KOCHI: Two-time Kerala State Film Awards winner R Gopala Krishnan’s new book ‘Broken Dreams’, being released on the 90th anniversary of Malayalam cinema, narrates the tale of five pioneers whom the industry must never forget
The magical world of the celluloid is not all fun and games as it appears on screen. While many have turned their life around with cinema—like Shah Rukh Khan or Leonardo DiCaprio, many have also lost their way. Two-time Kerala State Film Awards winner R Gopalakrishnan’s new book ‘Broken Dreams’ is about five such filmmakers who were forgotten by the world despite them giving their lives and dreams to the art form.
The book narrates the tales of J C Daniel, his wife Janet, producer R Sunder Raj, his wife Devaki Bai, and Rama Reddy, owner of Capitol Cinema Hall, Thiruvananthapuram, where ‘Vigathakumaran’, the silent film made in 1930, was first screened on October 23. The book will be released on Friday, marking the 90th anniversary of Malayalam cinema.
Gopala Krishnan thanks the families of J C Daniel, Sunder Raj and Rama Reddy for their help in completing the books. “I was in touch with them over the phone, WhatsApp and e-mail. I met Rama Reddy’s daughter in the city. Everyone was so supportive,” says Gopala Krishnan. “It took years to acknowledge the work of Daniel. Sarada Vilasam, his house in Pattom, was demolished even after my documentary and the movie ‘Celluloid’ came out. It could have been turned into a library.
I want my book to be a record on silent movies and these five people who must always be remembered.” he says. The book will be released by Cultural Affairs Minister A K Balan, who will hand over a copy to producer G Suresh Kumar and Menaka Suresh. Lyricist and director Sreekumaran Thampi penned the prologue of the book.
J C Daniel
Gopala Krishnan made a documentary titled ‘The Lost Life’ based on J C Daniel’s life, which won special jury mention in the 2006 Kerala State Film Awards. “The book deals with the silent movies period in Malayalam and focuses on the lives of these five people. The common factor connecting Daniel, Sunder Raj and Rama Reddy are that they all inherited huge amounts of money from their ancestors in their early 20’s. However, they all spent the inheritance on cinema, only to earn debts. They lived in pathetic conditions before their death,” says Gopala Krishnan.
Janet
Gopala Krishnan had met Janet in 1985 and she gave him many documents related to ‘Vigathakumaran’. He took just a month to write ‘Broken Dreams’. “I had no plans to write a book. But then, I felt that the world should know the facts behind these movies and how the lives of these people were affected due to their passion for cinema,” says Gopala Krishnan, who was one of the people who strongly objected to the Kerala Chalachitra Academy’s plan to celebrate Malayalam cinema’s 90th anniversary in 2018.
Sunder Raj
Sunder Raj produced the silent movie ‘Marthanda Varma’ , the second movie in Malayalam. “All the newspapers that existed at in 1930 carried the news of Vigathakumaran’s release. My book is based on true facts and the newspaper clippings. This is another reason why I wanted to release my book on October 23 itself,” says Gopala Krishnan. However, many still argue that ‘Vigathakumaran’ was released in 1928 and re-released in 1930. “We can easily twist history. If the movie was released in 1928, why is there no news of it in any of the newspapers? Also, there is no proof that the Capitol Cinema Hall was burned down. My book consists of enough evidence to prove all this,” he adds.