(Originally written for Bodhi Commons on November 1st anniversary)

At 55, Kerala is at legal retirement age, an age when a more healthy, a better educated crop takes over. But United Nation’s Human Development Report for 2011 seems to suggest Kerala has just started. Kerala has the least loss in human development due to inequality in healthcare, the least loss due to inequality in education, and a host of other parameters.

National & state media were distracted by another significant finding in the report which suggested that Gujarat, in spite of its fan boys and poster boy chief minister, performed really poorly. Given the fact that Gujarat has been one of India’s wealthiest states historically should make us question the inherent assumptions of industrialization and development. What is progress after all? Each of us have different opinions (which is natural), this compilation will try for some agreement around the facts (which should be common).

Anniversaries are unique, because they give us the opportunity to drill into the ground water of yesterday, and splash it for a second on our day to day. It is a time to celebrate our triumphs, and our pitfalls. To retrospect on how we fared, and to figure out what is in store. To brood on our darkest hours, and to celebrate our Santosh trophy victories. To mark the last 55 years with 55 landmarks is naïve. Then Bodhi has all the naivety of a campus wall magazine, and I assume we do not give a damn.

Because the list below is nothing short of impressive, and nowhere near comprehensive. This list is subjective, and at times prejudiced, though it tries to be prejudiced towards the best within us. Like this video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZtWQp-CyqE

Because it tilts more towards the generation that grew up in the 90s, so that’s what we are. Because there are multiple events and people and struggles we left out from our long list, we would like to hear your thoughts. Because rather than big events, we have focused on big patterns. And while we disagree on a lot many things here -- political, cultural, developmental, social, and personal, I hope we all agree that Kerala got it mostly right in the past 55 years. Because Kerala is the No.1 state in India, here we go, and as always we would like to hear your thoughts.

1. Woman’s Work Participation Rate
Because this man-woman divide is evident even in migration, for every 10 men who migrate only one woman leaves the country, and most of them are Syrian Christian women, while least of them are Muslim women. Because in spite of the human development claims, Kerala has an abysmal woman’s participation in the economy with a 15% WPR, nearly 10 percentage points below the national average. Because while initiatives like Kudumbasree try to address the issue, this remains one of the reasons why social progress is not reflecting in economic progress in the state. Because there isn’t a sunrise sector of the economy which can compensate for the jobs lost by women in the declining agricultural sector (where women engaged in economic activities alongside their household work).

2. M.T. Vasudevan Nair writes ‘Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha’
Because MT redefined vernacular language and dialect in movies like no one ever did, and kindled our softest emotions. Because one of malayalam’s most loved novelists turned three of our classic folk tales on their head: Chanthu was not the arch betrayer anymore, there was no Freudian “Perumthachan Complex”, and Bhiman was the sidelined, sensitive brute. Because with a Jnanpith, multiple academy awards, ten national film awards, and over 25 state film awards, MT undeniably is the towering giant of the last 55 years.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPqAmcRVMr0

3. Mathrubhumi weekly publishes O.V.Vijayan’s Ithihasam
Because Appu-Kili, the town idiot, was to be allowed the freedom of both religions, some days a Muslim, some days a Hindu, and on some other days he could be Hindu, Muslim, and Appu-Kili at the same time. Because O.V. Vijayan was brutal at times, like his geometric cartoons, like his sweeping criticisms of geo-politics, and like Ravi who walked the slopes of Khasak reminding us of the loveless thread of Karma. Because O.V. Vijayan was the classic iconoclast in our search for modernism, and ourselves.

4. Migration to the Middle East 1970s
Because with close to 3 million Malayalis in the Gulf nations, remittances augment one-fourth of the Kerala economy, where neon lights of post-1991 India shine next to fluttering red flags. Because with its millennia old relationship with Arab states, unique religious demographic, and highly educated population, Kerala was at the right place to maximize the benefits of an exploding workforce demand in the Arab states starting in 1972. Because some call Kerala a “money order economy”, even though that is not true.

5. Keltron, CDS, Sree Chitra, and C. Achutha Menon.
Because middle-class Kerala perhaps has no doubts about it, Achutha Menon was our best Chief Minister ever. Because Kerala’s first finance minister brought land reforms to a meaningful legislative conclusion, picked KPP Nambiar to establish Keltron (yes our first TV sets were homemade), K.N.Raj to setup CDS (which to date remain one of Kerala’s most respected intellectual playgrounds), and M.S.Valiathan to lead Sree Chitra Institute (yes we make our own heart valves). Because, not many people have survived in Kerala politics from being EMS’s Man Friday to Arch Nemesis. Because if SSLC 1st rank is the minimum qualification for a Chief Minister, we would have had only one.

6. Muthanga Massacre
Because there are some people we have screwed over 55 times, and then banished into the western ghats of our political consciousness. Because our inability to meet their basic demands and accept their organic leadership continues to this day, and our interaction with them is limited to exploitation of their forest lands and marginalization of their ethos. Because adivasis make up just 2% of Kerala’s population, similar to christian and sikh demographic from a national context, and may be it is ok to screw the 2%.

7. Naxal movement
Because blood was on the streets of Kerala from 1968 to 1976, and Thalasseri, Pulpally, Kuttiyadi, Varghese, Mandakini, Ajitha, Venu, Philip, Stephen, are names that remind us that annihilation of class enemies isn’t utopian, but yet it is. Because one could blame the youth of the summer of love, for ideological confusion and moral disarray, one could question their methods, but even today, there aren’t many who question their intentions. Because suppressing the Naxal movement is considered K. Karunakaran’s towering achievement in the minds of people who fail to understand the historic role of democratic progressive politics in making Kerala less suitable for extremist left movements.

8. New Wave Malayalam Cinema circa 1970
Because Adoor Gopalakrishnan, MT Vasudevan Nair, K.G. George, Aravindan, Padmarajan, and John Abraham took malayalam cinema to its current international repute with films that embraced modernism and portrayed human condition at its brutal best. Because suddenly a village priest could spit blood on an idol, and a lazy middle class man in ‘Elipathayam’ could spit on our collective paralysis. Because cinema for cinema’s sake isn’t such a bad idea, and malayalam cinema realized that in the late 70′s.

9. Land reforms 1957 & 1971
Because every political revolution worth its salt should have a considerable impact on the political economy, ours surely did. Because when the EMS government came to power in 1957, 60% of Keralites owned just 10% of the land, and 1% of the wealthy owned 40%. Because the acceleration of human development in Kerala lists land reforms as an important catalyst. Because this one we have to give to the political will of the Communist party, which even after a host of compromises, finally kept its word to the peasants who lost their life fighting for a more equal society. Because India might catch up one day, and then we’ll have a more perfect republic.

10. Overthrow of EMS Government in 1959
Because Vimochana Samaram brought together feudal caste and religious forces in the state against education and land reforms, and institutionalized a political coalition that continues to this day. Because CIA funding of churches to topple the world’s first democratically elected communist government, union of hindu upper caste land owners under NSS, and Indira Gandhi’s first successful homicide of democracy (she became a serial killer of democracy after that), now figure in the darkest chapter of democracy in India.

11. Kerala Police Football Team circa 1990
Because people who grew up in the 90s would have listened with bated breath to All India Radio’s live telecast of Federation Cup and Santosh Trophy. Because if they won, schools would close in celebration, and win they did. Because after the untimely death of Jimmy George, it took a while for the state to coalesce behind a galaxy of stars. Because Kerala police boys -- Anchery, Sharafali, Chacko, Sathyan, Pappachan, and IM Vijayan, took India to its highest FIFA rankings ever.

