Whither good Malayalam cinema?

Shobha Warrier

"What's happening to your Malayalam films?" asked Tamil director Thankar Bachan at a recent interview.

Directors like Balu Mahendra, Nasser and Thankar Bachan tell me they don't watch Malayalam any more. "The inane dances, the pornographic overtures... The films get worse by the day. One can heardly believe that the films come from the same industry that made masterpieces like Thulabharam, Odayil Ninnu, Swayamvaram, Kaanchana Seetha," they say.

Balu Mahendra, chairman of the selection committee for the Mathrubhumi Medimix Awards, said, "I wonder where the quality films have gone. There was a time when it was extremely difficult for us to select the best film. Other than Theerthadanam and Megh Malhar, there were hardly any good films in 2001."

Out of the 99 films produced last year, a whopping 44 were Shakeela starrers while Mohanlal and Mammootty had only two releases each. Effectively, Shakeela, the queen of soft porn films, starred in almost half the number of films the industry produced that were made to titillate the audience.

When films starring superstars flopped miserably, Shakeela raked in money. So who is to blame?

Serious filmmakers say that there is no audience for their kind of films. And as production costs increase, filmmakers find it impossible to break even. Mammootty's Dubai, one of the costliest films ever made in Kerala, is a case in point.

Also, there aren't any films made for the young college crowd. They seem to prefer watching a Hrithik Roshan film or a Vijay [Tamil hero] film as they identify best with these actors. They no longer identify with the 40-year-old Mohanlal or the Mammootty, who just turned 50.

While there is no dearth of young talent in Tamil or Hindi cinema, Malayalam films haven't seen the rush of fresh blood. For the last 20 years, Mohanalal and Mammootty have ruled the roost, followed by Suresh Gopi and Jayaram. Though Kunchako Boban was a sensation as a young collegian, he hasn't seemed to sustain the magic. And though Dileep seems to have met with sme success, he doesn't have the sophistication of the next sensation.

However, a few young men will debut at the Malayalam marquee this year. Among them are two sons of the late Sukumaran. Then, there is director Fazil's son who debuts in his father's latest romantic film. Fazil had earlier introduced actors from Mohanlal and Kunchako Boban to Shalini, to Malayalam film viewers.

Prithviraj, Sukumaran's son, an engineering student in Australia, is 6 feet tall, handsome and suave. Father Sukumaran was a popular actor and mother Mallika was also a reputed character artiste. Industry sources say he is the man to watch for in future.

Some promising films too will release this year. Gopalakrishnan's Nizhalkoothu, Jayaraj's Kannagi and T V Chandran's Danny will hopefully give a boost to Malayalam cinema.