In a world where absence from the limelight even for a minute is considered suicidal, Dennis Joseph lived in exile for several years. After enjoying a royal life as the principal architect of several blockbusters, that too starred by both superstars of Malayalam, he suddenly withdrew from the scene in 2013. By breaking free of all the din and bustle of the tinsel world, Dennis settled in his ancestral village in Kottayam.
I remember how some of our colleagues had followed him and held discussions regarding big budget movies. However, there was no change in his decision and he gradually snapped ties with old colleagues as well as newcomers in the industry.
His comeback to stardom was in 2018; that too had a Dennis touch. His monologue show in Safari TV rekindled nostalgic memories among film buffs who, during their teenage and youth, were addicted to movies scripted by him.
The show was equally hit among the young generation and Dennis had been very happy. Almost all episodes of the programme went viral across social media platforms as young film enthusiasts tuned in to hear stories of Mammootty and Mohanlal and their superhits right from the horse’s mouth.
I believe the success of an artist is measured by how his work of art survives the test of time. Dennis Joseph is surely the Rajavinte Makan if we apply that scale. I can still enjoy watching almost all his movies without a moment of boredom.
Movies such as Adharvam, Appu, New Delhi, Vazhiyora Kazhchakal and Rajavinte Makan are still regulars in vernacular channels and that testifies this argument. Personally, I rate Adharvam as a classic movie.Joshy-Dennis Joseph-Mammootty combo and Thampy Kannanthanam-Dennis Joseph-Mohanlal combo had thrived in the industry at the same time.
He was a writer with an insightful visual sense. He had the gift of picking whatever he wanted from the books he had read and the films he had watched. When he became a director, he repeated this magic by directing Mammootty in Adharvam and Mohanlal in Appu; both movies crafted in ways that suited the respective actors perfectly.
I also remember how Suresh Gopi was cast in a comedy role meant for Jagathy Sreekumar in the movie Manu Uncle. He delivered in that role well and that turned out to be a turning point in Suresh Gopi’s career. Dennis picked the character ‘Kunjachan’ in Mammotty-starrer Kottayam Kunjachan from the novel written by Muttathu Varkey.
That was a time when Varkey was considered a ‘Mills and Boons’ genre writer in Malayalam and was kept away by the royal club of writers. The movie was an instant hit and Kunjachan had triggered a riot of laughter.
Dennis Joseph had seen occasional flops too. But, at that time, there were production houses that could place their bet on the team even if a movie was flopped. They had no doubts regarding the talent of Dennis Joseph that the loss would be covered by the next project.(The author is a writer, director and actor)
As scriptwriter
*jointly with Shibu Chakravarthy
As director