12. K Karunakaran vs A K Antony
Because in spite of Congress (I) and Congress (A) merging in early 80s, congress politics in Kerala has revolved around these two entities for over three decades. Because partisan squabbles have haunted every UDF government to the extent of paralyzing the state, and brought down three of its own Chief Ministers. Because Karunakaran and A.K.Antony are the tallest leaders INC has produced in the state, towering over the pygmy coteries of today. Because Antony has risen to the top of national politics as we speak, despite expectations to the contrary, and Karunakaran is dead, despite expectations to the contrary.

13. People’s plan campaign launched
Because after EMS government was overthrown in 1959, decentralization of power was never treated seriously in Kerala, except the creation of district councils during 1990-91. Because People’s plan campaign launched by LDF government in 1996 (thanks to KSSP, Rajiv Gandhi, and EMS) earmarked 40% of the plan budget of the state to facilitate local level development by mobilizing both people and resources to strengthen the productive base, especially in the primary sector by creating and maintaining public and collective goods. Because despite criticism around execution issues, and capacity building, People’s plan brought ground level changes to the remotest areas in the state at a pace unseen before or hence. Because when people plan, you do not need to wait for Delhi’s or Trivandrum’s kindness, and that is empowering.

14. IFFK launches in Kozhikode
Because the International Film Festival of Kerala has now grown bigger than India International, and is the best that came out of Film Society movements in the state. Because cinema is our most popular art, and when a whole city comes out to celebrate quality cinema from across the world, IFFK becomes the people’s film festival, the Thrissur Pooram of all film festivals, and another feather in the cap of progressive forces in Kerala which started and sustained the festival. Because when the film Gods descend again on Thiruvananthapuram in December for the 16th edition, they will once again find packed theatres full of people who’ve been fed good cinema year after year for 16 years now.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2t8zHVS55k

15. Protests against Coca Cola
Because Coca Cola exploitating water resources in Plachimada flew in the face of advocates of unbridled deregulation and industrialization. Because the struggle against Coca Cola became a larger symbol in a fight against neo-liberal tendencies in our societies at social forums across the world. Because as M.N.Vijayan said, drinking Coca Cola is drinking the politics of Coca Cola, and consumption habits may determine how we mold our future.

16. Rajan Murder Case & K Karunakaran
Because the murder of REC Calicut student Rajan under the auspices of then Police minister K. Karunakaran haunted Kerala’s strongest rightwing leader till his death, and the image of T.V.Eachara Warrier frantically searching for his son continues to haunt malayali’s collective consciousness. Because Rajan murder case, and the murder of Naxal Varghese, are classic examples of a police state, of everything that is wrong with giving police officers a blank cheque -- a practice that UDF governments continue to this day. Because notorious police officers like Jayaram Padickal, Pulikkodan Narayanan, and Lakshmana had a free rein in the state, and we can only make a wild guess about how many more Rajans and Vargheses were tortured and killed back then.

17. Ramu Karyat’s Chemmeen wins national award
Because Chemmeen single handedly in 1965 put south Indian cinema in the national map, won the national award for the best movie, and went on to win best cinematography award in Cannes film festival. Because Karyat transformed one of Thakazhi’s lesser works into cinematic magic with a galaxy of stars -- Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Marcus Bartley, SL Puram, Salil Choudhary, Mannadey, Sathyan, and Kottarakkara.

18. Self financing colleges in professional education
Because Kerala hasn’t started reaping what A.K.Antony started sowing in 1999. Because every private professional college has betrayed and backtracked on it’s agreements with the people of Kerala, and professional education is on sale -- it shouldn’t be. Because charitable societies running these institutions, have neither charity, nor are social as one corruption case after the other come up against the church run institutions. Because if there is a second coming, one can be mighty sure who he will whip first.

19. Silent valley movement
Because Silent Valley movement and KSSP’s important role in “Save Silent Valley” was an important landmark in Kerala history, as it brought in “Green” issues to the fore in a nationally noted people’s movement. Because technology and development are not always the right option as we sometimes assume, and creating a scientific understanding of our ecosystem in the masses was Silent Valley movement’s lasting achievement. Because Munnar, Mathikettan, and Athirapalli wouldn’t make much sense in many other Indian states even now.

20. Vaikom Muhammed Basheer publishes ‘Pathummayude Aadu’
Because one plus one is a pretty big one, and so is Basheer. Because Aana Vari, Ponkurisu, Pathumma, Suhara, and Majeed are characters who despite their flaws appeals to some eccentric humanity within us. Because Beppur Sultan appeals to the best within us, and his earthly characters still live amongst us in our most poignant love stories and our best social satires.

21. Satchidananthan and Chullikkadu
Because Satchidanandan wrote an animal which has forests and gushing forest rivers in it’s memory can never be domesticated. Because Chullikadu and Satchi are animals that refuse to be domesticated, and they spread the anger, conflict, and devastation felt by a generation over their poems.

22. Wanted for Murder -- Sukumara Kurup
Because we didn’t have a classic Charles Sobhraj, but we did have rippers Surendran, Chacko, and more recently Jayanandan, and Kurup trounced them all -- big time. Because since he murdered Chacko and escaped, he is the most wanted fugitive from law in the state, and a pop culture phenomenon. Because he’s been supposedly arrested a hundred different times, and most recently spotted in tinsel town, making movies under the fake name Santosh Pandit -- he should be arrested and charged rightfully with murder.

23. Kamala publishes ‘My Story’ circa 1976
Because what would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? Because Malayalam’s greatest woman writer scandalized a nation with ‘My Story’ talking about her extramarital affairs and her teenage lesbian crushes. Because ‘My Story’ wasn’t even her second best work, and she continued to tear us apart with her truth telling over the years. Because Yesudas worshipping hindu gods is secularism, Kamala finding solace in Allah is plain lunacy. Because if a woman tells the truth about her life, the world would be split open.

24. Kudumbashree Movement
Because poverty eradication is not about transfer of funds, and Kudumbasree launched in 1998 by the LDF government created a climate of entrepreneurship which over the years has become a success story Kerala is proud of. Because when half the seats were reserved for women in local governments, a big majority of candidates were Kudumbasree members. Because microfinance at bank rates has very few precedents elsewhere in the world and Kerala’s journey to the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid may have a Kudumbasree route.

25. Nilackal controversy
Because when a society moves faster than ever in the direction of secularism, a forceful pull in the opposite direction is inevitable. Because Nilackal controversy saw the biggest hindu fundamentalist resurgence in a society known for it’s progressive, secular roots. Because when a Christian church found what it claims to be a cross left by ST. Thomas in the close vicinity of Sabarimala and demanded a church be built there, there was an unusually strong reaction from hindu groups across the state, and even years after the issue died down, pockets in Kerala’s saffronised neighborhoods tell tales of Kummanam Rajashekaran, and the RSS led resistance.

26. 30 years of Mammooty and Mohanlal
Because the two stars rose to mega-stardom in the golden age of malayalam cinema, defined movies, consumer tastes, and most importantly, the constant duality of the malayali male. Because the first thing any non-Keralite knows about malayalam cinema is two words. Because one keeps getting younger, and other keeps getting philosophical.

27. Delhicate Constitution
Because in the fall of 2006, this is how malayali presence in Delhi looked like -- “defense minister, National Security Adviser, Foreign Secretary of India, Space agency Chairman , India’s candidate for the UN secretary bid , Prime Minister’s secretary, President’s secretary “. Because from the days of Mathai and Krishna Menon, Kerala always had a significant presence in Delhi’s power corridors, unlikely of a state that seems to be oblivious of Delhi.

