Film director P A Backer will be commemorated on his 19th death anniversary on November 22. The meeting is organised by his friends and former colleagues who are also planning to form a foundation in his name. A commemoration meeting is being organised at Changampuzha Park.
According to Backer’s friends, neither the government nor the film industry recognised him in the way he deserved “while constituting academies and organising award nites on behalf of even the least known filmmakers and artists.
Born to Ahamed Musliar and Fathima of Kanippayyoor near Kunnamkulam, Backer was the the youngest among eight children. After SSLC he got a chance to meet director Ramu Kariat. He started his film career as a production executive in Ramu Kariat’s ‘Neelakuyil’. He worked with Kariat in ‘Chemmeen’ as well. Then he concreted his existence by producing ‘Olavum Theeravum’ directed by P N Menon and his first venture as a director is ‘Kabani Nadi Chuvannappol’.
Backer directed 12 movies out which 10 bagged national and state awards, except ‘Charam’ and ‘Innalayude Backy’. Though Charam, in which Prem Nazeer played the lead role, attained critical appreciation it was not sent to be considered for award. “We sold out the negative right of the film to a distributor who added some sex sequences and unwanted scenes eying commercial benefit. Following this, Backer refused to send it for award,” said Hamzakoya, a co-producer of Charam.
Backers’s film on the life of Sri Narayana Guru bagged national film awards.
“Backer breathed his last without fulfilling his dream to make a film on Malik Deenar. He had also completed the one line story for making the screenplay,” Hamzakoya said.
His last venture ‘Saghavu Krishnapillai’ was also not completed due to financial constraints. The film is still kept in R K Lab, Madras. Shooting and editing of another film ‘Unarthupattukal’, based on Rajan murder, had been completed but other formalities were not finished. It was the first movie based on the controversial subject.