What cause MalayaLam industry downfall?

**joe** · 2nd July 2008, 07:34 AM

Writter Jayamohan's views on status of Malayalam industry
http://jeyamohan.in/?p=521

**Google Adsense** · 2nd July 2008 07:34 AM

**joe** · 2nd July 2008, 07:48 AM

some feedbacks
http://jeyamohan.in/?p=528

**Murali Srinivas** · 8th July 2008, 07:44 PM

Dear Joe,

There has been a sea change in the attitude of Keralites compared to what it was some 2 decades ago. People would even think twice before clapping in theatre. Now they have even come to do Palabishekam for their favourite star. I am sort of amazed as well as feel sorry for this transformation. See the related link. On 4th July, Mohanlal's new movie "Maadambi" got released. Go through all the pages (now this thread has 9 pages) and You tube videos. There is a even a newspaper photo about the crowd.

http://www.forumkerala.com/malayalam...t-megahit.html

Next week Mammootty's "Parunthu" is getting released. So there will be tit for tat.

Regards

**joe** · 9th July 2008, 10:35 AM

Murali sir,
I agree that popularity of thamizh movies changed the culture of common malayaLam cinema goers ..

But shall we start from begining ..What made malayaLam fans turned to thamizh movies ? what lacked in malayalam movies made them to change their focus to thamizh movies ?

**P_R** · 9th July 2008, 10:55 AM

Very good essay by Jeyamohan.
Thanks Joe.

When we bought our VCR - around '93 - there was video rental guy near our colony in Madurai who was a Malayalee. He used to get casettes of many Malayalam films. My mother and aunt started watching so many of them that they can understand the language quite well. I too used to watch on and off and at that time could only see the films were different from the melodrama of our films.Often times it would be a regular family sentiment film, but narrated so simply and fluently that they are impressive. Most importantly by watching those films one would get a fair impression of how the local culture was there - which is NOT something we can say of most of our films.

Sad to learn that all this is on the decline.

**joe** · 9th July 2008, 11:32 AM

PR,
I am also almost in the same position like you ..Though i don't understand malaYalam fully ,defenitely had malayaLam influence since my home is just 35 kms away from Kerala and before 1954 Kanyakumari dist was with Kerala and still we have shades of malayaLam culture (food ,politics etc) in our dist.

Once upon a time MalayaLis made fun on thamizh movies ,since ma;layaLam movies were better in narration and wide range of stories ..But now not just movies ,i can see thamizh influence in TV also .

In very popular asia net show 'Idea star Singer' ,atleast 40% songs are thamizh songs and from the reaction of audience and judges ,thamizh songs as popular there as in thamizh nadu.

how did this happen?

**P_R** · 9th July 2008, 12:03 PM

This weekend I went to Kozhikkode. I saw posters for Dasavatharam - understandable.
I also saw posters for thOttA - (jeevan-priyamani). I don't get why such second rate films are released there ? Are they more successful than the local fare ?

While on the way to the airport I was fiddling with the FM in the cab. Two channels playing Tamil and Hindi songs respectively. No Malayalam FM in a city that is big enough to have an internartional airport !!

**Murali Srinivas** · 9th July 2008, 04:59 PM

Prabhu,

Kozhikode or Calicut does have Malayalam FM channels. The good thing about their radio stations or TV channels is they dedicate an hour or so for other languages. If you check Kiran TV (Sun Tv group), they have daily 1 hr programme for Tamil hits. The compere of that prog Sandara was the girl who got married to Prajan.

You are surprised about Thotta. The fact is every Tamil film will release in Kerala. Not only in main stations but also in all the centres where they have theatres. This has been the practice since ages. When I was there, I have seen even dubbed movies (from Telugu to Tamil)of Chiranjeevi in theatres.

Kerala is one place where you can see high tolerance levels in all spheres.

