsavapittennu
Aniyan Thampuran’s final joke was a sad one. He proclaims to the kids that it was going to be a never-seen-before trick, right before ascending the swing rope to climb the tree, tying it around his neck and stepping off the branch! The kids who were asked not to stop clapping pause in wonderment as the poor guy’s lifeless body dangles from the tree and the only sound that remains is of the hollow wind.
9. The Accidental Killing of Ravi in Koodevide
Although Padmarajan’s psychological drama depicts the setback of male ego among other things, the altercation and the suspenseful chase that leads to a young boy’s horrific death in the climax overwhelms our memory of the whole film. As if the hairpin turns, the speeding jeep and the frenzied run were not enough, the break fails too! The graphic visual of the boy caught between the wayward vehicle and the rocks, grinding to his death was not an easy watch.
8. The Death of Vavachan Mesthiri in Ee.Ma.Yau
This one is the only natural death on the list, yet it singularly stands out for the extended treat it gets with a whole film in its name. Even though the black humor involving the antics of the dead man’s family and friends attempts to keep our spirits buoyant, the intense air kicked up by a train of non stop misfortunes shrouds that experience with melancholy and mayhem. The prolonged lamentations, the unrelenting rain, the hostile vicar, the uncaring nurse, the entitled other wife, the collapsing coffin and a whole lot of other catastrophes etches the death of Vavachan Mesthri in our minds with a rather thick nib.
7. The Death of Kalloor Ramanathan in Bharatham
Ramanathan dies off screen, and it is revealed at the end of a suspenseful search through the snaps of his disfigured corpse, and bloodied clothes. The dire need to keep his death a secret at the time proves nerve-wracking, and the difficult questions that his absence raises in its wake about the uneasy situations of professional rivalry with this brother in the first act and the cloud of uncertainty that falls on the family dynamics in the last one makes his end an especially troubling one.
6. The Death of Shalu Mol in Chakkarayumma
Shalu Mol, played by the adorable Baby Shalini, is an absolute delight to watch from the get-go, so much so that when she is detected with the rare and fatal Primary Pulmonary Hypertension, characterized by high blood pressure in the lungs, you are shattered. The struggle of the bedridden kid in the arguably sadistic climax right before she breathes her last is shown in explicit detail winding up the grief level to a numbing height.
5. The Misguided shooting of Kaiser in Mrugaya
The unruly Varunni, played to perfection by Mammootty in his State Award Winning performance, is always accompanied by his loyal pet, a friendly Alsatian named Kaiser who, before the climatic clash of man and beast, tries to warn his master of the leopard’s presence on the roof, sadly getting mistaken for rabid and is shot down. There is no other Malayalam movie where the death of an animal had such resonating affect than the pitiful shooting of the dog in Mrugaya.
4. The Suicide of Sumangala in Kamaladalam
The gruesome incident of the death of Nandagopan’s wife gets earlier citing in the film in numerous instances before the actual scene unravels in a narrative flash back, but yet the graphic burst of flames accompanied by agonizing screams, the sheer pointlessness of the deed, and the mere thought as to how it triggers Nandagopan’s path of self destruction from there on out- already played out in the first act- scars your empathy nerves for life.
3. The Murder of Vasundhara Devi in Ente Sooryaputhrikku
The scene of the slow and eccentric killing of the rich and powerful music star where she is cornered by a bunch of rowdy conspirators is evocative not only due to the defenselessness of the innocent, but also due to the demeaning nature of the shift in power where her lackeys subjugate her by force. The gravity of the approaching doom as she is left to die unhurriedly, with her daughter helplessly watching is so agonizing that the red scarf used to suffocate her and the bizarre looking poison spray is hard to forget.
2. The Drowning of Bhasker in Moonnam Pakkam
In a quick word, it is just a drowning incident, but the bearing it has on the entire film is harshly palpable. Moonnam Pakkam dissects the sense of loss and grief with careful precision. The death of Bhasker, played by Jayaram, lost at sea during a vacation, devastates his grandfather and everybody near and dear, and the gaping hole that his absence leaves in their lives is depicted in echoing horror that its difficult to recount the viewing experience without a shudder.
1. The Killing of the Girls in Sadayam
One doesn’t need a lot of words to describe this grief. Sadayam is arguably one of the most disturbing Malayalam films of all time, and the scene of the murders of the kids towards the climax is an upsetting standout in its triumph. The profound motive does little to alleviate the shock that the gruesome murders of the three girls instills in you.
Some more unsettling deaths in Malayalam films are listed below:
The Death of Annie in Aakashadoothu
The Suicide of Ravsankar in Sukrutham
The Murder of Geethu in Palunku
The Double Suicides of Karuthamma and Pareekutty in Chemmeen
The Killing of Thamara in Kaliyattam
The Murder of Ashwathy in Jagratha
The Mercy Killing of Balagopalan in Thaniyavarthanam
No comments:
Post a Comment