{The second in a 3-part series by Narayan Radhakrishnan with additional inputs from Gopalakrishnan Nair, Radhakrishnan P.S., Prabhakaran Nair, Sajith Bhaskaran & Sibi Salam. }
With the advent of video cassettes, and later cable television, increase in the number of cinema periodicals and subsequently the world wide web and social media – movie news began to spread more rampantly. Filmi announcements became more common – and of course, number of movies unmade increased manifold.
{The first in a 3-part series by Narayan Radhakrishnan with additional inputs from Gopalakrishnan Nair, Radhakrishnan P.S., Prabhakaran Nair, Sajith Bhaskaran & Sibi Salam.}
For every movie that reaches the cinema – there are tales of more than a dozen stories that never made it . Some were killed even before germination took place; some were aborted midway; and some still are imprisoned, for a lifetime hoping that someday at some time – they will be released. പെട്ടിയിലായപടം – the phrase itself originated along with the release of the first movie in Malayalam.
Do you remember watching the Shankar-Gowri love story-based on a screenplay by MT Vasudevan Nair unfolding on the big screen?
A poignant tale of two lovers kept in captivity, who were made to dance to the cruel tunes of their masters ? Two lovers who decided to escape from the chains and clutches of the evil villians, to everlasting freedom. Produced by Gandhimathi Balan, the movie was a runaway hit when released in 1985 and most probably every 33+ kid out here might have watched this movie. Shankar and Gowri- the hit pair, were newcomers and to the best of my knowledge, their only screen outing ever. Here is a clue if its still hazy – Shankar and Gowri were monkeys, and the movie was Kaadinte Makkal, released in 1985.
As a kid living in Thiruvananthapuram during the 80’s, the highlight was going to Sreekumar theatre to see live action movies in which animals were the stars. I remember seeing some of the Lassie movies, a few in the Benji series, The Ugly Dachshund, The Cat From Outer Space, Monkeys Go Home, The Horse in the Grey Flannel Suit, That Darn Cat, Zebra in the Kitchen, Clarence the Cross-eyed Lion, The Last Giraffe, Bedtime for Bonzo and its sequel Bonzo Goes to College, Digby: The Biggest Dog in the World, Born Free, Living Free, The Shaggy Dog and its sequel The Shaggy DA, The Million Dollar Duck, The Black Stallion Part I and II, The Golden Seal etc. Dean Jones (not the cricketer) was my Hollywood hero.
{Narayan is back with another quiz, on the fictional movie titles that had been a part of the story-line of some of the movies we have watched. Give Google a rest and see how many of these you can identify correctly. }
Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter Read books are great, but those unread are greater.
Movie lovers ! Cinephiles ! It’s time to bring to your attention some books, some classics which redefined the way we watched movies. May I welcome you on a journey across my celluloid shelf ? As I riffle through, the first title that catches my eye is Palunku written by Ravi ¹in 1969. This book has an interesting history.
Those words that reverberate across each Malayalee’s mind are going to make a comeback. In an exclusive interview to Narayan Radhakrishnan for Old Malayalam Cinema, Sreenivasan opens his mind.
Achanurangatha Veedu is soon going to have a sequel. And so is Avalude Ravukal, New Delhi, Samrajyam and Runway. It seems that the sequel mania which hit its zenith following the success of Harihar Nagar Part 3, is still raging in Malayalam cinema.
The movie starts with the credits being shown in the background of the scenes from the first part. The background music is “ചാഞ്ചക്കം ചാഞ്ചക്കം” from the first part. The credits end with outer view of the old flat in which the trio used to stay. This flat has now been purchased by Unnikrishnan (Jayaram).
[This is a Guest Post by Adv Narayan Radhakrishnan, who also follows the trials and tribulations of characters in reel life with the same passion that he pursues the ones in his professional domain. He has sent across his version of a possible sequel to Kamal’s 1992 runaway hit, Thoovalsparsham as a screen narrative,and this leading article that so rightly explains the ‘background’ of creating his version screenplay. The Sequel Narrative will follow soon. Adv Narayan is right now at work on his new book, based on the depiction of Lawyers in Indian Cinema. You could mail him at advnarayan@gmail.com]
Thoovalsparasham was a hit movie of 1992. Jayaram (Unnikrishnan), Mukesh (Bonny) and Saikumar (Vinod) were the young stars of the day. The movie was based on a Hollywood movie Three Men and a Baby starring Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg. This movie itself was based on a French movie Three Men and a Cradle. Kaloor Dennis adapted Thoovalsparasham from this hit movie, with Kamal donning the director’s robes.
