(Caution: This text accommodates spoilers)
Earlier than motion pictures like Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum, Ee.Ma.Yau and Moothon, which delved into the depths of interpersonal relationships and ensured a good portrayal of its complexities, Malayalam cinema was once as soon as well known for meting out one of the vital maximum celebrated circle of relatives/home dramas.
Maximum millennials and contributors of Gen Z will have to have a minimum of heard this as soon as from the elders: “The flicks of at the present time are actually dangerous. The best way they endorse dangerous conduct equivalent to ingesting, smoking, use of substances and premarital intercourse is annoying. You must watch the films of our time to know what cinema will have to in truth be like.”
Ee.Ma.Yau (2018)
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True to an extent… If we take into accounts films like Irakal (1985), Elippathayam (1981) and Deshadanakkili Karayarilla (1986), they have been certainly game-changers and helped the Malayalam movie business make a reputation for itself at the world area.
Irakal (1985)
Then again, these kinds of films that have been a part of the New Wave motion (early Seventies to mid Eighties) — a right away results of the upward thrust of movie societies in Kerala — didn’t eke out a achieve because the contributors of the similar era stayed clear of gazing those films in theatres again then. Keep in mind that, a excellent choice of them bombed on the field place of work.
Then which films are they boasting about now?
Input the Malayalam circle of relatives dramas… Simply by checking the field place of work numbers and reruns of those flicks on TV channels, one can simply remember that those are the ‘qualitative works’ our older era is regarding. Despite the fact that many have, in recent years, referred to as out filmmakers and flicks that strengthened the anti-Dalit narratives and likewise the way in which girls have been portrayed on display screen, we, alternatively, continuously forget how some filmmakers fortified the ‘excellent girls/dangerous girls’ narrative thru circle of relatives dramas.
Even because the refrain urging all to “watch cinema as simply cinema” is louder than ever, it is crucial to grasp that the appreciation those films nonetheless obtain obviously denotes the deep-rooted patriarchy in our society and the way we proceed to stay mute spectators to the similar.
Unfortunately, these kinds of films are full of excellent songs.
(Notice: With none doubt, there are loads of different Malayalam films that are much more problematic, in a socio-political sense too. There are films equivalent to Chunkzz (2017) and Dhamaka (2020) that display girls as simply eye sweets or mere ‘props’ only present to obtain sexist remarks from males. Then again, right here we’re going to stick with the movies of just a few circle of relatives drama-makers and spot how their feminine characters, even though they seem now not comparable to one another, lead an identical lives with an identical personality arcs in numerous ‘cinematic universes’. So, is the multiverse principle in truth true? Malayali male filmmakers experimented with the multiverse subject matter many years prior to Wonder did? Perhaps, possibly now not.)
Balachandra Menon Cinematic Universe
An all-rounder who garnered popularity now not simply by showcasing his abilities in quite a lot of geographical regions of movie manufacturing but additionally by way of introducing a number of recent abilities, together with Shobana, Parvathy, Maniyanpilla Raju and Karthika, within the 80s, Balachandra Menon was once arguably probably the most a hit multi-talented filmmakers of his era.
Balachandra Menon
Then again, right through his two-decade lengthy filmmaking occupation (since his directorial debut in 1978), Menon time and time once more banked at the patriarchal notions that create a ‘entire circle of relatives’. In consequence, maximum feminine characters within the Balachandra Menon Cinematic Universe (BMCU), even though they hail from other socio-economic backgrounds, lead just about an identical/parallel lives and finally end up changing into the stereotypical ‘best Malayali better halves.’ Past due lyricist S Rameshan Nair, in certainly one of his songs, obviously describes the qualities of the archetype in his music Poomukha vathilkkal sneham vidarthunna poothinkal aakunnu bharya from the 1986 film Raakkuyilin Raagasadassil.
Maximum feminine characters within the BMCU get started off as daring and unapologetically themselves, possibly with a contemporary (for that duration) style sense, however quickly fall for the main males who bodily very best them and ‘proper’ their behaviour by way of humiliation and bodily violence.
Whilst it’ll appear that Karyam Nissaram (1983) and Chiriyo Chiri (1982) don’t have the rest in commonplace, a easy research of the nature arcs of each feminine leads will end up in a different way.