28. O.Rajagopal and a BJP that refuses to bloom
Because O.Rajagopal may have been BJP’s best chance to win in arguably India’s most progressive state. Because despite charismatic leaders, and intensely communal campaigns in Hindu uppercaste strongholds, BJP has never had a single MLA or MP from Kerala. Because with the eroding vote percentage, the nationalist rightwingers are increasingly irrelevant. Because L.K.Advani’s new Rath Yatra is in the state today, and nobody knew.

29. Asianet and Indiavision

Because the day, the “Ray and Keshavan” designed blue and pink logo started transmission in 1993, Asianet replaced Doordarshan as our defacto communication channel. Because Indiavision proved that 24 hour news or activist journalism is not overkill in a state where people continue to read four newspapers. Because despite Rupert Murdoch buy-outs, and media syndicate allegations, the channels maintain their credibility, and focus their lens on some of the state’s most burning issues.

30. Babri Masjid is demolished
Because as India burned in the post-Masjid months, Kerala where the single largest community is Muslims, stayed sane. Because the political left gave voice to the outraged, and Kerala owes it to Muslim League for the thin line it tread in months following the Masjid demolition. Because like rest of India, even in Kerala, this was the start of home grown terrorism.

31. Cochin International Airport Limited
Because CIAL is a symbol on the ground of expatriate malayali’s daily contribution to the state’s economy, and one of a well-executed public-private partnership. Because Cochin International is now one of the top five busiest international terminals in India, and makes as much money every year, as it cost to build it.

32. Sabarimala Season
Because in the past fifty years, pilgrimage to Sabarimala has increased exponentially, and with close to 50 million pilgrims visiting the temple in just over 60 days, Sabarimala is the largest annual human gathering in the world. Because the state’s economy, especially the transport and retail sector have their best non-Onam sales during this period, and the temple continues to shine on Kerala’s secular ethos and Buddhist traditions.

33. Communist Party of India splits in two
Because of the split, Keralites who identify themselves on the political left developed a constant habit of claiming their form of communism as the best.Because if you’ve grown up in Kerala and asked yourself why 32 comrades including EMS,VS,AKG,and Nayanar walked out of CPI’s National council to form CPM, your unofficial education in subjects like imperialism, comprador bourgeoisie, and internationalists would have started then. Because of the split, Keralites who identify themselves on the political left developed a constant habit of claiming their form of communism as the best, and even claiming themselves as individual republics. Because 3 years after the split, one firebrand youth leader got disillusioned and started a peasant uprising in a tiny village called Naxalbari.

34. DPEP and Curriculum Renewal
Because DPEP was one of the first steps in a decade long curriculum renewal program that changed primary and secondary school education in the state. Because all round development of students was not the purvey of elite private schools anymore, and examinations produced verifiable positive results on the ground. Because “critical pedagogy” and “Jeevan without Religion” set national television agendas. Because it gave us the confidence that if executed well, we don’t need to fear World Bank or ADB funding.

35. First democratically elected Communist government
Because this is a golden bullet point even in India’s history, and an end product of decades long, at times bloody, churn, that transformed one of India’s most caste ridden, feudal societies into one of its most secular, progressive ones. Because what the EMS government legislated then, still defines a lot of what we are today as a political economy, be it land reforms, decentralization of power, women’s rights, or the seemingly unending struggle for education reform. Because the Communist government proved that government can be a great equalizer amongst centuries of feudal privileges, and the idea of equality flourishes in our beautiful state.

36. First Gulf war
Because “the Berlin airlift was chicken feed.” compared to Air India’s massive airlift of over 100,000 Indians, mostly Keralites when Iraq invaded Kuwait. Because it exposed India’s and Indian Navy’s unpreparedness for a crisis in the Gulf, and Kerala’s vulnerabilities in accommodating it’s millions strong expatriates, and lessons learnt from Gulf war helped the LDF government plan it’s much commendable response to the 2008 global financial crisis which triggered another wave of returns.

37. Formation of DYFI & SFI
Because an organized strike force is at the center of progressive politics everywhere in the world. Because status quo sometimes needs a little prodding to change, and DYFI and SFI despite their youthful arrogance has provided just that. Because nothing good has come out in the world of middle aged men legislating in air conditioned rooms, without youth and students willing to spill their blood on the streets.

Because the 40-year history of SFI and DYFI has chronicled the scholar’s lasting struggle, and irrespective of whoever is in power, mostly written in blood and pain. Because the retirement age is still 55 in Kerala, and even today a farm laborer or an auto driver can confidently say his kids will be an engineer or a doctor. Because my annual college fees was less than my monthly school fee.

38. Founding of Kerala congress
Because since its inception in early 60s, Kerala Congress has consistently fought for the rights and privileges of cash crop farmers, and the emergence of rubber as Kerala’s white gold has sustained this political party. Because the alleged “rubber backbone” of Kerala Congress has brought many a government down, and proved that ‘real politik’ is much more fun and rewarding than long term governance. Because Kerala Congress has no pretensions, and it’s galaxy of leaders including Mani, Joseph, Jacob (RIP), and Pillai have been constantly pounded by corruption allegations.

39. Founding of Left Democratic Front and UDF
Because it is gentle reminder that in our state, we do things in our own happy pace. (Image Credits: beinnmhor@flickr)Because since late 70′s, and notably since EMS proposed not to align with communal parties in 1987, UDF and LDF are bedrocks of Kerala Politics. Because not one government was brought down by coalition partners, and despite big brother allegations, the two political formations in Kerala have literally created a highly democratic two party system. Because despite allegations of both formations being the same, the Kerala voter understands they are different, and goes off to show how advanced representative democracy in Kerala is.

40. Founding of Technopark in Trivandrum
Because Technopark may be the single largest employment location in Kerala, and may account for over 70% of state’s IT exports, but it still feels it’s just getting started with the ongoing expansions, and the upcoming IT corridor. Because when it was conceived and created by LDF government in 1990 and headed by legendary KPP Nambiar, India was just opening up, and hence it is a story of long term vision, and one of opportunties lost since then when every other state marched past us. Because it is gentle reminder that in our state, we do things in our own happy pace.

41. Pinarayi Vijayan & VS expelled from CPM politburo
Because despite running one of the best governments in Kerala from 2006-11, internal squabbles within the CPM unlike other times got more air time than anything else. (Image Credits: CPIM Kerala)Because partisan disputes and clash of big egos is nothing new to CPM, but expulsion of VS and Vijayan (sitting Chief Minister and the state party secretary) from the CPM polit was unprecedented, and was arguably a fitting climax to a long and drawn out war VS has waged within the party since the Palakkad conference. Because howsoever the party blames the “media syndicate”, VS versus rest of the party has been playing out for over a decade now, to the extent that VS refused to take sides with some of his cabinet colleagues, collective responsibility notwithstanding. Because despite running one of the best governments in Kerala from 2006-11, internal squabbles within the CPM unlike other times got more air time than anything else. Because as the CPM nears another state conference, there isn’t a slow drumbeat of another war, but a party like CPM should ideally be in a constant war with itself.

42. India’s Space Program launches in Trivandrum
Because when Homi Bhaba and Vikram Sarabhai setup India’s first spaceport in Thumba, and engineers including APJ Abdul Kalam worked out of a cattle shed, we never knew a capsule developed in that village would one day put India’s first man on the moon (we are not sure even now, but most surely we will). Because Sarabhai’s namesake Space Center in Trivandrum is the largest of Indian space facilities and fully responsible for programs like Nike Apache, SLV, ASLV, PSLV, GSLV, and space recovery capsule -- abbreviations written in golden letters in the history of Indian science and technology history.

