The Glorious 80s of Malayalam Cinema
When I look back upon my childhood, I can't help but think how cinema was not only an integral and inextricable part of it, but also how it played a decisive role in fashioning my thoughts and aesthetic sensibilities. I had that rare (almost unheard of these days) kind of childhood where I was mostly left to my own devices, meaning my parents did not go crazy trying to figure out how to keep my sister and me constantly occupied and entertained; we were expected to go with the flow or get creative. Having lived with extended family right up until age 15, in a cramped two bedroom apartment in the Middle East, privacy was something of a joke and whatever little we got of it was guarded like it were sacrosanct. Our movie time from 2-4pm was sacred, as was TV time from 7 to 8pm. My dad, an avid Malayalam film lover, who enjoyed watching films on the SONY video cassette player we owned back then-walked in the door around 2pm bearing at least two VHS cassettes, among other things. Every day. It was his routine to stop by the video store every afternoon on his way home from work and pick up anything new on offer. The video store owner, for his part, saved the choicest picks of the day for his favorite customer. I would wait with bated breath for dad to come home, and after giving him a quick hug and peck on the cheek, would pounce upon the day's offerings. How my heart filled with excitement at the thought of spending the next 2 hrs disappearing into the magical worlds that these rectangular black boxes opened up! Meanwhile my parents ate lunch and retired for their afternoon siesta, after which dad would return to work for a couple more hours. With my uncles also out of the house for at least the next 2-3 hours, it was my time to leave my mundane, unexciting life behind, travel to exotic lands, inhabit far more happening lives, and become the characters I watched with awe on screen.
Cinema to me wasn't mere entertainment, it was the most beautiful form of escapism. There were very few checks or controls in place, with regard to what we watched, which only added to its allure. My dad made no distinction between pure commercial potboilers, parallel or arthouse cinema; there was very little concern for film rating, intended audience or even language. Thus, the deep and complex nuances of an Adoor, Lenin Rajendran, TV Chandran, Mohan or KG George film were devoured with just as much curiosity and relish as the intense, often cathartic emotional reaction that a Padmarajan, Bharathan, MT or Hariharan film evoked; Venu Nagavally, Balachandran Menon, Sathyan Anthikkad, Fazil and Priyadarshan were all duly adored for the winsome wholesomeness of their films while IV Sasi, Siby Malayil, K. Madhu, Joshi and Bhadran's movies evoked a certain thrill and awe. K. Vishwanath's iconic Sankarabharanam, Saptapadi and Sagara Sangamam sent the classical music and dance lover in me into dizzy raptures while Balu Mahendra, Bharathiraja and K. Balachander's films and characters remained stuck in my head for days, making me relive their passions and angst over and over again. I think it would be pretty safe to say that I saw almost every Hindi movie that was released between 1980-1990 and I am thankful for that time period being rather iconic for some of the most brilliant cinema to grace the Indian silver screen. For every Bollywood masala movie that I dived into with gusto, secretly fantasizing about the good looking heroes and subconsciously imitating the beautiful heroines with their gorgeous costumes and perfect hair, there were movies like Arth, Ardh Satya, Nishant, Saraansh, Mirch Masala, Maya Memsaab, Ijaazat, Masoom, Lekin, Drishti...and many, many more that moved and shook my sensibilities to the very core, redefining my impressions of what good cinema should be, even as a young tween. It was also the time when I watched 36 Chowringhee Lane and Paroma and developed a fascination with Aparna Sen's signature style of storytelling that has continued to this day, after watching pretty much every one of her directorial outings, in English, Hindi, as well as her native Bengali. Her films fill me with a sense of awe and wonder- of her brilliance and her unfaltering ability to tell a story that touches the human spirit. Thus, movies were my solace from boredom, my escape from my ordinary life and the fodder for my imagination.
When I donned the hat of Radio Jockey for Malayali FM back in early 2014, it felt like a natural and organic transition...like I was born to do it- in my mind at least. My greatest happiness comes from reaching out to and communicating with people- be it through writing or through conversation. And here was an opportunity that allowed me to combine that with my two other abiding passions- music and movies! How much more perfect could it get? I'm thankful to MFM for allowing me the freedom to treat my show Classic Cocktail as a blank canvas and letting me fill it up with any and all of the colors that I fancied, in the tones and shades that I loved. Eventually, I developed a format that seemed the best reflection of what I felt *I* would enjoy listening to. There had to be depth, complexity, emotion...and yet, be soothing, thought provoking...and I daresay, even inspirational. Much like the films that left such a big impression on me, growing up. And of course, there *had to be* an episode about those films. Since cinema is such a broad subject, it is not easy to handpick a select few when there are so many you love in so many different genres, languages, and for so many different reasons. So I decided to narrow the episode down to Malayalam cinema from the 80s, which encompasses some of the finest films ever made in Malayalam, and which are probably closest to my heart. The 80s were a defining decade in Indian cinema. Although the parallel cinema movement had begun in West Bengal in the 1950s, it was in the 80s, that Malayalam cinema went through a renaissance of sorts with an influx of visionary directors who made some pretty incredible movies that can be broadly categorized as parallel films, yet really struck a chord with the discerning Kerala audience and went on to become both critical and commercial successes.
