KOCHI : From satire to violence, Malayalam filmmakers have always looked at the state’s political milieu for engaging scripts.
While the likes of Sandesam, Panchavadi Palam, Vellimoonga, and Oru Thatvika Avalokanam satirised politics, films such as Kothu and Eeda depicted life in politically-charged Kannur. Films such as Mukhamukham and Left, Right, Left critically examined the Left movement in Kerala.
Though not typically ‘political films’, numerous blockbusters – right from Bhoomiyile Rajakkanmar and Vellanakalude Nadu to Lucifer – have had undertones of politics. Even the recent mega-hit Bramayugam stirred discussions and debates on the latent politics within the screenplay.
The fact that K G George’s Panchavadi Palam and Sathyan Anthikad’s Sandesam are considered cult classics clearly shows films depicting politics still have a vast audience.
However, some analysts such as George Mathew feel most films slotted as political dramas are, in fact, relationship dramas. “There have been Malayalam films that show raw politics based on real-life incidents, but they are few in number,” he says.
One such film is Kabini Nadi Chuvannappol, a leftist political drama released just months before the Emergency. Another one is Meenamasathile Sooryan, based on the 1941 Kayyur revolt in Kasaragod. “Such films were purely political dramas,” says George.
Film critic G P Ramachandran observes that depiction of politics in Malayalam films has usually been casual. “Filmmakers need to look at it more seriously and realistically. The approach in most of our films, be it Sandesam or Vellimoonga, towards politics and elections is similar,” he says. “They project politics negatively, and encourage the audience to be apolitical or apathetic.”
Ramachandran adds that political happenings have to be documented more seriously in films. “Several such films have been made, but most were hero-centric. The focus should rather be on the subject,” he says.
There is change in motion on another tangent, notes film critic and writer Sowmya Rajendran. “While films in the 1980s and ’90s criticised power and corruption, recent films look at politics from angles of caste, social injustices and national issues,” she says.
“Eeda, a contemporary adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, is set in the backdrop of political violence in Kannur. Even a film like Thallumaala has political relevance, as it moved away from stereotypical depictions of the Muslim community and can be read as an assertion of identity against Islamophobia.”
Veteran filmmaker Renji Panicker, who made several films with politics as backdrop, believes every film depicts politics, one way or another. “Even being apolitical is an expression of politics,” he says.
Renji also highlights that recent films have been addressing social issues such as gender politics more. “As time passes, there will be changes in the way we approach subjects,” he says.
Sowmya acknowledges the shift. “Even as satires reduced, we had politically-loaded films such as Eeda, Nayattu, Pada, One, Lucifer, and so on,” she says.
“Talking of satires, Panchavadi Palam used a bridge in a panchayat to highilght corruption, political wrangling and pilferage of public money. The film was not just about the bridge. The commentary can still be applied to many political situations.”
Ramachandran emphasises that it is a crucial period for Indian democracy. “Thus, films that discuss politics and sociopolitical issues seriously should be made to educate and empower the public,” he says. “More films that portray intricacies of elections should also be made in Malayalam.”
Kerala has also witnessed protests against films that criticised certain streams of politics. Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Mukhamukham (1984), which tells the story of a communist leader, was censured by Left workers.
Years later, Left, Right, Left (2013) – written by Murali Gopy and directed by Arun Kumar Aravind – also faced flak from the Left. There was an unofficial ban against it, too.
Such tendencies to stifle freedom of expression or hush up uncomfortable subjects should find no space in Kerala, assert analysts.
-With inputs from Aparna Nair