ALAPPUZHA: ‘Bhoogolathinte spandanam kanakkilanu’. One may disagree with Chacko mash’s premise that the ‘Earth pulsates to maths’ or agree to it being one of the irresistible dialogues in Malayalam movie history. But the line, rendered by the late Thilakan, and many others, including by the protagonist Aadu Thoma (played by Mohanlal), give the film Spadikam its evergreen character. So much so, that 28 years after its release, the movie, directed by Bhadran, is being relaunched today.
Also back in the limelight is Prof Rajendra Babu, former head of Madras University’s Malayalam department, who wrote the punchy dialogues that give the flick its character.
“They were meant to portray people of central Travancore,” says 65-year-old Prof Babu. “Bhadran had completed the screenplay when he entrusted me the task of writing the dialogues. Early on, we were not sure of the movie’s success, but the enthusiasm with which it was received sealed its place in Malayalam movie lore. Mohanlal, Thilakan, Urvasi and the others actors lived their roles,” recounts Prof Babu, a native of Kayamkulam who is now settled in Chennai.
“Spadikam was my first foray into movie dialogues. My father, C G Gopinath, was the secretary of the KPAC (theatre group) and my childhood was closely connected to the stage. I later started the Kerala People’s Theatre and presented many plays around the world. I wrote the stories, songs and dialogues and even acted in many of my productions. It was probably this background that prompted Bhadran to approach me,” he says.
Prof Babu also wrote the screenplay for Guru, which went on to become the first Malayalam movie to be selected as India’s entry to the Oscars in the ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ category. He also wrote the scripts for Yuvathurki, Masmaram, Ennittum, Pattinte Palazhi, and many others. Prof Babu founded the Malayala Chalachithra Parishad in 1966.
Despite his film and theatre activity, Babu continued his studies. He did his PhD from Madras University before joining its Malayalam department as a lecturer. He retired five years ago and is now back to writing film scripts. Beside being a jury member of the Kerala State Film Awards, Babu was part of the Indian jury for the Oscars and a member of the Film Censor Board.