43. Jawaharlal Nehru -- 1928 -- 1959
Because the 1928 peoples conference in the state which first raised the demand for a democratic unified state for malayalam speaking people was presided over by the young leader of the socialist faction of INC, one year before he rose to prominence as Congress party president. Because the pragmatist in Nehru dismissed the first democratically elected government in the state 31 years later. Because Article 356, which founding fathers envisioned for the rarest of rare cases, was since 1959 misused by every central government to crush state’s rights. Because it took a malayali statesman, KR Narayanan in Rashtrapathi Bhavan, and SR Bommai Vs Union of India to set the republic straight.

44. Payyoli Express
Because P.T.Usha was a legend when she was 18, she is one as she nears 50. Because Usha is one of the greatest sportspersons India ever produced, she was the first Indian woman to reach the final of an Olympics event, and what happened at that event is now a folk tale. Because Usha reminds us when she is not given the respect she deserves, and with the school of athletics she started, Usha can rightfully claim some.

45. Kanayi completes ‘Yakshi’ in Malampuzha
Because neurotically conservative Kerala grudgingly lives with the “Yakshi” in Malampuzha and the fifty feet long, fully nude mermaid in Trivandrum. Because across the state starting from tourist village in Veli, Kanhayi’s impressions challenge the status quo. Because Kanhayi’s dream for Kochi -- a hundred feet tall woman, entering the sea of Arabs (Queen of the Arabian Sea) may just be our lady liberty.

46. Mimicry as popular art
Because mimicry provided our best social satire over the past two decades and our best entertainers. Because of this endless list -- Cochin Haneefa, Fazil, Siddiue, Lal, Jayaram, Dileep, Mani, Ashokan, Nazeer, Aby,…. Nadirshah. Because in every single other movie industry in India stardom needs to be inherited.

47. Palmolein, Idamalayar, and SNC Lavalin cases
Because even though cronyism and blatant corruption is not new in India, K.Karunakaran’s style of governance (like Indira’s) made it endemic, with many of these scams playing out for decades now. Because Balakrishna Pillai went to jail, a CVC had to resign, K.Karunakaran was defendant until death, T.M.Jacob and Mani were constantly inundated, and these scandals have hogged constant media and public attention. Because Chief Minister Ommen Chandy, the number two man in the cabinet, CPM State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, and Speaker of the house are now under investigation in different cases.

48. Kerala Science Literature Movement
KSSP is closely entwined with many of the things Keralites are publicly proud of.Because in March 1986, the General Council of the KSSP took a decision to make Kerala totally literate in five years, which meant educating 170,000 people in Ernakulam district alone. Because taking two hundred years of scientific thought to the people is one thing, but speaking their language, engaging with them, and building arguably India’s largest volunteer movement to use science for social revolution is another. Because ranging from rural forums to mass literacy campaigns to democratic decentralization to science publications that reduced the knowledge gap between the haves and have nots, KSSP is closely entwined with many of the things Keralites are publicly proud of.

49. Kerala state youth festival -- Yuvajanotsavam
Because many a movie star, and a celestial singer launched into stardom from the state youth festival, one of the largest student festivals in Asia. Because from 400 odd students in 1956 to over 10,000 competitors, and hundreds of thousands of spectators, the event now sits at the cultural activities in the state, both in terms of quality and participation. Because, like the Kerala entrance results, the winners tell the story of emerging districts. Trivandrum won overall championship ten times in a row since 1980; not once since.

50. Kerala’s extremist movements PDP to NDF
Because homegrown terror is a constant threat we sleep with, and as no one is born a terrorist, extremist groups based on whacky religious discourses more often than not play a significant role in creating home grown terrorists. Because NDF, SIMI, and PDP have grown, sustained, and propagated through the vitriol of vengeance since the demolition of the mosque, and the genocide in Gujarat. Because many a terrorist attack in India has had elements from Kerala involved, and the arab umbilical cord of hawala runs right through the state.

51. Free Software Movement & FOSS
Because Jayalalitha’s government in TN will supply 7 million laptops over the next 5 years to students at a total cost of over 10,000 crore, all loaded with Microsoft’s proprietary software, and experts across the country call it a millstone around students’ neck. Because that is the difference between a government with vision, and another with a lot of money to spare. Because Free and Open Source Software adopted by the LDF government in 2007, with VS as its lead proponent, was another success story of ours in proving that another world is possible. Because e-literacy in Kerala is driven on the free software platform, and IT fixed costs across government departments are highly reduced because of FOSS adoption. Because this was led by a Chief Minister who didn’t complete high school education.

52. AKG leads “Michabhoomi Samaram”
Because despite the best efforts of the Communist party to legislate land reforms, successful campaigns toppled the governments and derailed the land reforms agenda. Because revolution through parliamentary democracy can be plan A, but it is always good to have a plan B up your sleeves, and forceful occupation of excess land was the Plan B. Because 28 people lost their lives across the state in “Michabhoomi Samaram” fighting for the land which was legally theirs, proving that political power and people’s movements can go hand in hand.

53. Rubber as a cash crop
Because rubber prices significantly contribute to trends in state domestic product, and Kerala produces more than 90% of all natural rubber produced in the country. Because Kerala is in one weird sort of way, a state which benefits when international crude oil prices go up (since price of synthetic rubber increases). Because ASEAN and WTO agreements can break the backbone of the rubber and coconut oil economy, which explains why popular struggles again free trade are indeed popular in the state.

54. Cochin Ship Yard
Because India’s first indigenous Aircraft carrier will hit the waters of Vembanad lake in a few months time, another feather in the cap of India’s largest ship building yard. Because more than the money and the jobs it brings to the state, shipyard will become increasingly critical as India plans to raise its stake for control over the Indian Ocean.

55. KTDC coins ‘Gods Own Country’
Because Amitabh Kant may have moved on from driving brand “God’s Own country” to brand “Incredible India”, but the Europeans keep coming in chartered flights, and in the hundreds of thousands. Because may be Kovalam, Allapuzha, and Munnar are genuine compared to the formulaic Sea-Sand-Surf-Sex concotions of Cancuns and Pattayas. Because it is a classic, though subtle, unorganised entrepreneurial triumph, and no one would believe Kerala had just 30,000 foreign visitors in 1980.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc8oOksJHZk

I am for the art of ice cream cones dropped on concrete.

- Claes Oldenburg

Aamir Khan Productions is known for its inspiring, clean, family entertainment. All that is about to change! Delhi Belly has the potential of, in a single stroke, destroying all the goodwill we have built in the last ten years.

- From the Producer’s note written by Aamir Khan.

Delhi belly - Definition (noun) -- an attack of diarrhoea. Since the era of British colonialism this has been the South Asian equivalent of gyppy tummy, Montezuma’s revenge, etc.

Delhi Belly released in the valley last week, and had greeters manning entry points to the theatre advising desi families with kids, “this picture has lot of swearing in it”. A first. That perhaps is one reason why Delhi Belly is a nicely done shift in bollywood from films for everyone to mass customization. Delhi Belly clearly appeals to some segments of the movie going junta, and guess I am part of one of those segments.

Many a times I’ve wondered why hindi movies do not speak like my native hindi speaking friends. There is almost no swearing, no expletives, and every character speaks hindi the way its spoken in Bombay.Even classic bromances like DCH and 3 Idiots have a disconnect and keeps a subtle distance from the language on the street and college campuses. In that way, Band baaja barat was a refreshing change, and Kashyap’s Gulaal was a classic. Delhi Belly, though it has very less to do with Delhi, speaks in a tongue which sounds familiar, making the movie immensely engaging and fun.

