The newly released survival drama Aadujeevitham (The Goat Life), an adaptation of the 2008 best-selling Malayalam novel of the same name by Benyamin, has been a hot topic of discussion among cinephiles.
While some conversations revolved around the changes made during Aadujeevitham's journey from page to screen, others focused on Prithviraj's performance and Blessy's directorial vision.
The book and film are based on the real-life story of Najeeb, a Malayali labourer who was among the thousands of Indians forced into slavery as goatherds on secluded farms in the deserts of Saudi Arabia by the native Arabs.
Although Blessy bought the rights in 2009, the film was stuck in development hell for 15 years, first due to budget constraints and later when major parts of the shooting in Jordan got delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
What interested me was how most non-Malayalis only learnt about Blessy after Aadujeevitham. Being a movie buff, I had to write this piece about the filmmaker whom I consider to be one of the greatest in Malayalam cinema. Here are my five favourite Blessy films:
1. Kaazhcha (2004): Starring Mammootty, this family drama was Blessy's directorial debut and heroine Padmapriya's acting debut. The story revolves around Madhavan, a simple villager who works as a projectionist touring around the countryside, showing films at festivals and other events. He comes across Pavan (Yash Gawli), a young boy who lost his family in the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. The rest of the plot centres upon their growing rapport over time after Madhavan welcomes Pavan into his family. There are so many scenes that will tug at your heart but what made me sob was the climax. I rewatched it a few days ago and it still made me cry like a baby. One of Mammookka's finest performances which got him many awards that year for the 'Best Actor' category. And let's not forget the cult classic songs ('Dap Dap', 'Jugunu Re', 'Kuttanadan Kaayalile') that are still timeless! Kaazhcha also bagged accolades for 'Best Film' and 'Best Child Artist' (Master Yash) which were absolutely well deserved in my view.
2. Thanmathra (2005): They say that films are a source of entertainment but I feel they're also a medium for knowledge. I bet a lot of folks learnt about Alzheimer's disease and mnemonics after watching this beautifully crafted film. Thanmathra is based on filmmaker Padmarajan's short story "Orma". It portrays the effects of Alzheimer's on the life of Ramesan Nair (Mohanlal) and his family. Although Thanmathra was released at a time when Malayalam cinema was trending towards comedy, it turned out to be a critical and commercial success, attaining classic status over the years. The film won five awards at the 2005 Kerala State Film Awards (Best Film, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and a Special Mention Award for the debutant actor Arjun Lal known for his performance as Manu Ramesh, Ramesan's son). It also won the Best Feature Film in Malayalam Award at the 53rd National Film Awards. This film is so much more than the horrors of Alzheimer's; it's a story about dreams, goals, the struggles of being in a middle-class family and the relationship between a father and his son. Kudos to Lalettan for understanding the assignment and to Blessy for handling it with so much sensitivity.
3. Palunku (2006): Another Mammootty starrer with Nazriya Nazim making her on-screen debut. Palunku is a movie that goes deeper than the surface as it sheds light on consumerism and how people get trapped in it. The plot explores how city life changes the perspective and priorities of an ordinary farmer, Monichan (Mammootty). In order to give both his daughters access to better education, Mammootty's character forgets his morals along the way, which is depicted very realistically. His portrayal of the simple farmer earned him the Best Actor award at the Kerala Film Critics Award, and he was also nominated for a National Award. Last year, when the film marked its 17th anniversary, the director took to social media, expressing gratitude for the enduring relevance of Palunku and throwing light on how the film was born. The inspiration was an incident in Kerala's Kottarakkara, where a two-and-a-half-year-old child was brutally raped and murdered in front of a shop. This makes the heart-wrenching climax even more poignant.
4. Calcutta News (2008): One of my all-time favourite romantic thrillers starring Dileep and Meera Jasmine. This movie delivers when it comes to spreading a social message because Blessy resists the temptation of showing big speeches that would leave us rolling our eyes. Instead, he narrates an unconventional love story between an investigative journalist named Ajith Thomas (Dileep) and an orphan girl from Kerala, Krishnapriya (Meera Jasmine), who is a victim of sex trafficking. Unlike the actor's usual comic roles, Calcutta News portrayed him in a different light which stayed with me to date. Meanwhile, Meera Jasmine slays as the naive traumatized Krishna who still keeps smiling and hoping for a better tomorrow. Another reason why Calcutta News is loved by many is that it's one of those rare South Indian films completely shot in Kolkata thereby enriching us with knowledge about the city, its culture and traditions along with the dark side. To top it off, brownie points for our lead star as well as the others (Innocent, Vimala Raman) for their effort to speak some of the dialogues in Bengali.
5. Bhramaram (2009): Mohanlal was widely appreciated for his performance in this road mystery thriller. From the beginning, you know something is off with Lalettan's character yet you cannot help but like him. When he cries, you cry; that's how good his acting was. When it comes to casting, Blessy always gets it right and it's the unexpected characters that leave a mark. In Bhramaram, one won't be able to forget Murali Gopy's Dr Alex and Suresh Menon's Unni for the unforgivable deed they did. You feel the same level of rage and vengeance that Mohanlal's Sivankutty has after finding out the truth. This film was praised and talked about a lot by other filmmakers for the way it created and maintained suspense. It also portrays themes of guilt, redemption and the consequences of one’s actions along with a twist in the end. One of my core memories after watching this movie was the famous 'Annarakanna Vaa' number which I know by heart even today.
