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Oct. 12, 1997

Ethnic and the spiritual Cinema: Two bold ventures in Malayalam a film based on Othello and a fantasy about communal divide VINU ABRAHAM in Thiruvananthapuram

There are filmmakers and filmmakers but only the bravest aspire to make movies based on Shakespearean tragedies. Perhaps emboldened by the international acclaim received by his previous film, Desadanam, young Malayalam director Jayaraj adapted the main theme of Othello against the backdrop of Theyyam, a temple art form of north Kerala. Another film with an equally unusual theme which was released this Onam was Guru, tribute to their spiritual master by a group of disciples.

Ambitious venture: Director Jayaraj (left) uses the temple art of Thayyam
as the backdrop of Kaliyattam, an adaption of Othello. Suresh Gopi as Kannan (above right) gives an unforgettable performance

Jayaraj's Kaliyattam is a bold attempt considering that there is a rich tradition of films based on Shakespearean themes including classics like Gregory Kozintsky's King Lear and Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood (Macbeth). The director's challenge lay in that his locale bore no resemblance to Shakespearean milieu. Rural Kerala neither had the colour and glory of royalty nor the power and gore of war. So, he needed something to provide a larger-than-life dimension to the narration. And, Theyyam with its colourful costumes and body paint served his purpose.

The story revolves round Kannan and Thamara, the pretty daughter of the village head. Clouds of trouble surround them soon after they elope. While Unni Thampuran hates Kannan because he had a crush on Thamara, and Paniyan who plays a comic character in Theyyam is envious because he has the coveted role of Theechamundi. Through different ploys, Paniyan sows the seeds of doubt about Thamara's fidelity in Kannan's mind. He suspects that Thamara and his assistant Kanthan are having an affair. He goes wild with rage when spots a silk robe, which he had presented to Thamara, in Kanthan's hands; of course it was Paniyan's plant.

Torn between grief and anger over what he takes to be Thamara's betrayal, Kannan takes her life. On the same night, the wily Paniyan gets Kanthan killed by Unni Thampuran and then kills Thampuran, too. It is too late when Kannan realises his folly from Paniyan's wife Cheerma, who is also murdered by Paniyan. Kannan wreaks revenge, reducing Paniyan to a 'vegetable' so that he atones for his sins through a life of misery. Kannan then embraces the ritual fire of Theyyam.

The director and the new script-writer Balram Mattanur create an exquisite ethnic milieu for the film. Ably assisted by cinematographer M.J. Radhakrishnan, Jayaraj makes full use of Theyyam's visual brilliance to transplant the tragedy from the Italy of middle ages to a north Kerala village.

Equally remarkable is the stylised behaviour of the characters both in movements and dialogue delivery. The stylisation is subdued and designed not to intrude on the viewer's perception of reality. The effect of such scenes is enhanced visually through the use of close-ups and silhouettes. For instance, the camera zooms in on the huge torso of Kannan as he kills Thamara.

Suresh Gopi comes up with the best act of his career while Manju Warrier puts in a performance befitting a Shakespeare heroine. In a casting coup, Jayaraj has made Lal, a film director who along with Siddique made many a commercial blockbuster, give a subdued yet sinister interpretation of the villain's role.

There are some flaws, too, especially when it comes to fixing a time frame for the fable. The assumption is that the village where the events take place is without the trappings of modern society; police, courts, vehicles and electricity are unknown to it. Yet, Kanthan wears printed shirts and Unni full sleeves. Others don watches and spectacles. There is even a reference to a photograph. All these could have been avoided and the action limited to a pristine pre-twentieth century Kerala village.

There are avoidable imperfections in the narration, too. It is left to the viewer's imagination why Kanthan picks up a quarrel with the Theyyam gurukkal which sparks off a chain of events culminating in his expulsion from the Theyyam troupe. The killing of Unni Thampuran too fails to carry conviction. Besides, at least two of the songs do not serve any aesthetic purpose.Yet, as is Jayaraj's wont, he has pulled off a minor classic by sticking to a low budget. Though not offering any new interpretation of Othello, he has retained the charm of the original in a fresh milieu.

Though a more ambitious venture than Kaliyattam, Guru, a Rs 4-crore project, does not fully achieve the artistic goals its creators set for themselves. Produced by 50 disciples of Karunakara Guru of Pothencode near Thiruvananthapuram, the film wants to spread the message that mankind is one despite the communal divides and that the key to happiness lies in discovering one's master. To highlight the spiritual aspects, director Rajiv Anchal and script-writer Rajendra Babu mix fantasy and realism in their narration.

In Guru, Raghuraman (played by Mohan Lal) is plunged into a world of fntasy. It is peopled by the blind and he rescues them from their ignorance.

The central character is Raghuraman, a jobless rebel. His life takes a sharp turn when he loses all his dear ones including his fiancee in a communal riot. To settle scores with his rivals, he joins an extreme religious group. An accident brings him to a spiritual master's abode. Raghuraman's colleagues who move about in disguise hatch a heinous plan to carry out a series of bombings to destroy a Muslim refugee camp. A girl gets a revelation about the plot and stops Raghuraman before he could get cracking.

He is made to kiss the footwear of the guru after which he is plunged into a world of fantasy. It is peopled by the blind and it falls on Raghuraman to rescue them from their ignorance and blindness. He also joins a pair of lovers. Mission accomplished, he wakes up as a new man. Reaching the site of a carnage, which occurred as a result of his former associates' bombing, he lifts up an orphan, providing the ray of hope for his community.Mohan Lal as Raghuraman lives up to his reputation as a versatile artiste and Madhupal acquits himself well as the blind lover.

While the fable in the fantasy scenes is delightful, the portrayal of reality is rather doubtful. The picturisation of the riots lacks conviction and the characters give the impression of being mere caricatures. Moreover, didacticism robs many scenes of their charm. The special effects involving the 'demons of communalism' are plain silly while the miraculous powers of the woman disciple stretch credulity. It was perhaps wise not to show the guru in physical form.

But the fantasy scenes provide a totally different experience. They stand out for their excellence in cinematography, sound recording, lavish sets and brilliant acting. The characters, their actions and dialogue are perfectly in tune with the ambiance in the dream sequences. It must have helped that Rajiv Anchal is also a renowned sculptor and art director.

The creators are said to be thinking of a pruned version of Guru dubbed in English for international audiences. This is to have a sharper focus on the scenes depicting the fantasy of Raghuraman. Perhaps a greater idea would be to have only that aspect.

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