A simple goal of mine is to have my film viewed by as many people as possible. But that’s all there is to it. They won’t have to worry about me or consider me again after that. When a journalist asked a new generation Malayalam movie star what he thought about fan groups, the actor said, “As a person and an actor, I should live until that movie is over.”
These remarks are the work of Fahadh Faasil, who has won the National Award for best supporting actor for his role in the police drama Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum.
Fahadh, in contrast to his more famous colleagues like Dulquer Salmaan or Nivin Pauly, has no plans to pander to the audience or adopt a particular persona in the vein of his superstar forebears Mohanlal and Mammootty.
Since his first film, he has been like a chameleon in the arts, assuming a wide variety of roles and appearances. The public has been applauding Mohanlal’s return to the variety he displayed in his early career, before he capitulated to fan expectations.
Tracing The Development Of Malayalam Theater
In the late 1990s, the Malayalam cinema industry had a surge in the number of actors who became multimillionaires. At this time, a number of fan clubs sprang up in various locations throughout Kerala.
The phenomenon of Keralan superstars, however, didn’t last long. The actor, previously hailed as the most varied talent in the State, fell into an image trap when he began repeatedly playing the role of the superhuman feudal rowdy around the year 2000.
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Fans demanded, “Give us our old Lal back,” referring to his likeable and relatable regular layman persona in the ’80s, which was sometimes tinged with humour. Even Mammootty had to take a break from his machismo, and he did it by venturing into the uncharted areas of comedy, dancing, and entertainment.
Quite a few people gave that a curious look when it occurred. Most notably the middle-class “family” demographic, who likened it to Kollywood productions (the Malayali film community tends to look down on the mass culture of the Tamil film industry, believing it unrealistic and highly commercial).
It has always been a taboo in Malay culture for filmmakers and performers to work on “masala flicks,” and if they do, they make sure to redeem themselves by also appearing in “middlebrow” or “art cinema,” a practise known as “award padam” (and one at which Malay actors excel).
The arrival of the new wave of filmmakers at this crucial juncture was met with widespread celebration. Among Malayali millennials who received their education in cities other than Kerala, actors like Dulquer Salmaan and Fahadh have quickly become fan favourites.
I first saw Fahadh in 2009, when he first made his way into the Malayalam big screen and into our hearts. I remember being locked up in my college dorm room, watching Kerala Café, a groundbreaking anthology of 10 films from the mind of Ranjith, the man responsible for early 2000s box office smashes.
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In the film Mrityunjayam he played a young man from all over the world who travels to a haunting mediaeval manor. The cultural lexicon, body language, and suavity of disposition he brought to Malayalam cinema were groundbreaking.
Let’s Have A Look At The Unique Features Of Malayalam Enterntainment Industry
What is it that motivates Fahadh to make specialty films that are both realistic and specialised? Can he no longer achieve commercial success? one of my coworkers in Tamil Nadu inquired recently. It got me wondering.
There was something about these rising stars that made them stand out from their more seasoned counterparts. They appear to be guided by the principle that “quality delivers the money” in their work.
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Like Nivin Pauly, who can be seen in films as diverse as the populist Sakhavu and the romantic comedy Premam (which my 14-year-old cousin wolf-whistles for) and as radically different as the middlebrow Hey Jude ; or like Dulquer, who has worked in Malayalam, Tamil, and Bollywood, and who refuses to be pigeonholed like his father, the tough macho hero Mammootty.
In most fields, this development would stand out as an outlier. Here in the West, we have our own Baahubali-style movies that are trying to break into the 100-crore club. One such film was Pulimurugan, which caused quite a stir not just in Tamil cinema but across all of South India’s film industries.
And boy, did we have a party to commemorate it. Since a major hit in Malayalam cinema typically appears once every few years at best, this was an unprecedented event.
My Tamil friend was boasting the other day about how gorgeous some of the song-picturisations in Kollywood are, and he mentioned that this is in part because the industry is quite small and cannot afford the money. However, there is also a more fundamental cultural reason why people in Kerala are less likely to engage in widespread panic.
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Conclusion
Alas, the Kuthira website was blocked only lately, which is a shame. The internet, though, is a big place, and there are literally infinite options available to you. For further information, check out either www.showpm.com or www.ddmalar.website.
