Opening a door to Adoor…

Malayalees are a strange commodity, probably matched only by the Bengalis. No, this is not a thesis on leftism. We mallus have a strange habit of owning things that are beyond us. We are honoured that Anil Kumble’s ancestors hailed from Kumbala in Kasargode (and hence his name). A R Rahman’s father R K Shekhar, though Chennai based, was a composer of Malayalam Films and we beam with pride. Parvathy Omanakuttan, the Changanasserry born entirely-Mumbai-bred Miss World Runner up is our girl next door. But talk about our very own Adoor Gopalakrishnan and we can’t stifle a yawn.

In 1995 Shivaji Ganeshan, the legendary Tamil actor was awarded the Chevalier rank of Legion d’honneur by the French Government. The entire Tamil Nadu (including me) went on to salute the great master. And now he is fondly addressed as Chevalier Shivaji. In 2003 Adoor Gopalakrishnan was awarded the Commandeur rank of Legion d’honneur and how many of us actually know it? How did our media receive it? To put things in the correct perspective, the Legion d’honneur is the highest decoration given by the French Government. It consists of three Ranks with Commandeur being the highest followed by Officer and Chevalier. Simply, Chevalier is equal to Padmashri and Commandeur is equal to Padmavibhushan. We don’t care. And now, Adoor wins three Kerala State Awards and Presto! Controversy follows.

Let me start with two confessions when I write about Adoor. One, upto 2 years back I had never seen an Adoor film, though I always wanted to. It was an enigma to me as to why this outspoken headstrong filmmaker is easily the most internationally acclaimed director next only to Satyajit Ray. Two, I have only seen 3 out of the 11 movies he has made to-date. Yes, it may sound unbelievable, but Adoor has done just 11 feature films in the 37 years since Swayamwaram. I don’t think any other person as less prolific has ever won so many accolades including the Phalke Award.

Now, this is not meant to be an anatomy or a review of Adoor’s movies. I am not competent to do that. But a normal Keralite considers Adoor’s Films as storyless and speechless with darkness all around and characters looking into vacuum for what seems like eternity! Ask them how many Adoor movies they have seen and you get that smile and the statement “I don’t see such movies!” How convenient. The fact that I have never come across someone who has seen Adoor and expressed displeasure shows that the general perception on Adoor is out of a mix of preconceived notion and a reluctance to explore his world.

My first experience with Adoor was Mathilukal, a movie which left a sore impression in my mind. It was never the fault of the director. I had read Basheer’s autobiographical novel and I could not relate to Mammootty fitting the frail and thin Basheer image that I had in my memory.

And then I saw Anantharam, almost serendipitously! On a Saturday midnight alone at home I was switching TV channels when I stumbled on the movie. Starring Mammootty, Ashokan and Shobhana, Anantharam is considered by critics as Adoor’s most abstract work and I approached the movie with a lot of skepticism. But in the next two hours I went on to discover why he is considered one of the best in the business. The movie went on to win the national award for Best Screenplay, even though my colleague (and fellow Adoor fan) Revi sir says that there is no script in the movie! It’s for the viewer to weave an own script around the characters that Adoor has etched.

By the time I saw Naalu Pennungal, just months back, I had already become an ardent Adoor Fan. The movie reminded me of K Balachander’s Oru Veedu, Iru Vaasal, for more than one reason. While the KB movie had two unrelated stories, here there were four. Both the movies are woven around strong female characters. The movie showcases four different stories of Thakazhi set in the same geographical area of Kuttanad, but across different time periods. What connects the stories is the presence of the female characters who, against all adversities, holds on to their self. There are strong statements on their sexuality and morality. Adoor considers this as his most simple film to date and you can clearly see why. Notably, this is Adoor's first Film without Mankada Ravi Varma, his favourite lensman. Yet the movie is a visual treat and his characteristic “attention to details” is very much on show.

I started the article by comparing Malayalis with Bengalis, but to give due credit to them, they own their Satyajit Ray. But we don’t. Our doors remain firmly shut to this master craftsman and we refuse to appreciate what he has achieved. Like a kid refusing to get into the shallow water fearing that it’s too deep. If only we care to open that door to judge whether he deserves whatever greatness that is bestowed upon him by the “world”.