കാണാമറയത്ത്....

എന്‍റെ ബ്ലോഗുകള്‍ വായിക്കുന്ന ആള്‍ക്കാര്‍ക്ക് എനിക്കു പത്മരാജന്‍ എന്ന വ്യക്തിയോടുള്ള ആരാധന മനസ്സിലാക്കാന്‍ ഒരു ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടും ഉണ്ടാകില്ല . എന്തായാലും വീണ്ടും ഒരു ലേഖനം എഴുതി അദ്ദേഹത്തെ നാണംകെടുത്താനല്ല എന്‍റെ ശ്രമം. ഇനിയൊരെണ്ണം കൂടി എഴുതിയാല്‍ ചിലപ്പോള്‍ അദ്ദേഹത്തോട് ആരാധനയുള്ള എന്‍റെ കൂട്ടുകാര്‍ തന്നെ എന്നെ കൊന്നെന്നിരിക്കും . ഞാന്‍ അദ്ദേഹത്തെക്കുറിച്ച് വായിച്ചിട്ടുള്ള ഏറ്റവും മികച്ച ലേഖനമാണ് ഇവിടെ പോസ്റ്റ്‌ ചെയ്യാന്‍ പോകുന്നത് . ഞാന്‍ ജയ്ഹോ ന്യൂസ്‌ നു വേണ്ടി തയ്യാറാക്കിയ ഒരു ഫീച്ചര്‍ന്റെ പ്രസക്ത ഭാഗമാണ് ഇവിടെ നിങ്ങളുമായി പങ്കിടാന്‍ ഉദ്ദേശിക്കുന്നത്‌ . ഇതെഴുതിയ നീതു ദാസ്‌ എന്ന കൂട്ടുക്കാരിയെ എത്ര അഭിനന്ദിച്ചാലും മതിവരില്ല . പത്മരാജന്‍ എന്ന അസാമാന്യപ്രതിഭയുടെ ഏതൊരു  ആരാധകനും നിര്‍ബന്ധമായും വായിക്കേണ്ട ഒരു ലേഖനമാണ് ഇതെന്ന് ഞാന്‍ വിശ്വസിക്കുന്നു . അദ്ദേഹത്തെ സ്മരിച്ചുക്കൊണ്ട് ഞാന്‍ ഈ ലേഖനം നിങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് സമര്‍പ്പിക്കുന്നു !

              ഇന്നലെകളിലെ മൂടല്‍മഞ്ഞും ഒരു ഗന്ധര്‍വനും 

മഴ പെയ്തു തോര്‍ന്ന മണ്ണിനു പത്മരാജന്‍  സൗന്ദര്യം ആണെന്ന് പലപ്പോഴും തോന്നിയിട്ടുണ്ട്. പെയ്തു തീര്‍ന്നിട്ടും അതിന്‍റെ സൗന്ദര്യം ഇരട്ടിച്ചു നിര്‍ത്തുന്ന പത്മാരാജന്‍  ഫ്രെയിമുകളുടെ അതെ സൗന്ദര്യം. പത്മരാജന്‍ എന്ന മഹാസംവിധായകനെക്കുറിച്ചും എഴുത്തുക്കാരനെ കുറിച്ചും  പറയുന്നതിന് മുന്‍പ് ഒരു പത്തൊന്‍പതുകാരിയുടെ മനസ്സിലെ സ്വപ്നങ്ങളെക്കുറിച്ച് പറയാം. എന്‍റെ  മനസ്സില്‍ പ്രണയം എന്ന് കേള്‍ക്കുമ്പോള്‍ ആദ്യം ഓടിയെത്തുന്ന ചിത്രം രണ്ടാമത്തെ ഹോണ്‍ അടിക്കുമ്പോള്‍ വരാമെന്ന് പറഞ്ഞിട്ട് വരാത്തതെന്താ എന്ന് ചോദിച്ചു സോഫിയെ വണ്ടിയില്‍ എടുത്തു കയറ്റുന്ന സോളമന്റെ ചിത്രമാണ്,പ്രണയത്തിന്റെ മറുപുറം എന്ന് കേള്‍ക്കുമ്പോള്‍ റെയില്‍വേ സ്റ്റേഷനില്‍  വെച്ച് ക്ലാരക്കും ഒപ്പം കുറെ ഓര്‍മകള്‍ക്കും ഗുഡ്ബൈ പറയുന്ന ജയകൃഷ്ണനും. 

