just an errata. the first line of the second para is an editing mistake it read like this:
In Chotta Mumbai though, he was referencing, in his now trademark playful way, his own style when he made his appearance in Malayalam cinema as the cold-blooded villain. the rest (except the title) is mine --- On Mon, 9/29/08, damodar prasad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: From: damodar prasad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [GreenYouth] 30 Years Of The Common Man To: "Greenyouth" <[email protected]> Date: Monday, September 29, 2008, 12:36 PM Ratheesh's article in Tehelka web special. Since RR is a memeber of GnY, any critical views on this he can listen to or respond http://www.tehelka.com/story_main40.asp?filename=Ws041008common_man.asp 30 Years Of The Common ManPosted on Sep 26, 2008 Mohan Lal's career has marked the changing contours of the Malayalee regional identity RATHEESH RADHAKRISHNAN Mohanlal, who appeared wearing a long-haired wig, thick whiskers and a pink outfit in the introductory scene of the 2007 film Chotta Mumbai (directed by Anwar Rasheed) was not easily recognisable for the middle class Malayalee. The star had, in the last three decades, become synonymous with the middle class man as the one who shared their aspirations and their failures. Be it the sheer affection for the actor, or the name of the character he played in the Venu Nagavalli's 1987 film Sarvakalaashaala (meaning ' university'), he had become their favourite 'laalettan' (brother lal) in a career that has seen almost 300 films. In Chotta Mumbai though, he was donning the mantle, in his now trademark playful way, of a cold-blooded villain. He had introduced himself to the Malayalee in the 1980 film Manjil Virinja Pookkal ('Flowers that Bloom in the Snow', directed by Fazil), with the memorable scene where he stops the protagonist (Shankar), points to the latter's love interest (Poornima Jayaram) and says "I am Narendran, and she is Mrs. Narendran", not only marking a moment of suspense and the turning point in the film, but also heralding the future of Malayalam cinema. All that seems eons away – his failed attempt to become an actor in 1978 with the film Thiranottam (directed by Ashok Kumar and produced by his friends, the film was never released) and then his huge success as a villain in the early 1980s. Manjil Virinja Pookkal not only introduced three new faces and a new director to Malayalam cinema but also paved way for a new aesthetic in Malayalam cinema. This new aesthetic firmed up Malayalam cinema's middle class moorings within which Mohanlal, along with Mammooty, went on to become the middle class Malayalee's alter ego. Though it is often suggested that middlebrow cinema used the stardom of Mammooty and Mohanlal, it could be argued that they acquired their stardom due to middle cinema and also that the star and this kind of cinema made each other possible. It was in this period, between the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s, that Mohanlal played some of his most remembered roles. In the retellings of the history of Malayalam cinema, this high point of Mohanlal's career parallels its golden period. It has been noted that Mohanlal's image represents changing contours of regional identity in Kerala. Scholars on Malayalam cinema have argued that, while Mammooty donned the roles of authority figures like police officers, elder brother of a joint family and the like, Mohanlal was seen as the 'common man'. His dreams were those of the average middle class Malayalee, his desires were shared by them and even his shortcomings were theirs. They were ready to forgive his worst sins the moment he gave his trademark smile—what the Malayalee knows as his chammiya chiri. This is no surprise that Malayalees love Mohanlal's drunken scenes, even when social commentators like Sukumar Azhikkod publicly hold him responsible for increase in alcoholism in Kerala. Unlike Mammooty, Mohanlal refused to work in films in other languages till a couple of irresistible offers came his way. The result – the vibrant Anandan (the role 'inspired' by MGR) in Mani Ratnam's arguably best-to-date Iruvar (1997), the brilliantly underplayed Police Commissioner Srinivasan in Ram Gopal Varma's Company (2002) and what could have been the role of a lifetime, Inspector Narasimha in Ram Gopal Varma's Aag (2007). Mohanlal's career in Malayalam cinema went through various phases. As a villain, he even played Mammooty's son in the 1982 epic film Padayottam (directed by Jijo), which was an adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo. The second phase of his career saw him in his best remembered 'common man' avatar, while the third saw him in the much hated but successful 'super human' roles. It was during this third phase that his fan associations made their presence felt in Kerala and that he refused the offer to become the chairman of the CPI (M)-run television channel Kairali TV. This was later accepted by Mammooty. A fourth phase of his career, one that unfolds as he celebrates his thirtieth year in the industry in 2008, sees him experimenting with different kinds of cinema; of the last releases Mizhikal Saakshi (directed by Ashok R Nath) was a small budget film, B Unnikrishnan's Madambi was a family thriller and Aakashagopuram, directed by KP Kumaran, was an adaptation of an Ibsen play. Apart from the Padmashri in 2001, his acting fetched an array of awards including three national awards, seven state awards, nine Filmfare awards and one IIFA award. He has also produced nine films including Vaanaprastham (directed by Shaji N Karun, 1999) which was selected to compete in Cannes and the acclaimed Kala Pani (directed by Priyadarshan, 1996). He has even been a playback singer for a number of films. But most of all, he is considered the most versatile and flexible actor that Malayalam cinema has ever produced. Be it as an unemployed youth, an underworld don, a dancer, a musician, an industrialist or a political activist Mohanlal's histrionics have enthralled Malayalees all over the world. His foray into theatre, marked most importantly by Karnabharam (2001) – a Sanskrit play directed by the Kavalam Narayana Panikkar—has also been well acclaimed. A film that features 'laalettan' is still eagerly awaited, with each new release creating more frenzy as years go by. The question is whether the industry will produce characters to tap the still unexploited (!!!!!!!- DP) facets of this loveable performer. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
