Festival of films

It is that time of the year when the Malayalam film industry lines up some of its big budget blockbusters to cash in on the Onam festive season which generally extends to September.

The industry and fans are trying to forget the relatively lacklustre first six months that delivered few surprises. The media have reported that there were only two winners commercially — Mohanlal's Chotta Mumbai and Mammootty's Mayavi.

Acknowledged as two of the greatest performers in contemporary Indian cinema, Malayalis will be looking forward to two blockbusters from these titans during Onam this year — Mohanlal's Alibhai and Mammootty's Nasrani. Alibhai is a Mohanlal-Shaji Kailas signature film meant to attract the masses. It will feature the actor as a leader of the Kozhikode market — nothing novel there.

The script of Nasrani — in which Mammootty plays the role of a Syrian Christian estate owner — is by director Renjith, himself.

The focus of this season's film releases will be on these two films. Critics will be looking forward to see whether Mammootty's Nasrani can stop Mohanlal's incredible run from last year with hits such as Thanmatra, Rasathanthram, Vadakkumnaathan, Keerthi Chakra and Mahasamudram. Release timings of many films got skewed as a result of an ill-advised strike that gripped the industry following differences of opinion between the technicians and the producers and exhibitors. Fortunately, wiser counsel prevailed and the issue was settled swiftly.

The dominance of superstars Mohanlal and Mammootty even resulted in a call from some quarters that their films should not be released during certain periods in a year so that the others could get a fair chance. This unprecedented suggestion was rejected outright and fans heaved a huge sigh of relief as film crews went back on the sets.

It is important that producers and artistes put the past failures behind and look ahead, especially in the light of the mega commercial success of other language films, especially Rajnikant's Shivaji.

They can take heart from the exceptional run of directors Rafi-Mecartin's Hello, starring Mohanlal as an alcoholic advocate and the inimitable Jagathy Srikumar as his sidekick.

Hello is being talked about as one of the biggest successes for Mohanlal, running to packed houses in Kerala and outside. The film is even compared to the comic classic Kilukkam. The film also has debutante Parvathi Milton as the heroine.

Much talked about

Another notable film was Major Ravi's second film titled Mission 90 Days starring Mammootty as Major Shivaram. The film goes behind the scenes into the hunt for Rajiv Gandhi's assassins by a team of commandos. The point of interest in the movie, since the outcome of the action is known, is that the director himself was part of the commando team and he puts the blame squarely on the top officials who dithered on the timing of the raid resulting in the mass suicide by the terrorists.

Suresh Gopi's Nadhiya Kollapetta Rathri is a thriller directed by veteran K. Madhu which received a good opening. The film's novelty is the plot of three murders that happen in the backdrop of a running train. Kavya Madhavan is the heroine.

But the biggest surprise of the year has been the relatively modest film by Lal Jose starring Sreenivasan titled Arabikatha delivering some home truths about contemporary Malayali society and its politics. Sreenivasan plays the role of Cuba Mukundan, a leftist camp follower who is forced to immigrate to the Middle East to eke out a living.

Arabikatha was shot in the UAE and its screenplay is by the Dubai-based Dr Iqbal Kuttippuram. A notable feature of the film is the choice of the heroine — a Chinese expat from Dubai who plays the role of a seller of pirated CDs, symbolising the failure of ideology in a bastion of communism.

Arabikatha has struck a chord among viewers because it touches on communism and expatriate life — two dominant features of the Malayali society.

Hopes anew

For the cineastes it is the new projects that are on stream that really offers hope. Many talented directors — young as well as old — are at work on various films of varied hues. Some of them are in advanced stages of shooting while others are ready for release.

Director Lenin Rajendran, who had earlier done some thoughtful films such as Swathi Thirunal, will begin work on an equally compelling personality — the life and times of Kerala's legendary painter Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906).