Karyam Nissaram (1983)
A glimpse on the method the characters performed by way of Poornima Jayaram (Parvathi) and Swapna (Sethu) have been written underline how Menon motion pictures celebrated the “girls are/will have to stay not so good as males” college of idea by way of bringing within the age-old perception of “if girls aren’t ‘well-behaved’, it could have an effect on the team spirit of the circle of relatives”.
Via Sethu, Menon gave validation to the idiosyncrasy of Malayali males that even self-reliant and hired girls dream of a spouse who can ‘proper’ their behaviour thru modes of bodily punishment (vis-à-vis the great ol’ slaps), in case they do the rest mistaken.
Parvathi’s mom Amminikutty (performed by way of Lakshmi) had it worse. Even supposing her husband Unnithan (Prem Nazir) was once unemployed, she too was once schooled, tormented and emotionally manipulated into believing that it was once mistaken to be a matriarch whilst the hubby was once nonetheless round; and regardless of how the spouse heckled and humiliated her, she needed to stay servile.
In Shekhar’s (Menon’s personality in Karyam Nissaram) phrases, “Girls will have to by no means regulate or command males. Then again, it’s all the time recommended that each lady has a person of their lifestyles to regulate and command them.”
Achuvettante Veedu (1987), every other film from the BMCU, additionally seems down upon girls who stand their flooring. It’s befuddling that the way in which the writer-director offers a gray coloration to Aswathy (performed by way of Rohini) is by way of making her unapologetic and outspoken, after the tale empathised with the soft-spoken, dhavani-draped more youthful model of the nature for a very long time.
Briefly, maximum Menon circle of relatives dramas strengthen that irrespective of how smug, abusive, guileful and self-centred the patriarchs are, the onus of saving the circle of relatives will all the time be at the girls, who’ve to grasp that they don’t have any lifestyles with out the boys of their lives. Sobhana (performed by way of Shobana) from April 18, Valsala (Shanthi Krishna) from Nayam Vyakthamakkunnu, Parvathi (Annie) from Ammayane Sathyam, and Vasantha (Geetha) and Beena (Parvathy) from Kuruppinte Kanakku Pustakom have all been ‘corrected’ this manner, serving to them grow to be ‘higher girls.’
Thulasidas Cinematic Universe
Thulasidas, even though he hasn’t made as many films because the others at the record, is every other filmmaker who created a couple of superhits by way of repurposing the similar method.
Maximum of his films display girls as both an extension of the manic pixie dream woman (MPDG) trope or those prepared to undergo any more or less struggling to reside their lives with the protagonist males who’re utterly ignorant in their emotions (Nandini Raichand, performed by way of Jaya Bachchan, from the 2001 blockbuster Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham may also be taken for instance to know this stereotype).
Thulasidas
For example, Ganga (performed by way of Meena) from Mr Brahmachari (2003) and Aswathy (Sangita) from Manthrikumaran (1998), all the way through the flicks, are desperately engaged in grabbing the person’s consideration. Whilst one of the most males doesn’t give two hoots in regards to the lady’s lifestyles, the opposite marries the girl handiest as a result of he idea she labored as an air-hostess.
In each the flicks, regardless of the male characters taking the ladies’s emotions without any consideration, the latter finally end up bearing the entire brunt of the boys’s movements only for the sake of holding the bottom in their respective households intact.
On the similar time, Thulasidas’ Kouthuka Varthakal (1990) is a vintage instance as to how the Casanova trope is continuously romanticised and the insensitivity meted out to ladies by way of such males overpassed.
On this flick, after appearing a couple of cases that identify the truth that Mathew Ninan Koshy (Mukesh) is a ‘participant’, we’re presented to a brand new ludicrous subplot that accentuates Mathew’s ‘skill’ additional.
On this a part of the film, Mathew’s roommate Ravi (Suresh Gopi) shamelessly puts a chance with the previous by way of asking him to take a look at and make a woman named Ashwathy (Urvashi) fall for him, with out telling Mathew that she is his fiancée.
Despite the fact that we’re proven this behaviour by way of the boys, all of the blame falls on Ashwathy when she tries to lend a hand Mathew win the guess with out figuring out that she is getting used as a pawn of their masculine ego combat.
Right here too, the truth that the boys behaved like entire narcissists is overpassed and on the finish, the duty of saving their dating falls on Ashwathy.
