THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Malayalam film world eagerly awaits the words of critics like M F Thomas, filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan said on Thursday. He was speaking at an event organised at Thiruvananthapuram Press Club to honour veteran film critic M F Thomas, who turned 80.
Adoor described Thomas as a peaceful human being and jokingly called him ‘lazy’, triggering laughter across the hall. On a serious note, Adoor criticised inexperienced writers winning state awards and remarked that governments too can be illiterate.
The event, held at the Press Club, Thiruvananthapuram, traced the life and legacy of a man who paved the way for serious film writing in Malayalam. Recalling his childhood, Thomas spoke about running to theatres instead of churches, and pointed out how many people today remain unaware of iconic spaces like Tagore Theatre and their cultural history.
As part of the event, presided over by cinematographer Venu, a seminar was held on the theme “The Need for Film Criticism”, featuring several prominent voices from the film and literary circles. Opening the discussion, Baiju Chandran said that the relevance of film criticism is beyond question. He noted that early film criticism largely narrated stories and described characters, but thinkers like M F Thomas transformed it into a tool of insight and education.
Panelist Pradeep described Thomas as the ‘Messenger of Films’. He lamented that film criticism today has become an act of sacrifice, with few willing to speak boldly. Expressing disappointment over Thomas’s book Adoorinte Cinema Yaatrakal not receiving a national award, he quoted Ritwik Ghatak, saying, “Theatre is the sanctum,” and said that audiences are the ultimate critics.
In his address, M F Thomas began with a dramatic line: “Why did I live this long? & This moment is the answer.” He spoke warmly about the people who had gathered, joking that they were all hiding somewhere and suddenly appeared, with all its joy. Mocking posthumous honours, he asked, “What is the point of awards given after death?”, drawing laughter from the audience. He humorously recalled milestones at 60, 70, and 75 passing without having the ‘payasam’, and eyes popping out is what happened when he hits at 80.
A documentary directed by Biju on Thomas was also screened.