Art historians have argued for years about the importance of Varma's work in evolving an Indian renaissance and Rajendran's film on Raja Ravi Varma will add to the dialogue about our art heritage. More than just being a life history, the director intends to focus on the dilemmas that Raja Ravi Varma confronted as an artist. Trained in European art techniques, Varma depicted mythological characters and made his art available to the commoner by opening a lithographic press in Mumbai.

Equally significant is Rajendran's choice of action hero Suresh Gopi for the title role, who has earlier successfully essayed the Shakespearean character of Othello in Jayaraj's Kaliyattam, for which he deservedly won the National award for Best Actor.

Shooting for the film will begin in September and the expected release date is December. There is considerable interest on the choice of the heroine, with the director saying that it will be a new face.

This would be Rajendran's 13th film and it augurs well for Malayalam cinema that such veteran talents are coming again to the fore to plug the creative hiatus that plagues the Malayalam film industry.

COMING UP
Another classic for the year-end

Hariharan, MT Vasudevan Nair and Mammootty — the trio behind the historical Oru Vadakkan Veeragaatha — have joined together after 18 years to create another epic, Pazhassi Raja, a story about the valiant King of Malabar who fought against British forces.

Expected to be released by year-end, the film uses highly advanced technology and has been shot with a Pan Vision. Tamil actor Sarath Kumar makes his debut in Malayalam with this film, as Edachena Kunkan, the best friend of Pazhassi Raja. Another highlight of Pazhassi Raja will be its music by Illayraja with lyrics provided by O.N.V. Kurup. The earlier version of Pazhassi Raja, directed by Kunchakko, was released in 1964.

Adoor's new work

Veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan is at work on two films based on Jnanpith Award-winner Thakazhi Sivasanakara Pillai's short stories.

In an interview to MusicIndiaOnLine.com, Adoor says: I am making two feature films and there will be three short stories in each. The first feature film has been titled Moonnu Pennungal (Three Women). The stories will span from 100 to 110 minutes. I will shoot each story one after the other. In a single film there will be stories of three different women. These are the stories I liked the most and veterans like Satyajit Ray has followed this pattern of filmmaking. "My second film is titled Kallante Makan (Son Of A Thief), which is also the title of one of the stories and a nine-year-old boy is playing lead here... Law and justice is the common theme in this film. Kuttanad will be a background for all the stories."

IN THE LIMELIGHT
Santhosh's Hollywood venture

Ace cameraman and filmmaker Santosh Sivan's first Hollywood film Before the Rains will be premiered at the 32nd Toronto International Film Festival 2007 running from September 6 to 15.

The movie was shot with the picturesque backdrop of Munnar hills in Idukki, Kerala, and the multinational cast includes Malayali actors Thilakan, Lal and Indrajit.

A period film set in the colonial period during the 1930s, Before the Rains focuses on "the dilemma of people who straddle two worlds," said Sivan in remarks to the media.

"It is about a British planter (played by British actor Linus Roache), who wants to commercially tap the produce of Kerala's high ranges, mainly spices, and he is assisted by an Indian (Rahul Bose). The film also delves into the relationships of his wife (Jennifer Ehle), his lover (Nandita Das) and his aide," said Sivan.

NEW RELEASES
Snap shots

Shooting is going on for director Blessy's new film Kolkata News starring Dileep, Mira Jasmine and Indrajith. The director has already carved out a unique place in Malayalam cinema in his first three films, Kazcha, Thanmatra, and Palunku. Blessy maps out the modern dichotomies in our everyday middle class life. The director says he has selected Kolkata as the backdrop as the mood of the metropolitan city matches that of the story.

Shyamaprasad, who gave us Agni Sakshi and Akale, is making his new film Ore Kadal with Mammootty and Mira Jasmine portraying the lead roles of Nathan and Deepthi — two characters of immense depth. It is for the first time that these two have been paired.

Set in London and directed by K.P. Kumaran, Akasha Gopuram (Castle in the sky) has Mohanlal as Albert Samson, a middle-class architect who has attained fame as a builder of towers. Akasha Gopuram is an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's critically acclaimed 1892 masterpiece The Master Builder.