Classic Cocktail's Glorious 80s of Malayalam Cinema is a heartfelt tribute to the movies and music from that time period that left lingering impressions on my psyche. If you have more than a passing interest in Malayalam cinema, enjoy details and nuances, or even if your are in it only for the beautifully soulful music, this episode may be right up your alley. Do check out my Soundcloud link below and let me know your thoughts.
Classic Cocktail's Glorious 80s of Malayalam Cinema by Priya
Cinema to me wasn't mere entertainment, it was the most beautiful form of escapism. There were very few checks or controls in place, with regard to what we watched, which only added to its allure. My dad made no distinction between pure commercial potboilers, parallel or arthouse cinema; there was very little concern for film rating, intended audience or even language. Thus, the deep and complex nuances of an Adoor, Lenin Rajendran, TV Chandran, Mohan or KG George film were devoured with just as much curiosity and relish as the intense, often cathartic emotional reaction that a Padmarajan, Bharathan, MT or Hariharan film evoked; Venu Nagavally, Balachandran Menon, Sathyan Anthikkad, Fazil and Priyadarshan were all duly adored for the winsome wholesomeness of their films while IV Sasi, Siby Malayil, K. Madhu, Joshi and Bhadran's movies evoked a certain thrill and awe. K. Vishwanath's iconic Sankarabharanam, Saptapadi and Sagara Sangamam sent the classical music and dance lover in me into dizzy raptures while Balu Mahendra, Bharathiraja and K. Balachander's films and characters remained stuck in my head for days, making me relive their passions and angst over and over again. I think it would be pretty safe to say that I saw almost every Hindi movie that was released between 1980-1990 and I am thankful for that time period being rather iconic for some of the most brilliant cinema to grace the Indian silver screen. For every Bollywood masala movie that I dived into with gusto, secretly fantasizing about the good looking heroes and subconsciously imitating the beautiful heroines with their gorgeous costumes and perfect hair, there were movies like Arth, Ardh Satya, Nishant, Saraansh, Mirch Masala, Maya Memsaab, Ijaazat, Masoom, Lekin, Drishti...and many, many more that moved and shook my sensibilities to the very core, redefining my impressions of what good cinema should be, even as a young tween. It was also the time when I watched 36 Chowringhee Lane and Paroma and developed a fascination with Aparna Sen's signature style of storytelling that has continued to this day, after watching pretty much every one of her directorial outings, in English, Hindi, as well as her native Bengali. Her films fill me with a sense of awe and wonder- of her brilliance and her unfaltering ability to tell a story that touches the human spirit. Thus, movies were my solace from boredom, my escape from my ordinary life and the fodder for my imagination.
When I donned the hat of Radio Jockey for Malayali FM back in early 2014, it felt like a natural and organic transition...like I was born to do it- in my mind at least. My greatest happiness comes from reaching out to and communicating with people- be it through writing or through conversation. And here was an opportunity that allowed me to combine that with my two other abiding passions- music and movies! How much more perfect could it get? I'm thankful to MFM for allowing me the freedom to treat my show Classic Cocktail as a blank canvas and letting me fill it up with any and all of the colors that I fancied, in the tones and shades that I loved. Eventually, I developed a format that seemed the best reflection of what I felt *I* would enjoy listening to. There had to be depth, complexity, emotion...and yet, be soothing, thought provoking...and I daresay, even inspirational. Much like the films that left such a big impression on me, growing up. And of course, there *had to be* an episode about those films. Since cinema is such a broad subject, it is not easy to handpick a select few when there are so many you love in so many different genres, languages, and for so many different reasons. So I decided to narrow the episode down to Malayalam cinema from the 80s, which encompasses some of the finest films ever made in Malayalam, and which are probably closest to my heart. The 80s were a defining decade in Indian cinema. Although the parallel cinema movement had begun in West Bengal in the 1950s, it was in the 80s, that Malayalam cinema went through a renaissance of sorts with an influx of visionary directors who made some pretty incredible movies that can be broadly categorized as parallel films, yet really struck a chord with the discerning Kerala audience and went on to become both critical and commercial successes.
Classic Cocktail's Glorious 80s of Malayalam Cinema is a heartfelt tribute to the movies and music from that time period that left lingering impressions on my psyche. If you have more than a passing interest in Malayalam cinema, enjoy details and nuances, or even if your are in it only for the beautifully soulful music, this episode may be right up your alley. Do check out my Soundcloud link below and let me know your thoughts.
Classic Cocktail's Glorious 80s of Malayalam Cinema by Priya
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