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Celluloid sultans of Kerala
Mammootty and Mohan Lal emerge as unprecedented superstars of Malayalam films

Sreedhar Pillai


December 31, 1988 | UPDATED 18:28 IST
They are the deus ex machina the Malayalam film industry has been waiting for. Ever since the first Malayalam film was put together 50 years ago the industry has been craving for super-heroes who would step out of the screen into the collective consciousness of the people. While elsewhere in the country the MGRs, the NTRs, the Dilip Kumars and the Raj Kapoors were playing out fantasies and ferrying the audience to two-hour Utopias, Malayalam films had to make do with ordinary heroes. Those like Satyan whose theatrical acumen was unchallenged and Prem Nazir who mocked at time and acted in nearly 600 films wavered at the threshold of super-stardom and never really got to occupy the tinsel throne.

But finally it seems the waiting is over. For the last few years the industry has been dominated by two actors Mammootty, 38, and Mohan Lal, 28, who have now metamorphosed into superstars. So impregnable is their hold over the industry today that new films are launched only if they have the time. The top dream merchants of the industry see to it that the characters are created according to the diktats of these superstars. And as in the case of the recent release 1921, even history has been tinged with an overdose of fantasy to suit the image of Mammootty who plays the lead role of Khader, a legendary hero who took part in the historic Moplah rebellion.

Says leading director I.V. Sasi who first burst into the industry with Avalude Ravukal (Her Nights): "Even Prem Nazir could never whip up such passions like Mammootty and Mohan Lal. In the case of these two it is a rare and right mixture of charisma and acting ability."

The highly cinema-conscious Malayalee film-goer who has till now not been swayed by the charm and power of film actors have now started forming film clubs - there are over 100 Mammootty and Mohan Lal film clubs in the state - and queuing up for any movie which has the magical names. Last month in Trichur on the opening day of Lal's Moonam Mura (Third Technique) at least 15 fans were injured in a stampede. In Perinthalmanna about 70 kilometres from Calicut, Nafeesat Beevi, 48, saw Mammootty's 1921 a dozen times just to hear his soul-stirring dialogues. Each theatre has to pay an advance of up to Rs 2 lakh interest free if they want to screen a superstar film. Ramshackle theatres in villages are giving from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 as advance.

During the recent dharna organised by the Malayalam film industry in front of the state secretariat in Trivandrum to protest against sales tax and power tariff hikes, almost the entire staff of the secretariat left their files to rush out for a glimpse of the superheroes. Both of them had to be whisked away in a police jeep to prevent them from being mauled by delerious fans. Of the five mega-hits which collected over a crore in the last two years, four had either Lal or Mammootty.


The dream merchants of the industry see to it that the characters are created according to the diktats of Mohan Lal and Mammootty.
The other recent release which shattered box-office records is the refreshingly new movieVaisali, a tale from the Mahabharata, directed by Bharatan who pioneered the middle cinema movement in Kerala. Even here the lead actors - Sanjay and Swoparnika - were brought in from Bombay, showing the dearth of talent in the state. There's no one in sight to challenge the hegemony of Lal and Mammootty. Among the most promising of the actors who have dared to flex their theatrical muscles against the superstars is Jayaram who was introduced by director Padmarajan. His latest film Witness is a hit but how many other producers will back him has to be seen.

The other aspirant Balachandra Menon seems to have given up. Has the Malayalee finally fallen prey to the hero-worship syndrome? Will these two superstars be deified like their counterparts in neighbouring states, MGR and NTR? Says noted novelist and former bureaucrat Malayatoor Ramakrishnan: "I am ashamed that Malayalees are falling victims to the star charisma. About 10 years back Prem Nazir would have walked into the state secretariat unnoticed. Today Mammootty and Mohan Lal can create traffic jams where ever they go in the state."

Yet neither of them has at first glance the presence, gait or swoon-inducing good looks - the trappings of the Indian superhero. Mohal Lal has a chubby face and the build of a prosperous trader. Mammootty, a qualified lawyer, is definitely better-looking but would be lost in a line-up with young heroes of Hindi films.