There is often a time lag between changes in external conditions and an industry’s adapting to those changes. The multiplex and overseas distribution channels gave bollywood the opportunity to slice target audiences too thin, but the mainstream of the industry still stuck to making Dilwale Dulhaniya part2 to part213. In the past five years or so, there is a welcome change with movies from the Kashyaps and Bharadwajs, and Delhi Belly and Peepli Live are examples, thanks to Aamir Khan, of thinly sliced segment movies doing much better than Bachchan-Kapoor-Yash pot pourris. Aamir Khan, an average actor, is arguably the producer of the decade in hindi cinema. Lagaan, Peeli Live,Taare Zameen, Jaane Tu, and now Delhi Belly, each with a different director, not one copying another -- that is impressive.

Story: The camera follows three room mates, a journalist, and a package of smuggled diamonds around Delhi’s belly with horrible bosses, small-time gangsters, red streets, and middle class landlords.

Good:

1. Treatment: Delhi Belly has a very clever storyline by Akshat Verma to start with, but the treatment by director Abhinay Deo, and an intuitive musical score by Ram Sampath keeps the movie grounded and prevents it from going over the top. This script could have become very loud on screen, but despite the butt cracks, and incessant meditation on kitsch, Delhi Belly is a smooth ride that takes you along quite well. Unlike Salman’s “Ready” where characters speak in thousands of crores with no idea what they are talking about, the total booty in this treasure hunt is worth only a few crores, and the gangsters involved are as amateur as the guys fleeing from them. I don’t think this understatement fell off the sky, it seems like a thoughtful decision, like many other in the movie. The impulsive nature of the characters and the irreverent tone of the movie are consistently maintained, even ethical issues are not forced down our esophagus in monologues that stick out.

2. Characters: Are well developed. Kunaal Roy Kapoor’s portrayal of obese Nitin with a malfunction of the stomach and ethics has the lion’s share of our attention and he delivers a natural punch and is at ease doing that. Poorna Jagannathan playing Menaka the journalist brings in a classic touch with her portrayal of a free woman (divorce case pending) with a tinge of sadness (definitely not two dimensional). Imran Khan is likeable enough, and does a fine job playing along even though he is the biggest star in the movie. You could call the movie sexist at times, but Delhi Belly didn’t start that fire.

httpv://youtube.com/watch?v​=ozpvQ2ZC70E

Bad:

1. Cynicism: Everything including relationships and our interactions with society at large are commoditized for some of us. That makes us more cynical like every young character in Delhi Belly. I don’t think it is a Delhi Belly issue, it must be a post-1991 issue. As I said earlier Delhi Belly didn’t start that fire, it just portrays it. Blame Narasimha Rao for starting the fire.

2. Some people may be grossed out: Every dude with a camera can show a head getting chopped off. The “new wave” of tamil directors seem to relish that and have won accolades doing that. The fact that better film makers do not show that doesn’t make them worse off as directors. There is a thin red line between creativity and art. In my personal opinion Delhi Belly treads that line pretty well. Then again sensibilities are different, as my friend puts it, it is set when they change your diapers at a very early age.

Verdict: I will watch this one again.

Sreekumar-Sreevisakh theater complex in Trivandrum is arguably the nerve center of Malayalam cinema. It is less known for Yehudi Menuhin performing his violin there, than for the rising and falling fortunes in Malayalam film industry. Once upon a time a haven for English movies, the twin theatres were Mohanlal’s bastion by the time yours truly was of movie going age. Since then the theatres have chronicled the rise of stars notably Dileep, and many production houses. A Sreekumar release in the festival season is a sure indicator of entry into the elite club of Malayalam cinema. One can sense a hidden glass ceiling between movies that release in SL Theatre complex or the Kairali-Sri complex vis-à-vis a movie that releases in Sreekumar. It is more often than not that a movie releasing in Sreekumar as opposed to these second rung theatres opens to spectacular fanfare and rides the celebration onto being a hit, a super hit, or even hit the elusive holy grail of blockbuster status. I have never seen a Kalabhavan Mani movie release in Sreekumar. Then you have to believe me when I say there are Kalabhavan Mani movies.

Watching Malayalam cinema from down below

The blockbusters movies are unique propositions from a larger cultural perspective. These are celebrated movies which literally influence culture, spoken language, buying patterns, and even food habits, while at a more subtle level are entertaining reflections of what we think our main stream culture is. So when I say a “malayalam blockbuster”, I expect it to reflect what Malayalam is, to represent the malayali mainstream, or at least what we think malayali mainstream is. A movie becomes a blockbuster when a significant majority of people watch it, and decide that this movie entertains them more compared to all other movies. Hence a blockbuster is an essentially democratic example of what entertains the majority of the population.

The Stats of Kerala

Now let’s take a look at how the population looks like. The haves and have-nots classification and whose story movies focus on is a question beaten to untimely death long back. It is understandable that we do not want to see poverty in our movies, especially in our blockbusters. So I chose religion and caste as a measure to look at the movies we have celebrated over the past twenty years. I understand that many of you hate caste. Even I try to do that in public, but believe me when I say this is a very private conversation.

This is how the Kerala society looks like –

On religious lines – Hindu (55%), Muslim (27%), Christian (18%) Hindus on caste lines – Ezhava (23%), Nair (13%), SC & ST (10%), Other Hindu (9%)

So approximately, from an identity standpoint,

Muslim (27%) + Ezhava (23%) = 50%
SC & ST and Other OBC = 18%
Christian = 18% (12%-6% Forward-Backward divide)
Nair = 13%
Other Forward Caste Hindus = 2%

To summarize, Muslims and Ezhavas constitute 50% of the population, other backward castes constitute 25%, Nairs, Other Hindus, and Upper Caste Christians constitute 25%.

Now for the blockbusters from the past 22 years – 1988 – Chitram , 1989 – Ramjirao Speaking , 1990 – His Highness Abdulla , 1991 – Godfather , 1992 – Pappayude Swantham Appose , 1993 – Manichitrathazhu , 1994 – Commisioner , 1995 – Spadikam , 1996 – Hitler , 1997 – Aaram Thampuran , 1998 – HariKrishnans , 1999 – Friends , 2000 – Narasimham , 2001 – Raavnaprabhu , 2002 – Meesamadhavan , 2003 – Chronic Bachelor , 2004 – Sethuramaiyer CBI , 2005 – Rajamanikyam , 2006 – Classmates , 2007 – Kadha Parayumbol , 2008 – Twenty:20 , 2009 – Pazhassi Raja.

A couple of observations from the blockbuster list, 21 out of 22 movies have a Hindu family setting (except Spadikam), 18 out of 22 have a Upper caste Hindu lead, and except for doubts around Kadha Parayumbol and Classmates rest all fall into an easy analysis through plot or dialogue snippets. Not one movie out of the 22 have a Muslim lead (open to discussion on Abdullah), and not one story except Kadha Parayumbol and Classmates verge out of the Upper Caste Hindu/Christian setting. The question that arises here is don’t 75% of malayalis have a story to tell? Are their stories and family settings not worth celebrating as a blockbuster? Yes we always have a dressing of secularism in these movies. Even in classic celebrations of hindu idolation like Ravana Prabhu and Aaram Thampuran there is a side kick (played by the same actor with a Malabar accent) who cries out “Allah” once in a while or delivers cash in sacks for revitalizing a hindu festival. I agree that it is true secularism when a muslim delivers cash in sacks for a hindu festival, but I cannot help wonder why our directors cannot focus cameras into the life of 75% of our people, or when they do, why more than 75% of us refuse to watch those movies.

