Gorphukan is the fringe of Dubai, its craggy contours jetting out to the sea. At one peak stands ‘adayala para’, the rock that promised hope and relief to many. In the 60s, huge ‘urus’ used to dock there as its passengers swam to the shore, hiding behind the rock till nightfall. Later, they would start walking to an unknown city. “If you go to the Arab states through the sea you land at Gorphukan first. The transit was not an easy affair for the first generation of migrants,” says director Salim Ahamed, whose Pathemari maps Gulf Malayali’s life in four different milieus. Pathemari is a film stretched across an extended time frame, spanning from 1960s to present day.
“The mass migration started in the 60s, following the camel-to-Cadillac phase. The newly-found oil reserves brought incredible riches to Gulf states, making them change their ride from camels to luxury cars. The film starts during this period of economic boom,” he says. But reaching the Arab shore was no easy task as it was a trip fraught with lack of food, illness and navigational errors. “They used to cross the sea in huge dhows and the voyage often took more than a month,” he says. Some dhows drowned midway while some others took their passengers to Pakistan, leaving them behind for long years in Karachi prisons. “For the film, I spoke to many Gulf Malayalis who had travelled in dhows to reach their dream destination. This is a film dedicated to expatriates, it has been 50 years since Malayalis started crossing the sea for greener pastures,” he adds.
Salim says the image of an expatriate has undergone massive transformation over the years. During the 60s they were explorers who braved the sea and storms to reach foreign shores, looking for better prospects. “Here the exodus was not triggered by war or natural calamities. It was in search of a better future,” he says.
Later, in the 80s, he became a symbol of snobbery and arrogance. Sporting green goggles and shiny clothes he provided comic relief in popular films and plays of the time. “That was the time Gulf money started changing Kerala and the second period portrayed in the film records this. Then there is the late 90s and present time, completing the various points in the life of a Gulf Malayali,” he adds.
Pathemari is built around the life of Pallikkal Narayanan (Mammootty), who migrates to Dubai as a teenager. It’s as much the story of his strong bond with Moideen, another expatriate played by Sreenivasan.
“The film maps the history of Malayali migration to Gulf states through the life of Narayanan,” says Salim. While Jewel Mary plays the female lead, Joy Mathew, Salim Kumar, Shaju Navodaya, Kalabhavan Haneef, Yavanika Gopalakrishnan, Viji Chandrasekhar, Anju Aravind and Anu Joseph are also part of the past. “The film is also the launchpad of Siddique’s son Shahin,” Salim adds.
Pathemari is expected to release in Kerala on September 18.