But once in front of the camera it is as if the fairies touch them with the magic wand. Both of them live their roles with incredible ease and power. When they start out on their dramatic monologues scripted with meticulous care, it is like generals calling their men to battle or a temple oracle screaming of divine retribution. And with their heroines they waltz with majesty and tickle the viewer as much as the lady spread submissively on their arms.

Mohan Lal is the only villain-turned superhero in the history of Malayalam films. Says multilingual director Fazil who gave Lal the first break as a villain in Manjil Virinja Pookal(The flowers that bloomed in the snow): "Mohan Lal is the most flexible and subtle actor in the country today. He can do what Dustin Hoffman did in Tootsie or Sly Stallone did inRambo with ease." Versatility is indeed the trump card of Lal. Whether as a gun-totting vigilante Jackie in 20th Century, which is the biggest-ever Malayalam grosser, the underworld don in the recent Aryan, or the village idiot in Nadodi Kattu (The fleeting wind) he is raved about.

In 20th Century, Lal as Jackie shoots down the chief minister's erring son in the climactic scene and since then has been holding a smoking gun. In Aryan, a rejig of Deewar andNayakan, Lal plays the role of a temple priest Deva Narayanan Namboodiri who is framed by the authorities on trumped up charges. From the mantra-chanting atmosphere the priest flees to Bombay and becomes an underworld don. How else could Lal be given a gun?

Mammootty on the other hand isn't as versatile but can carry any film by sheer artistry and powerful expressions. Mammootty's clenched fists, his passionate argument for the underdog in court and his shy half smile as he drops hints just before the heroine drops her sari pallav can move many a mind. Says Sasi who has directed over 100 films: "Mammootty is an actors' actor. He has graduated into the big-time only because of his acting ability." His role as a CBI officer Perumal in CBI oru diary kurrippu (CBI's diary notings) which like Lal's20th Century grossed over Rs 2 crore, as Khadef in 1921, as an investigative journalist Krishnamurthy in New Delhi, as a romantic hero in countless movies and his first appearance in an art film - Adoor Gopalakrishnan's esoteric Anantharam - have all the insignia of the classic actor.

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Mohan Lal(left) in Dowthiyam and Mammootty(inset) in the film 1921
Such is the grip of these two superstars on the industry and the viewers that they inspire the creation of characters to suit them. Earlier, works of leading writers were made into films. Now characters are created to suit the image and whims of Lal and Mammootty and patterns are woven around them to produce a tapestry that the viewers heap accolades on. Says noted script-writer Damodaran who created 1921: "A few years back history could have been told as it was in Malayalam cinema but today I have to weave an actual incident in masala form with a larger than life character for the sake of Mammootty."


Director K.G. George also holds the view that in Malayalam cinema there is no story line. "People come to see Mohan Lal or Mammootty, so a story is woven around them keeping their star image in mind. But both are talented and are able to give some life to the cardboard characters they portray," he asserts.

A few years back, before the era of superstardom dawned on the industry, film actors were pawns in the hands of great writers and directors. Says Prem Nazir whose reign at the top spanned two decades, rather enviously: "I have never asked my directors the story of films. But today stars will only act if they have strong roles."

Another instance of the clout and aura of the superstars is the fact that even M.T. Vasudevan Nair, Kerala's best known writer and the highest paid script-writer has turned around stories from the folklore of the northern Malabar region (Vadukan pattu) in his latest creation Vadakan Veeragatha (a tale of bravery from the north). Chandu who was the villain in earlier films based on folklore is in the latest avatar the anti-hero, of course, to suit Mammootty.

The superstars have cast their spell across the border too. Mammootty especially is a darling of the Tamil viewers, perhaps because he offers something more than the gimmicks of Rajnikanth and the theatrics of Kamalahasan. Earlier Tamil Nadu offered a market only for the soft-porn Malayalam movies, but Mammootty's CBI ran for a whopping 35 weeks in the prestigious Safire theatre in Madras. The same producer Mani's new film August 1 with Mammootty sold in Tamil Nadu for Rs 13 lakh when even a soft-porn fetches only around Rs 2 lakh.