Colonizing mind spaces

When a small subset of highly empowered people tries to influence a larger less empowered people, in medical terms it is called cancer, and in cultural terms it is called colonization. I am not radical enough to call it cancer, nor absurd enough to call for a surgical removal. Let’s stick with colonization. What is happening in malayalam cinema’s mind space over the last two decades is a colonization of sorts. A small minority of highly empowered technicians and creative artists, along with charismatic stars have focused on a small minority of people, focusing on how this small minority’s families are, their language, their customs, their food, their small and large houses, and the holy remnants of their once dark feudal past. The movies produced through this formulaic process preaches to the vast majority about how their families should be, how their religion and customs should be, how their language and dialect should be, what their aspirations should be, and most importantly shows their current standing in the mainstream – most of them are sidekicks or villains, and the unfortunate few are terrorists (that is if the production house has budget enough for a bomb explosion).

There are two paths to understand this colonization of the mind space. First is to look at the source of production, and second to look at the source of consumption. At the source of production lie two powerful cinema schools. The Priyadarshan school and the Ranjith school. At the source of consumption is us – the post 1980s generation.

Schools of Malayalam mainstream cinema

Most of the movies in the blockbuster space can be attributed to one of the above schools in malayalam cinema. The Priyadarshan school inherited by Siddique-Lal and Shafi, closely follows Priyadarshan’s early attitude towards inclusiveness. A good example is the movie “Aryan” where Mohanlal’s character (a hindu Brahmin) tells Srinivasan’s character that the idea behind Vylopalli’s ‘Vazhakula’ is outdated. That the upper castes are at the receiving end now, and then Mohanlal’s character walks out. That was a wrong assertion, not supported by facts even of the weirdest kinds, but generations of movie goers would have watched that scene and walked away thinking that to be true. There are hundreds of such assertions one can find in malayalam cinema of the last 15-20 years, and while characters are fictional and semblance is coincidental, these assertions are deliberate.

The Ranjith School brought back the classic Nair symbols, the ones that even Nairs thought were dead, back into business. These symbols were killed forty years back, and were mostly shown as examples of decay and superstition till Ranjith entered the arena with ‘Devasuram’. Symbols including – “Tharavadu”, “Parambaryam”, “Tharavattu Mahima”, “Uthsavam”, ”Aaana”, “Manthram”, “Thampuran”, “Prabhu”, “Pramani”, “Madambi”, “Chaththan”, “Marutha”, “Homam”, “Thekkini”, “Vadakkini”, “Govani”, “Kindi”, “ammomma”, “appoopan” came into malayali mainstream in less than half a decade.

To cite just one example, Ranjith School has inspired a host of movies in the past decade where large “tharavadu” fight with one another to conduct an “uthsavam”. Take a look at movies from 1960-1980, and I cannot forsee seeing many movies around the “tharavadu” or “uthsavam” theme. While Ranjith single handedly managed to create much damage, B.Unnikrishnan exemplifies the feudal Nair style, while Ranji Panicker borrows the anti-minority angle in most of his movies. Ranjith is arguably the best living director in malayalam cinema, but his early forays created an undesirable galaxy of popular symbols which neither are progressive nor have substance. We can argue on nostalgia, but whose nostalgia are we arguing on.

The caste of the directors in question is also of significance. A significant majority of malayalam’s blockbuster directors are from the 25% minority I talked about above. It is quite natural that these directors speak the case they know, because otherwise it would look weird like Kafka writing on America or Shaji Kailas trying to make Ali Bhai. The education of malayalam audience by these two powerful schools have precluded the possibility of production houses or distributors venturing into something radically different. At times when they do there is always the all powerful consumers. The popular box-office most often than not desires movies in the groove created by these two schools. That chucks the buck into our side of the court.

We the watching

The post-1980s generation, referred here as ‘us’, are a unique lot. Our generation never had a serious unemployment crisis, a serious threat to our democracy as in 1975, or a serious war as in 1971. This in turn did not put us in vulnerable positions where we had to choose an ideology to stay afloat or make better sense of the world. We have spent most of our lives in a society where “Manmohanomics” have meant a good life for a good many of us. The primary principle of a “Manmohanomic” society is that be it voting against Iran or building new highways, you do not worry about principles but about the benefits. It is surprising that it makes sense to us, while a good number of people in our previous generations would have scoffed at the very idea of living without ideologies. We wouldn’t sell our sisters yet, whatever be the benefit – that is one of our last surviving ideologies. Another 20 years of Manmohanomics could do the trick, but then we would scoff at that generation.

Three formative news events of our lifetime came early in the 1990s – the collapse of Soviet Union and the liberalization of Indian economy, the mandal quakes which spread naked the fault lines within us with livid images like Rajiv Goswami burning, and the masjid coming down and the painful rise of the Indian terrorist. These events, each of them made the high earning, high spending, mostly upper caste Indian middle class redefine the way we approach the story of the human being right next to us. A classic example is the way we treat the “Polandine kurichu nee oraksharam mindaruthu” line from Sandhesham. Sreenivasan’s character tries to make the case saying human struggle is the same everywhere, but somehow it misses our collective consciousness.

We cannot imagine our country as a third world spokesperson as in the times of Nehru-Indira, despite having the highest number of poor people in the world. This shift also resulted in the much vocal consumer class in Kerala redefining what they accepted as their own story. In a very swift time frame, the Pajeros and Audis that Mohanlal drive around in his movies became our story despite the cruel hand of the much constant per capita income, and stories of the dalits and the muslims and the socially marginalized became foreign to us – some of us sometimes visit those foreign concepts in film festivals. This selective alienation of stories that were part of us, and a collective exodus to the stories around the not-even-rich consumerist class could eventually deliver us into the hands of a situation they speak about in the movie Fight Club, when the things that you own start to own you, and around you is a wasteland of values. When a society’s biggest dream is an eight lane highway where it can further enhance its addiction to imported oil, it might soon find itself in the midst of other societies that forsake ideology – in a wasteland of values.

Couldn’t put it better than Piyush Mishra in Gulaal, Aaj ka launda yeh kehta hum to bismil thak gaye Apni aazaadi to bhaiya laundiya ke dil mein hai

The new face

Coming back to movies, Prithviraj eloquently put in a recent interview that Malayalam cinema need to go cosmopolitan for new ideas. If you’d studied social sciences in school, you would have read that the glaring disadvantage of the caste system was that it kept 80% or more of the population from the mainstream. Their stories, their talent, their ideas were all omitted. When malayalam cinema says lack of ideas is its bane, maybe it’s time to glance at 75% of the population we ignored for the past two decades. Maybe we should collectively refocus on what we really are and what we represent. In such a new light maybe we’ll liberate our mind spaces, and celebrating freedom would make much better sense then.

[സൂക്ഷ്മമായ ഒരു എതിരെഴുത്ത് അല്ല. ഒരു ചെറിയ ചിരി : I do understand there are diverse ways of looking at our movies and the influence it has on the larger society and vice versa. The blockbuster route is just one of them. There are always exceptions. Pointing out exceptions is easy, identifying another general pattern involves some thought. Expecting thoughtful comments.]

[Photos: Sourced using Google Images. Special courtesy: Keralaforum.com]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ5oQvR2_pA

This is too funny not to post.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DspTjoGLUWg

More Videos.