Dhosth (2001) is every other Thulasidas flick that celebrates the ‘good looks’ of bromance (absurd) by way of making the ladies undergo. Despite the fact that school pals Ajith (Dileep) and Vijay (Kunchako Boban) get started off at the mistaken foot, they quickly grow to be BFFs. In the meantime, Vijay realises that the girl he’s been stalking is Ajith’s sister Geethu (Kavya Madhavan). Then again, since his love is fair (the filmmaker has made this beautiful transparent by way of making him stalk her continuously), Geethu too falls for him. Within the interim, Vijay learns about Ajith’s different sister who eloped with certainly one of his shut buddies, resulting in Ajith’s father’s dying. As Ajith narrates this as a traitorous act, Vijay, in a bid to save lots of his friendship with the previous, makes a decision to sacrifice his love for Geethu. Neither does he keep in touch the similar with Geethu, nor give her any rationalization as to why he’s behaving in a negligent method. Now, it’s Geethu’s duty to save lots of their dating.
Mr Brahmachari (2003)
The film additionally glorifies patronising girls and justifies (male) sibling abuse at the pretext of revealing additional care.
Thulasidas’ Sooryaputhran (1998) too is a difficult watch, through which a girl is utilized by an ultra-rich guy to get a toddler followed and when she starts in the hunt for subject matter favours in go back, he instantly begins plotting methods to eliminate her.
And identical to the 2008 Bollywood hit Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi which reintroduced the “making better halves realise their love for husbands by way of manipulating them” tactic, Thulasidas used the similar motif and created Melevaryathe Malakhakkuttikal in 2000!
There isn’t a lot to mention about this film as the one factor it makes a speciality of is that the spouse is extra subservient to her mom than against her husband which irks him. The couple’s 4 youngsters, all women, love their father a little an excessive amount of and therefore, need their mom to prevent being subservient to the grandmother and get started being submissive to their father. What makes the film much more grotesque is a plan that the male lead Sethumadhavan (performed by way of Balachandra Menon) hatches to make his spouse ‘realise’ that he’s significantly better than different males available in the market.
Melevaryathe Malakhakkuttikal (2000)
As a part of this technique, Sethumadhavan arrives on the space the place his spouse and children reside, by way of dressing up as his father, a sexual assaulter and Sethu’s archrival, to lend a hand them struggle in opposition to the previous. Sethu, within the guise of the aged guy, begins misbehaving with all girls, together with his spouse, to end up the aforementioned level.
In any case, regardless of realising that it was once Sethumadhavan who was once residing of their space, the entire girls cheer as they learnt a precious lesson: regardless of how males attempt to cheat or violate you, if they’re doing it for the sake of shielding your circle of relatives, do flip a blind eye to them being absolutely the worst.
Anthikad Cinematic Universe
Probably the most a hit filmmaker within the record, Sathyan Anthikad, is the author of a number of commercially a hit motion pictures and is well known for his collaborations with Mohanlal and actor/publisher Sreenivasan.
He too turned into an expensive identify to Malayalis by way of making one of the vital maximum celebrated circle of relatives dramas. Then again, it’s simple {that a} excellent choice of them are problematic, particularly with regards to the portrayal of girls.
Sathyan Anthikad
Two films he made right through the past due 80s – Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu (1988) and Thalayana Manthram (1990) – carried misogyny and brilliantly ‘proved’ that ladies are the basis reason for all issues that males face. Each films have since then stood as a testomony to Chandu Chekavar’s discussion in Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha, penned by way of veteran publisher M T Vasudevan Nair: “Girls will see issues that others don’t; [they] will curse whilst pretending to be frolic; smile whilst crying; hate whilst wanting…”
Each Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu and Thalayana Manthram characteristic the superb Urvashi, turning in implausible performances, like all the time, as the feminine lead. Then again, her characters in each films are crafty, devilishly devious and egoistic. Whilst she performs Snehalatha, an individual who dumps her boyfriend for egocentric causes , in Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu, her personality (Kanchana) in Thalayana Manthram is an avaricious lady who wrecks her husband’s circle of relatives. Whilst the feminine leads in each the flicks are proven in a gray coloration, the writers with ease whitewash the male protagonists who’re both incapable of beginning a circle of relatives and fleece their companions, or are those who forget about the humiliation being confronted by way of the ladies from throughout the circle of relatives. In any case, the ladies are portrayed as those accountable for sabotaging the households.
Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu (1988)
In later years, Anthikad shifted to best tools and began making flicks that spotlight the significance of keeping up familial relationships, it doesn’t matter what. Two films that depict this doctrine are Innathe Chinthavishayam (2008) and Bhagyadevatha (2009). Each the flicks organize to gaily empathise with the male protagonists even though they’re obviously conniving and each works conclude that ladies will have to all the time forgive their husbands, even if they’re at fault, and provides them (now not one or two) however as many possibilities as imaginable in lifestyles, irrespective of how abusive they’re.
Whilst Innathe Chinthavishayam offers with the lives of 3 girls, who stored themselves from the clutches in their husbands – one a cheater, every other a person who is totally in opposition to his spouse main an unbiased and self-sufficient lifestyles and the 3rd a particularly possessive, jealous and insecure guy – Bhagyadevatha offers with, or extra correctly tunes out the abuse related to dowry harassment.
In each the flicks, despite appearing quite a lot of instances from which audience can conclude that the boys are at fault and will by no means be empathised with, the maker reveals the silliest of how to reunite the survivors with their abusers, only for the sake of holding the bases of the households intact.
Anthikkad’s Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal (2000) additionally had a an identical possessive, jealous and insecure guy, ruining the lifetime of his artiste spouse. Then again, even then the maker commiserates with the protagonist appearing that he’s a ‘excellent father’.
Innathe Chinthavishayam (2008)
Any other certainly one of Anthikkad’s maximum problematic motion pictures is Yathrakarude Sradhakku (2002). Even after Ramanujan ( Jayaram) ruined Jyothi’s wedding ceremony (past due Soundarya), he was once portrayed as the only with a golden center — positive, possibly for his buddies. However from Jyothi’s POV, he’s anyone who concealed the truth that he had emotions for her, thwarted her marriage, didn’t proper/forestall his pal when the latter lied to everybody that they have been in a live-in dating even though they have been simply flat pals, led to her father to undergo a center assault, married her with out in the hunt for her opinion, sneaked into her bed room, and finally this, gaslit her into believing she’s the petty one.
Regardless of all this, Anthikkad and publisher Sreenivasan reunites them, after Jyothi realises that her husband is a great individual (how did she realise it you ask? Oh, his mom died and… that’s it).
Rajasenan Cinematic Universe
Maximum of actor Jayaram’s blockbusters have been born on this cinematic universe. And Rajasenan was once, with out a 2d idea, probably the most loved comedy-drama makers of the 90s, along with his films having wonderful theatrical runs.
Then again, maximum films from RCU apply the similar trend – first, the ‘funny’ incidents taking place within the circle of relatives in focal point, adopted by way of a false impression between a couple of contributors, which within the due process time will blow up developing primary tiffs amongst them, and after all, a answer by means of an emotional speech by way of one of the most central male characters within the climax.
What connects these kinds of films additional is the way in which girls are portrayed in them.
Rajasenan
A have a look at films like Meleparambil Anveedu (1993), Aniyan Bava Chetan Bava (1995), Aadyathe Kanmani (1995), Swapna Lokathe Balabhaskaran (1996), Sreekrishnapurathe Nakshathrathilakkam (1998), Kottaram Veettile Apputtan (1998) and Darling Darling (2000) will end up as to how misogynistic maximum Rajasenan works are and the way the maker, by way of plugging within the perception that fallouts between members of the family will have to be resolved regardless of, normalised home abuse confronted by way of girls.
Whilst Meleparambil Anveedu revolves round a gullible Tamil lady (Shobhana) who’s compelled by way of her husband to paintings as a servant (actually) at his space since he’s scared to introduce her as his partner in entrance of others, Aniyan Bava Chetan Bava tells the tale of a person who woos two sisters on the similar time and make the most productive use in their emotions against him simply to verify the security of his process on the girls’s space.
Meleparambil Anveedu is going directly to grow to be extra problematic with all male contributors of the husband’s circle of relatives, regardless of their age, seeking to courtroom the girl, whilst the husband brushes all of it beneath the rug as ‘humorous incidents’. In truth, those scenes from the film nonetheless evoke a excellent snigger in maximum Malayali families, ‘thank you’ to the superb performances by way of past due Narendra Prasad, past due Meena Joseph, Jagathy Sreekumar, Vijayaraghavan, Janardanan and past due Paravoor Bharathan.
