V.K. SANTOSH KUMAR
When a movie celebrates life and the things people do on a daily basis, it’s likely to appeal to audiences for its relatability.
Malayalam filmmakers have identified their viewers well and are making more relatable films that have been earning acclaim.
Though they do not make big money at the box office, Malayalam films are being hailed for their storytelling by several big players in the Indian film industry, including S.S. Rajamouli and Anurag Kashyap.
Malayalee producer R. Mohan, who has produced more than 40 films in Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi and has launched the careers of several actors over the past 35 years, feels the accolades are richly deserved because filmmakers from Kerala “know the pulse of the people”.
“It’s not a new phenomenon,” the 74-year-old, famously known as Goodnight Mohan after a brand of mosquito coil he used to manufacture, told tabla! during a visit to Singapore last week.
“We have been doing good films for ages. The thing is, we visualise correctly and choose subjects that the common man has experienced and can relate to.”
Thriller, love story or comedy, Malayalam filmmakers offer a wide range.
“They are also bold,” said Mohan. “No one else in India would think about making a film about the cause of the Nipah virus or the dilemma of a butcher when the buffalo he was supposed to slaughter escapes.
“Superstar Mammootty recently portrayed a man whose wife belatedly realises that he is a homosexual. Which other film industry in India will tackle such a subject? Certainly not Bollywood fielding a big star.
“It’s the strength of the scripts, fine direction and natural acting from the likes of Mohanlal and Mammooty and the crop of young actors, such as Fahadh Faasil, Nivin Pauly, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Dulquer Salmaan and Tovino Thomas – that is behind the success of Malayalam films.”
However, Malayalam producers are hesitant to make big-budget movies.
“This is because the market is small, compared to say Hindi films, which 70 per cent of Indians watch,” explained Mohan. “Very few would dare to make a big-budget Malalayam movie because a small hitch would be the ruin of the producer.”
The 1995 film The King, with a budget of Rs10 crore ($1.6 million), was the first big-budget Malayalam film.
The 2005 film Rajamanikyam cost Rs25 crore to make. The 2013 film Drishyam touched Rs50 crore and Malaikottai Vaaliban, which stars Mohanlal and will be released this year, is pegged at the same budget.
In contrast, the Bollywood film Jawan, which starred Shah Rukh Khan, cost Rs300 crore to make.
“It’s not the big stars or lavish sets that matter for Malayalam movies,” said Mohan. “They revolve around simple stuff like happiness, friendship, love, hope, family values, morale. You are bound to love such content.”
Mohan, however, has stopped producing Malayalam movies for the past few years for one reason: The attitude of the actors and technicians.
“Before, it was one big family, all working together to make a film,” he said. “Now, people just do their job and leave the set. I don’t like it.”