“I hate Luv Storys” is centered around its lead heroine’s need to make her life picture perfect. While the usage of the word ‘perfect’ in every scene of the movie may sound annoying to an average movie-goer, it has its roots in classic gothic horror fiction with a strong Faustian theme which bodes well for this classic tribute by Karan johar to Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.

The plot of “I hate Luv Storys” revolves around Jay (played by Imran Khan) who is a filmaholic serial killer. He spends nights watching film noir classics and prowling the streets of Mumbai searching for his next target. Each of his killings is thematic, based on a crime classic plot, and the targets are people who like love stories(he has a long  hacked list of people who bought Erich Segal or Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay on rediff shopping) . Simran (played by Sonam) is an investigative journalist on the night beat putting together the pieces of evidence Jay leaves behind. She realizes that Jay’s plots follow the IMDB Top 250 movies list, and she figures out his next plot. But there is a hitch. Simran loves love stories. Where can the story go from here…

See there are hundreds of better ways I could have spend the money and effort Karan Johar has spend on this movie. I am so ravished and depressed by the consistency with which Karan makes these movies that wastes top talent,  insults our intelligence, and makes egg scramble of our better senses. “I hate Luv Storys” is a bomb of the cute kind. It tells the story of a dude who hates Karan Johar movies, but finally goes down on his knees and accepts that he loves Karan Johar movies and the magic in them. It is a hidden tribute to Clockwork Orange by Karan Johar. If this movie doesn’t bomb, then the collective IQ of the Karan Johar segment of Indian cinema is sixty nine.

Story: As you would have guessed, the serial killer thing wasn’t the actual story line. Now hold your breath, this is the story line. Simran (played by cute Sonam) who is in a relationship with Raj (played by an irrelevant actor) loves Jay but Jay rejects her, and then Jay falls in love with Simran but Simran rejects him. Where can the story go from here?

The story then creeps through your hand and starts munching on small pieces of your brain which would have by then exploded after listening to 29 songs, hearing Simran’s  logic around the color she likes and drinking on weekdays and statements like “Agar fate mere side pe hota to jay mere side pe kyon nahi hota”, and quivering with guilt realizing that you ended up going to another Karan Johar movie.

Good: Imran Khan does a good imitation of Aamir Khan proving once again that the chocolate crown remains in the family, Sonam has a cute and energetic presence but that bus cannot go so far, and Bruna Abdullah gives a solid performance as Giselle (an irrelevant dumb girl) which takes our eyes off Sonam’s character which is actually pretty dumb and Sonam’s accent which is a little Katrinisque.

Bad:  It will be published in three volumes over the next ten years. Pre-order and you get a picture of Karan absolutely free.

Verdict: I have no clue what goes inside the mind of Karan Johar, nor the 80% female crowd giggling around me in the theater. Seriously.

It is almost two months since Sathyan Anthikad’s 50th movie released back home, so a review may not be timely, but this is one movie you shouldn’t miss. While Sathyan moves out of his comfort zone and regurgitation to try something new with an intelligent and subtle screenplay, it is Mamta Mohandas who carries the movie through the slog overs with commendable panache making “Kadha thudarunnu..” one of the best malayalam movies I’ve seen in the last five years. And trust me I’ve seen them all.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIGwRxkBWxY

“Kadha thudarunnu..” may not have the extreme intensity of Thalappavu, or the cunning intelligence and social commentary embedded in Paleri Manickam, or may be the breadth of emotions of a Kerala Cafe, but Kadha thudarunnu in the inimitable Sathyan style portrays the best within us and underlines the timeless creed that we, human beings, are essentially good. It appeals to the same heart’s side of the brain which classics like ‘list’, ‘life is beautiful’, and ‘redemption’ appeal to. The movie is a first from the Sathyan stable, inspite of ‘Achuvinte Amma’, which accepts ‘single mother’ as a respectable and inevitable social reality than as a sad transitional phase. Kadha Thudarunnu has around ten characters we will remember (not many movies can claim that), a clear strength of the Sathyan Anthikad style, while it stays clear of exaggerations seen in his movies like Sandesham, Achuvinte Amma, and Innathe Chinthavishayam. As my friend VN mentions in his NowRunning review “the film follows life rather than love”. It is a beautiful movie and every bit a must watch.

Story: The movie begins with a sneak peek into the happy life of Vidya, Shanavas, and their bubbly kid Laya. The couple antagonized their parents when they decided to live together, and are pretty much on their own, living on Shanavas’s meager income. Shanavas gets killed in a freak murder, a case of mistaken identity, which thrusts Vidya and her daughter into a harsh new world without a home, with no money left, and with no one to to turn to. Their world regains some balance when Vidya meets Preman (played by Jayaram), a superstitious auto-driver who once aspired to be a pilot. The movie follows Vidya and her daughter as they journey through one obstacle to another, and their endearing journey, and the story, continues in our minds(as the name puts it) even after the titles roll.

Good:

1. Screenplay: The suggestion has been made more than once, that Sathyan Anthikad and Blessy should rely on external screenplays rather than craft it themselves. Sathyan gives a fitting reply in his 50th movie. The screenplay including the song sequences are crafted with a lot of thought, weaving a woman’s anxiety and a mother’s helplessness into relevant social commentary and a thread of happy possibilities. It all fits in very well making the movie a repeat watch. It does not fall off the box-office cliff of tear-jerker into the the abyss of over-emoting. Sathyan says the story of good people, and as the saying goes, good people do not need many words between them. The screenplay does just that by answering ‘where does the money come from’ question in two frames in a song sequence, and even treating an amateur womanizer employer with a little difference.

2. Mamta Mohandas: and Baby Anikha lighten up the screen without the hyperbole one saw in Achuvinte Amma. Mamta refuses to cry, but still conveys deep angst, without the usual ‘podippum thongalum’ of our ‘kalathilakam’ heroines trained in ‘Kathakali’. Mamta once again proves her mettle with a strong performance without exaggerations and verbosity, and Anthikad makes a good call casting Baby Anikha who brings in a endearing freshness to several situations in the storyline which otherwise would have made the movie tad heavy. Jayaram understands where he fits in and plays his card with control and elan. KPAC Lalitha should be given JC Daniel award next year, it is already too late.

Bad:

Not bad, but the supporting cast except a few can be placed in many a Sathyan movie from over the years. But Sathyan has been creating our own malgudis in his past 50 films, so I wouldn’t complain.

മമത മോഹന്‍ദാസിനെ നോക്കി ഇരുന്നു ഞങ്ങള്‍ ഇത് കണ്ടില്ല , സത്യന്‍ കൊച്ചു കള്ളന്‍ (via Jocalling)

Verdict: If I am not the last person to watch this movie, you shouldn’t be too.

“…athu….Paanashery nambi

Maniyambra Purushothaman kolu vachu, contract avan pokkattilakki

Puroshathamun Arabiyum koode Ding Ding…pimp CHANDRADASAN”

This is a question thats been nagging the boys and yours truly for years. In a recent meetup in San Francisco, the standing (also sitting and sometimes lying down) committee on “Figuring out what the hell Mohanlal talks about in his movies” watched Mohanlal’s Raavanaprabhu (as per Ranjith, the 2nd installment of a story that burns like a petromax lantern in the Malayali psyche) about 3 times back to back to see if we can figure out the question first raised at the Chavadimukku internationale about 8 years back.

In the past 8 years, multiple efforts were made using the DVD and theatre version of the movie to understand these hidden gems and symbols in malayalam’s epic classic. I will not be able to cover all the hidden symbols in Raavanaprabhu in a post, because some of them are even more subtle than Monalisa showing the middle finger in Davinci’s classic painting. My primary attempt here is to figure out the Chandradasan question. It is quite significant in the sense that it occurs in the movie about 1 minute before the classic “Nateshaa….kollanda” dialoge which over the years has attained cult status, and has attained multiple unrelated meanings.