However, Aadyathe Kanmani has a ruthless lady (performed by way of past due KPAC Lalitha) who torments all her daughters-in-law for now not having the ability to give delivery to a toddler boy. The tale is not only misogynistic but additionally crosses all forms of strains by way of joking about feminine feticide slightly a couple of instances.
Whilst Swapna Lokathe Balabhaskaran has every other casanova who tasks his spouse as an evil individual for throwing tantrums at him after coming to find out about his premarital affairs which he didn’t divulge to her even as soon as, Sreekrishnapurathe Nakshathrathilakkam banks at the age-old patriarchal narrative of “girls are naïve, mindless and grasping”. Once more, those are two different films that also evoke numerous laughter amongst Malayalis.
However, not one of the films discussed until now can fit the extent of misogyny contained within the subsequent one: Rajasenan’s Njangal Santhushtaranu (1998).
It sounds as if the film was once made simply to announce the makers’ hatred for daring girls. The flick reeks of misogyny and sexism from tip to toe. Moreover, the film refuses to empathise with the feminine personality till it’s printed that she is followed. It additional reasserts the entire male chauvinistic notions equivalent to “a girl’s lifestyles may also be regarded as entire if and provided that she is aware of her mom tongue and the right way to prepare dinner, looks after her in-laws, wears sanskaari attire, obeys her husband, and so forth”.
Apparently, this film too has a music (Aanalla pennalla adipoli vesham) that describes how a really perfect lady will have to behave, written by way of the similar S Rameshan Nair.
The Multiverse and the affect it nonetheless has over Malayalam cinema
Despite the fact that it could appear unfair to imagine these kinds of works as a homogenous entire, it might probably certainly be scrutinised in that method as they all, in just about the similar method, have capitalised on sexism. The makers additionally extenuated the similar by way of slipping the flicks in as those that speak in regards to the significance of “Parampara, Pratishtha and Anushasan.”
What makes it even worse is the truth that one of the vital maximum gifted girls actors within the Malayalam business made a reputation for themselves by way of taking part in such characters written irresponsibly by way of the boys of that duration. Since those have been the one more or less characters to be had for actors equivalent to Urvashi, Shobhana and Parvathy, all of them put their center and soul into it, making those roles undying and easiest. In some way, they too have been residing parallel (skilled) lives whilst being caught within the Multiverse.
Despite the fact that these kinds of films got here out prior to 2008-09, the duration right through which Malayalam cinema began witnessing a paradigm shift following the discharge of Anjali Menon’s Manjadikuru (2008; even though the movie were given its theatre free up handiest in 2012) and Shyamaprasad’s Ritu (2009), those films are nonetheless broadly regarded as healthy and aren’t continuously referred to as out for propagating the problematic ‘best lady’ archetype.
Mr. Marumakan (2012)
A have a look at the circle of relatives dramas that got here out after 2008 will display us that even novices are nonetheless depending on an identical topics. In truth, even though the younger audiences aren’t very interested by such age-old problematic narratives, the circle of relatives drama target market (on whom numerous filmmakers pin their hopes even now) nonetheless make a beeline for those films.
The acceptance that the flicks of actor Dileep (an accused in a sexual attack case) like Mayamohini (2012) and Mr. Marumakan (2012), Saji Surendran’s Glad Husbands (2010), Akku Akbar’s Veruthe Oru Bharya (2008), Jibu Jacob’s Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol (2017), and Nissam Basheer’s Kettyolaanu Ente Malakha (2019) gained certainly issues out that the affect the Multiverse exerted could be very a lot alive.
The Nice Indian Kitchen (2021)
Then again, it needs to be underlined that films like The Nice Indian Kitchen (2021) and Kumbalangi Nights (2019), which discover the intricacies of interpersonal relationships (amongst members of the family too), are like a breath of unpolluted air for Malayalam cinema.
It’s was hoping that a minimum of the brand new technology filmmakers spoil themselves loose from the multiverse of misogyny’s affect and create inclusive flicks that reject benevolent sexism.
(Photographs, courtesy of m3db.com)