Joe,

The transformation was happening even at that time but it was slow. I think Jayamohan has explained it clearly. The competition between the two M's started in 1987 but the fans association began in 1990s. After sometime, it started declining. But after 2000, again it started and by 2003 -04, it was mushrooming and now it is almost like Tamilnadu. Even in Kottayam, the place where I worked, it has caught up. It is a very conservative area and you should be knowing. It is dominated by Syrian Christians and there it was minimal. In fact the people thre used to say that fans association itself is there only in Trivandrum and Palgaht because of their proximty to Tamilnadu. But now there is Kottayam district Mammootty fans association and MLal fans association under which numerous units operate. In fact in Kottayam for the last release of Mammootty, (Annan Thampi- the film jayamohan had written about), the crowds had gathered in front of the theatre at 7 am on the first day and they had no other go but to start screning.[In a town called Tirur in Malappuram district, the same film had it's first show at 3.45 am in the morning] Compare this with the times, I was there. The theatre staff would not start their work before 11 am (however big the rush may be) and would not even work for an extra show. (CITU Unions). Not a surprise anymore considering the fact that Paalabhisekam happens in Alleppy, once called the cradle of Communism (hope you have heard about the Punnapara Vayalar porattangal against the Diwan rule).

How time changes!

Regards

**P_R** · 9th July 2008, 09:20 PM

Originally Posted by Murali Srinivas

Prabhu,
Kozhikode or Calicut does have Malayalam FM channels. The good thing about their radio stations or TV channels is they dedicate an hour or so for other languages. If you check Kiran TV (Sun Tv group), they have daily 1 hr programme for Tamil hits.

Oh ok ! I remember in old DD2 - a channel that was the previlege of residents of Madras,Kanchipuram etc - there was a weekly program like our oliyum oLiyum. Just that it used to 2 songs each from each of the regional languages. SS Music has made a channel out of that concept !! I guess I got the FM at the 'wrong' time then. In its intial days Asianet used to telecast Tamil films.

I thought only classics and/or hit Tamil films were released in Kerala. And since ThOttA is by no means either I was surprised.
I thought only stars like Kamal-Rajini have simultaneous releases in TN and Kerala.

Chiranjeevi Tamil dub ellAm naan edhirpaarkkavE illai

Madurai used to have much more Telugu dubbing releases some years back than now...either that or I used to have too much free time back then

**Murali Srinivas** · 10th July 2008, 12:23 AM

Joe & Prabhu,

But in spite of all such happenings, Malayalam cinema still produces some good cinema. All said and done, still the Standard of their films are much higher when compared to our films.

Both the M's, though they have been comercially inclined of late, still continue to do good cinemas. Not only that, time and again they prove that you need not spend 2-3 years on a movie. Quality and quantity can co-exist. Here I am reminded of NT, who also followed the same policy.

Another factor that I like in their movies is, the characerization of the Hero. He will be a person whom you can easily identify. They can be spotted amongst the people whom we meet in our day to life. Unlike Tamil film heroes they are not superficial.

Let us have a look at some of the pictures of them on floors.

Mammootty

1. Parunthu - Directed by a young director Padmakumar, the hero is a கந்து வட்டிக்காரன். A totally negative character who grew up as an orphan because his parents ditched him. Will go to any length for money. Movie is getting released on 18th July.

2. Vandemaatharam (Malayalam) & Aruvadai (Tamil)

This movie produced by Hendri is a bi-lingual which has also Arjun in its cast. Mammootty comes in as a Chief of IB (Intelligence Bureau) of Southern region. [This is what i mentioned. Their characters will look real]. Movie releases on Aug 15th.

3. Pazhasi Raaja - A classic written by M.T. Vasudevan Nair and directed by Hariharan.[This team earlier gave Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha]. This tells the story of the King who fought against the British much before the Sipoy uprising in 1857. It also stars Sarathkumar and Suman. Release may be either for Onam (Aug end) or Ramzan (Oct 1st).

4. Twenty-20 - Directed by Joshi and produced by AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists), it has every Malayalam actor playing a role. May release for Onam.

5. Kutti Sranku - Produced by Adlabs and Directed by Shaji.M.Karun (remember his Piravi and Vanaprastham), the story is set in the late 1950s. Three women enter and exit the life of Sranku, a boat driver who operate between Kochi and Alleppy backwaters. The story demands different seasons and the first part shooting has been recently completed under the vigours of monsoon.

6. Maya Bazaar - Directed by a debutant director Thomas Sebastian, the hero is from a automobile market where the main job is dismantling and remodelling of condemned cars (See again the charterization). This movie is going to start. Will release for Christmas.

7. Pattanathil Bootham - Nothing to do with the old Tamil film. Here the hero is a circus person who does the dare devil act in a motorcycle. It is a sort of Sci.Fic cum comedy role in the sense oneday he understands that he has some special powers. The story takes an interesting turn from thereon.

In addition to this, he has some 20 other films, for which he had commited in principle, keeping his callsheet full till 2011.

Will come back.

Regards