…Athu….Paanashery nambi

Maniyambra Purushothaman kolu vachu, contract avan pokkattilakki

Puroshathamun Arabiyum koode Ding Ding…pimp CHANDRADASAN

Everybody knows Maniyambra, pakshe Chandradasan? This our last attempt in finding out who Chandradasan really is.The boys suggested that we use the power of the internets and the new age social media to crowd source the answer to this 8 year long itch. You can closely watch the video here.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=axc5Jgwxb-U

In case you are able to figure this one out, we’ll need your help in understanding who Balan Pillai is. It is the scene when Mohanlal arrives at Napolean’s house during Siddique’s engagement, gets out of his car, tilts his head to the left and says “Balan Pillai!!”, straightens his head and then says “ha…ividem onda”. Balan Pillai is another raging mystery from Raavanaprabhu. Any help will be highly appreciated by the boys and your’s truly.

In other news, today is a Friday. Vaikittentha paripadi

And there was too much drama at the World Cup. In further news Manisha Koirala got married,and Amrita Arora turned 29. Congrats! and Happy Birthday to you!

Off to watch Ravan. TGIF!

P.S: This has been an inside joke for long. Now someone’s put it on facebook. Desirability and number of hits

Bhoomi Malayalam – is a movie made strictly for malayalis, and I doubt whether this film will speak intensely to any one else. (yeah there were 10 malayalis in Sree yesterday J , Sathyan selling “the family” with Bhagyadevatha had a full-house next door in Kairali). The movie, though without a pattern, and without the burden of solving every issue in 90 minutes (which many a movie do), turns our attention towards a diverse set of issues ranging from treasury shutdown in Trivandrum to the ubiquitous career-family questions to the endosulfan tragedy in Kasaragod. Though some of these issues are period (endosulfan and treasury shutdown is 2001, not 2009), this movie can serve as a reminder in later years.

The story deals with 7 women, and their private fears, tragedies and disappointments. Yes it is a movie centered on women, but not exclusively on women’s isssues but on a diverse set of issues where women find themselves at the receiving end. The movie starts in Trivandrum where a case of police atrocity leaves a woman without her brother, then the movie shifts to Kannur where Nirmala (Samvrutha in one of her significant roles) loses a younger brother to political violence, then to Kottayam where an affluent industrialist’s daughter gets influenced by communist literature from the late 40s and sees the tyrannical bourgeoisie in her own father, and then still within the latex belt we see a struggling athlete fighting both poverty (around the sounds of farmer suicides) and prejudice. We come to know about most of the above stories through the eyes of Fausiya (Padmapriya) who is a television reporter. Fausiya fights her own demons in conservative in-laws and an out of tune husband. The last two stories are from 1948 – about a revolutionary’s wife and her fears, and an often repeated story of a girl pushed into quick sand during an attempted rape.

The movie does end on a positive message for some of the protagonists (mind you there are 7 of them). They assert themselves, but surely around the sounds of families breaking and couples separating. Pretty much the same sad solutions of yester years (even Chandran’s Alicinte Anweshanam and K G George’s Aadhaminte Variyellu from the 80s had similar issues and solutions), but yeah, the fact that western Europe just crossed the threshold of more than 50% single mothers, we indeed have some sad ground to cover.

Bhoomi Malayalam is good, fast, at times a little too ‘painkili’ emotional(that would be there, frickin women! ), but highly watchable. It is not much of a thought provoking movie, but one those ‘reminding’ movies which reminds us of things. Then, atleast the ten people who watched “Bhoomi Malayalam” wouldn’t go home complaining about the sorry state of Malayalam cinema.

Because very soon the world will be divided into 2 halves- those who watch Anurag Kashyap, and those who don’t.

Amal Neerad’s second movie, Sagar alias Jacky is high on style and low on substance. Mohanlal enacts his part as Underworld kingpin Sagar alias Jacky stylishly and with elan. As far as Amal Neerad is concerned, he repeats himself and the movie neither has the novelty or the freshness of Big B. Essentially Sagar Alias Jacky is a short 130 min tale of revenge crafted with a weak storyline and a script that offers absolutely nothing new. Sagar Alias Jacky, has almost nothing to do with the erstwhile superhit ‘Irupatham Nootandu’.This will not be a Mohanlal movie, even a Mohanlal fan will name after say a year or two. Highly watchable, forgettable.

The movie will be a success for Mohanlal who dons his role with exceptional control and who has produced the movie. With 115 prints and about 500 shows daily , SAJ will be the largest release ever in the history of Malayalam cinema. The movie might just break-even by mid-week. The movie will be a failure for Amal Neerad, who was riding on sky high expectations after the spectacular and original portrayal in Big B. Amal Neerad proves that he is not any ‘Avant Garde’ material we might have mistook him for, but a normal artless director who is going the Shaji Kailas way by copying what worked once and beating it till death. The movie in the meanwhile also spits on our intelligence

SAJ is a highly watchable movie, very stylish and very fast(though Amal Neerad does scene by scene copy from English in a few scenes). Do not go expecting a storyline, there isn’t one, but the overall scope and presentation is very remarkable. W    hile the out of place focus on Mohanlal’s face makes you cringe, the overall scheme and craft is remarkably different. (though very similar to Big B)

Story: Mohanlal plays underworld Don Sagar(alias Jacky). The erstwhile Gold smuggler is now into real estate development, while running an occasional Con-Job. Sagar flies down from Dubai when one of his friends gets kidnapped. Of course he rescues his friend (what dya think?), and then its a short tale of deceit and revenge. There is no suspense, and nowehere during the movie does Mohanal’s character even sense the possibility of defeat. Its a clean sweep.
Good:
1. Mohanlal: Lal gives a pretty decent one this time. The character, though loud at times creates a fleeting impression. (Just a fleeting impression).
2. Cinematography and Pace: Kudos to Amal Neerad, the camera work, though it imitates Big B in certain scenes, is superb.  This along with the pace and style of the movie provides a feast for the Mohanlal fan’s eye. No wonder the theatre erupted every two minutes.
Bad:
1. The movie spits on your intelligence while setting the record for the most number of villains killed by a single hero. Mohanlal kills around 14,565 villains with two guns. The villains also have guns, but as the Southern Travancore swear word goes – they are born to blow jobs, so they don’t shoot with aim. The script is somewhat as believable as this shooting spree.

2. Mohanlal-Bhavana pairing: This was injustice to both Mohanlal and Bhavana. Mohanlal cannot even play her brother at this point, and casting him alongside Bhavana brings his age and figure under more scrutiny. Why can’t they have Meena or Shobana play his love interest. Then again, as Shobana said in a recent interview, Mohanal’s heroin must be below 20
3. Story, Script, Screenplay, Direction: are non-existent. Amal Neerad and SN Swami falls flat. But Amal Neerad needs to be appreciated more for falling flat in his second movie. Big B was a direct copy, but what SAJ lacks in comparison to Big B is the subtlety. In Big B, every dialogue was under-stated, silences were used properly and the songs made sense. SAJ does not have a silent minute, is a bit too focussed on Mohanlal’s face and  the item song embedded for nothing only proves that Jyothirmayee is fat with thundering thighs.

Verdict: Must be a simple hit. Watch it, if you have nothing better to do. I would wait out for the Harihar Nagar team to arrive if I were you.