THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It has been 41 years since the release of Panchavadi Palam, arguably among the best political satires in Malayalam cinema. As Kerala braces up for another election, many believe the timeless classic which took a dig at corruption and nepotism in politics still holds relevance.
Written and directed by K G George, the film is based on a novel by Veloor Krishnankutty. The dialogues were written by cartoonist Yesudasan. Set in an imaginary panchayat named Iravathakuzhi, the story is about corrupt politicians pulling down a bridge that was in good condition. However, the poorly constructed new bridge collapsed on the inaugural day.
Seasoned artists who gave life to the main characters were Bharat Gopy, Nedumudi Venu, Thilakan, K P Ummer, Sreevidya, Sukumari, Jagathy Sreekumar, Innocent, Sreenivasan, Venu Nagavally and Kalpana. Most of the crew, except Sreenivasan and Jagathy, are no more.
The role of Dussasana Kurup, the dim-witted panchayat president, was played by Gopy. The story went: There was no election in the panchayat for 12 years and the opposition led by Ishak Tharakan, a role played by Thilakan, unsuccessfully tries to topple Kurup through a no-confidence motion. Sikhandi Pillai, a panchayat committee member and strategist in the ruling front, mooted the idea of building a new bridge.
This character was played by Venu. The story then progresses through incidents which in fact present a commentary on the many evils in politics like corruption, nepotism, politician-contractor nexus, and the publicity craze of those in power.
For years, people used Panchavadi Palam as a moniker to describe badly built public constructions. It was in the news in 2019 when the Kerala High Court compared the Palarivattom flyover with Panchavadi Palam. The flyover had to be closed 30 months after its inauguration and the court’s reference hinted at the nexus between bureaucrats, politicians, and the contractor.
Challenging climax shoot
Venu later revealed the challenges behind the climax scene shot in the Kumarakom backwaters. Five cameras were used to capture the scene of the collapse from different angles. However, the temporary bridge was strong. The director wanted it to have a ‘natural collapse’ when the inaugural procession passed through. The art director’s yanking technique didn’t work. Finally, the bridge was cut to shoot the visual.
‘Situation not as cynical now’
Writer and script writer Unni R feels that local self-governments in Kerala changed for good following the increased representation of women. “Corruption reduced to a large extent with the rise in the number of women representatives. The situation is not as cynical as it was during the period of Panchavadi Palam. Beyond party politics, women in power are seen to take a common stand on issues like gender equality,” he told TNIE.