The superheroes have, however, spawned envy and enmity. There is a feeling in the industry that these two stars give dates only to big banners. Says actor-director Balachandra Menon: "These guys think that they click only if they have a certain combination of favourable directors and story writers. Why can't they act with little known or new directors?" When confronted with these charges Mammootty said: "I don't think just Mammootty or Mohan Lal can make a film a super-hit by their mere presence. It is the overall combination of the story and presentation that makes it a hit." There is an element of truth in it because all that the superstars have touched has not become gold. Lal's Padamudra (Foot print) recently crashed at the box office and Mammooty's 1921 is not doing as well as expected.

But ironically the golden dawn of superstardom has brought with it the spectre of recession. Alarmists have already sounded the death knell of the industry. In 1985 nearly 130 films were churned out of the studios based mostly in Madras. In 1986 the number came down to 110 and in 1987 it dropped to a pathetic 89 and this year only 61 films will be released.

Many feel that the industry is caught in a vicious circle with the producers waiting for the superstars and the stars waiting for the right story, the right amount of money (each reportedly get over Rs 3 lakh per film) and the right banner. In 1985 when Mammootty had not yet planted himself at the pinnacle, he acted in an incredible 35 films while this year he has done only 15.

Says popular director Joshi: "Prem Nazir used to shoot for three films a day while Mammootty and Mohan Lal do only one film at a time. So they cannot dole out dates to everybody and some producers would prefer not to make a film without them. This is one of the main reasons for the fall in production."

Mammootty says he has become choosy fearing over-exposure. "Tell me one good book in Malayalam literature in recent times. I agree some of my films are inspired by foreign books and films. But we don't lift every scene. Only the base of the story is taken and transformed to suit our taste." Lal tends to believe in sterotypes and says: "Padamudra was a flop and my directors say that I should have had a gun in my hand." Lal, however agrees that the gun does not always trigger hits out of its barrel but nevertheless is a safe proposition for producers.

But the blame for spiralling costs has been laid squarely on the shoulders of the superstars. Two years back the production cost of a big star movie used to be around Rs 23 lakh. Today a superstar movie by the time it unwinds on a screen costs Rs 35 lakh to Rs 40 lakh. 1921 has reportedly cost over Rs 1.20 crore to produce.

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Mammootty as Khader in 1921
Says Balachandra Menon: "How can they ever recover their cost in a state where there are hardly 600 cinema theatres. It is very rare for an average Malayalam film to collect more than Rs 60 lakh." Menon feels that the only panacea is the low budget film. His latest Kandathum Ketatthwn (What was seen and heard) made at a cost of Rs 15 lakh is a safe proposition even if it does average business. But young director Priyadarshan disagrees: "People cannot be fooled any longer with half-baked films which try to compromise on cost. We have to give them a certain amount of gloss for the product to sell."

Notwithstanding the barbs aimed at them and the looming clouds of recession Mammootty and Mohan Lal are "making hay while the sun shines" as director Fazil says. But how long can the industry afford to make mega-budget glossies? And moreover considering the transitory nature of superstardom, will there be a sudden crash?

Such doubts apart, even the most hardened of cynics would agree that Lal and Mammootty have yanked Malayalam cinema out of its drab, dreary settings with sterotyped roles and catapulted it to the heady reaches of glitter, mega-money, epic sets and riveting stars.

 

Irupatham noottandu Industry hit arunalle... Annanu apol total etra industry hits und...?Mamattikuttyama,thalavattam??20th century,chitram,kilukkam,MCT,AT,chandraleka,NS,20-20,Drishyam...Undisputed bo empire..the king of kings

 

moideen second place ayille,premam break cheythallo

 

aattakkalasam,rajavinte makan

 

Udane thanne official reports pratheekshikam.!

 

PATHEMARI
56 Days Collection
Gross : 9.21 cr
Share : 3.90 cr approx
ANARKKALI
26 Days Gross :
Net : 7.90 / Share : 4.56 Cr
Malabar Gross : 3.51 cr
Net : 2.76 cr / Share : 1.54 cr approx ENNU NINTE MOIDEEN
80 Days Kerala Collection
Gross : 40.58 cr
Net : 32.10 cr
Share : 16. 85 cr (approx)

 

Pathemari 9Cr kadannu alle...

 

Athoke IH aruno..Atbb anen ariyam