29
Dec

‘വിടപറയും മുമ്പേ’യുടെ വിധി

Director-Mohan

ഭരത് ഗോപിയും എന്‍െറ സംവിധാനത്തില്‍ ആദ്യമായി അഭിനയിക്കുകയായിരുന്നു. കുറച്ച് എക്സന്‍ട്രിക് ആയ ഡോക്ടറുടെ റോളില്‍.

ആ റോളിലേക്ക് ആരെ കാസ്റ്റ് ചെയ്യും എന്ന് ആലോചിക്കുമ്പോഴാണ് വേണു, ഗോപിയുടെ പേര് നിര്‍ദേശിക്കുന്നത്. സിനിമയില്‍ സ്ഥിരം കാണുന്ന മുഖങ്ങള്‍ക്കുപകരം വ്യത്യസ്തതയുള്ള ആരെങ്കിലും വേണം എന്ന് എനിക്ക് നിര്‍ബന്ധമുണ്ടായിരുന്നു.

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10
Dec

Twenty five years of Akkare (1984)

Akkare-Bharat-Gopy

If the trend in 1970s and 1980s for the most preferred destination, especially for Malayalees was the Middle East , in 1990s and 2000s US and UK took over that place. And now it is South East Asia. The trend continues, only destination changes.

This sights, in front of the various consulates reminds me of a movie that hit silver screens almost 26 years back, Akkare.

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10
Sep

A cartoonist scripts an endearing celluloid classic.

Cartoonist-Yesudasan-with-Jagathy-Sreekumar

By KG George’s own admission, Panchavadipalam was the costliest production he had ever handled, with the construction of the iconic bridge coming to over Rs 15 lakhs at that time.

“Gandhimathi” Balan, the producer of the film, never bat an eyelid as he gave the go ahead to construct a fairly functional bridge that was to be blown up later, created for the movie by Rajeev Anchal.

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08
May

Interview with film director K. N. Sasidharan | Zooming in, unhurriedly

Director KN Sasidharan

It was in the 80s when the wonderful world of television, full of opportunities, was opening up and he wanted to be part of that new medium. This is why he turned his attention to the small screen. He directed a popular telefilm, Mash. And for a generation unfamiliar with his work, he is the man behind the famous tagline, ‘vannallo vanamala’, for a detergent soap, which still has amazing recall.

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22
Nov

Revisiting Swayamvaram 40 years on, with its director

Adoor Gopalakrishnan on the-edit table with Swayamvaram

It was not received very enthusiastically when it was released first. But once the national awards were announced, it was well-received and widely seen. It was the Malayalam film that received the National Award after Chemmeen. But Swayamvaram bagged several National awards, including best film, direction, cinematography etc. No other film had received so many national awards before that.

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29
Aug

A wonderful character-oriented drama films from the 80’s

A wonderful character-oriented drama films from the 80’s

I feel that the film takes some missteps when it comes to the behaviour of the characters, particularly in the climactic scene where Unnikrishnan and Asha resolve their dispute, which felt somewhat sudden and thus a little too theatrical.

I felt there was something lacking in the way the “relationship” between the professor and Asha was built, particularly with regards to the professor’s personality and character.

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31
Mar

ജീവിതമെന്ന അസംബന്ധനാടകം.

Bharat Gopy as Tablist Ayyappan in Yavanika

അയ്യപ്പന്റെ തിരോധാനത്തെക്കുറിച്ച് അന്വേഷിക്കുന്ന ഈരാളി എന്ന പൊലീസ് ഉദ്യോഗസ്ഥന്റെ ബുദ്ധികൂര്‍മ്മത ചിത്രത്തെ ആദിമദ്യാന്തം ഉദ്വേഗജനകമാക്കുന്നു. കുറ്റവാളിയെ കണ്ടെത്താന്‍ ഈരാളി സഞ്ചരിക്കുന്ന വഴികള്‍ പൊലീസ് അന്വേഷണത്തിന്റെ കാണാപ്പുറങ്ങള്‍ അനാവരണം ചെയ്തു. കഥയുടെ പശ്ചാത്തലത്തിലെ സൂക്ഷ്മതകള്‍ പോലും ചോര്‍ന്നുപോകാതെ ചിത്രം പകര്‍ത്തിയെടുക്കാന്‍ കെ ജി ജോര്‍ജിനു കഴിഞ്ഞു.

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07
Nov

SM Rana on Kodiyettam (1977)

Bharat-Gopy-the-actor-of-actors

Adoor is a gentle poet in the tradition of Tagore and Satyajit Ray and his vision is of oriental, Indian and Keralite vintage. In the movements of the environment most intimately known to him he hears and captures the pulsation of universal life.

He is sensitive, compassionate, humane, artistic. Adoor’s film holds a mirror to nature.

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02
Oct

Njattadi (1979) | A cinematic metaphor

Bharat Gopy at the sets of Njattadi

Paradoxically, the film was screened only twice and its print is still untraceable. For a film like that, which was seen only by a few, there is every chance of it being relegated to oblivion. But in the case of ‘Njatadi’ it was not so. On September 24, after 30 years, the group of then youngsters who made that film possible got together to refresh their memories.

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26
Sep

Njattadi (1979) | A classic that vanished

Bharat-Gopy-directing-Njattadi

‘Njattadi’ was the result of hard work by a group of youngsters who believed films could change society. K.N. Sreenivasan, Bharat Gopi, P.N. Vishwanathan, T.K. Kochu Narayanan, Bharat Murali etc. had taken on the mantle of producer, director, scriptwriter and actor. Many of them had to play more than one role. Kochu Narayanan was the scriptwriter and producer.

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27
Aug

Jai Arjun Singh on Aghaat, and Govind Nihalani’s use of actors

Om-Puri-Aghaat-1985

Brooding intensity is sometimes an overrated quality in actors, but Puri’s performances as the mute victim of caste discrimination in Aakrosh and as the introspecting policeman in Ardh Satya are outstanding. As Madhav, a sincere man who begins to despair of the moral ambiguities he finds himself facing, he dominates Aghaat, which is some achievement considering the many acting heavyweights on view here. (The Malayali actor Bharath Gopi, as the menacing Krishnan, is another standout.)

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22
Nov

Revisiting Thampu

G-Aravindan-Director

Thampu does not have a storyline as such; instead, it attracts the viewer with a succession of true-to-life images strung together by Aravindan’s unique poetics and his cinematographer Shaji Karun’s extraordinary visual flair. The film abounds in passages, long and short, that stick to the mind tenaciously.

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