THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: KR Gouri could have been the first woman CM of Kerala if she was not “sidelined” due to the patriarchal system prevailing in CPM then. However, a movie was made in 1994 after she was ousted from CPM. Titled Chief Minister KR Gowthami, The film was based on the life of Gouri Amma and produced by Asokan Charangattu.
Actor Geetha donned the role of Gouri, set in contemporary politics. The film’s initial title was ‘Chief Minister K R Gouri’ due to the producer’s admiration of Gouri. Later, it was changed due to opposition from parties. “I wanted to see her as CM in real life. It did not happen. So I wanted to make a film on her eventful political phase in 1990s. Though the film was a box office failure, I was satisfied that at least the movie was released,” Asokan says.
There is another relation between Asokan and Gouri. His father, C V Kunjikuttan, contested as an independent against CPM’s Gouri from Aroor, her sitting seat, in the 1977 assembly poll. Both of them lost. However, he bagged many votes helping CPI candidate P S Sreenivasan win.
“My father was fielded as an independent by the late K Karunakaran to get more votes to ensure Gouri’s defeat. Our family had a good relationship with her as we are Cherthala natives. I admired her leadership qualities,” he adds.