                     

കപടസദാചാരം കൊണ്ട് മാത്രം കെട്ടിപ്പടുത്ത രണ്ടു മൂന്നു പ്രണയസിനിമകള്‍ അടുത്തിടെ കണ്ടപ്പോഴാണ് പത്മരാജന്‍ എന്ന എണ്പത്കളിലെ യാഥാസ്ഥിതികതയെ ചോദ്യം ചെയ്ത ധീരനെക്കുറിച്ച് അഭിമാനം തോന്നിയത്. ഇന്നത്തെ നമ്മുടെ ഏതെങ്കിലും സംവിധായകരുടെയും കയ്യിലാണ് 'നമുക്ക് പാര്‍ക്കാന്‍ മുന്തിരിത്തോപ്പുകള്‍' ചെന്ന് പെട്ടതെങ്കില്‍ തീര്‍ച്ചയായും സോഫി അവസാനം ആത്മഹത്യ ചെയ്തിരിക്കും..വേണമെങ്കില്‍ സോഫിക്ക് പാമ്പുകടി ഏറ്റോ ഇടിമിന്നല്‍ ഏറ്റോ മരിക്കാം. ഇതൊന്നും സംഭവിക്കരുത് എന്നുണ്ടെങ്കില്‍ സോഫിയെ സോഫിയുടെ ചിറ്റപ്പന്‍ മാനഭംഗപ്പെടുത്തുന്നതിന് തൊട്ടു മുന്പ് സോളമന്‍ വാതില്‍ ചവുട്ടി തുറന്നിരിക്കും. അല്ലാതെ നായകനെങ്ങനെ മറ്റൊരാള്‍ മാനഭംഗപെടുത്തിയ പെണ്‍കുട്ടിയെ വിവാഹം ചെയ്യും! പത്മരാജന്‍എന്ന ധീരന് സല്യൂട്ട്!

                                                                

ഇന്നലെ എന്ന ചിത്രത്തിലെ മൂടല്‍മഞ്ഞു പോലെ സങ്കീര്‍ണമായ നിഗൂഡമായ മനസ്സുള്ളവരായിരുന്നു പത്മരാജന്‍ കഥാപാത്രങ്ങള്‍ ഏറെയും. തൃശൂര്‍ നഗരത്തില്‍ എല്ലാവിധ അടിച്ചുപൊളിയും നടത്തി ജീവിക്കുന്ന  മണ്ണാര്‍ത്തുടി ജയകൃഷ്ണന്‍ ക്ലാരയുടെ കാര്യത്തില്‍ എടുത്ത നിലപാട് അദ്ഭുതപ്പെടുത്തുന്നു ഇന്നും! കൂടെവിടെയിലെ മമ്മൂട്ടി അവതരിപ്പിച്ച തോമസും റഹ്മാന്‍ അവതരിപ്പിച്ച രവിയും ഒരുപോലെ വിഷമിപ്പിച്ചു.  ആ ചിത്രം കണ്ടു കഴിഞ്ഞപ്പോള്‍. രവിയുടെ മൃതദേഹം കൊണ്ടുപോകുന്ന വഴിയില്‍ കാറിലിരുന്നു കരയുന്ന ആലിസ്ടീച്ചറുടെ ചിത്രം ഇന്നും മായാതെ നില്‍ക്കുന്നു. ആലിസ് അന്ന് കരഞ്ഞത് രവിയെ ഓര്‍ത്തിട്ടോ  തോമസിനെ ഓര്‍ത്തിട്ടോ  അതോ സ്വന്തം ദുര്‍വിധി ഓര്‍ത്തിട്ടോ! പത്മരാജന്റെ സ്ത്രീകഥാപാത്രങ്ങള്‍ ആരും നായകന്‍റെ നിഴല്‍  നോക്കി നടക്കുന്നവരായിരുന്നില്ല. എല്ലാവരും ആദ്യം ഓര്‍ക്കുന്നത് ക്ലാരയെ ആണെങ്കിലും എന്‍റെ  മനസ്സില്‍ മുന്നില്‍ നില്‍ക്കുന്നത് 'നവംബറിന്റെ നഷ്ട'ത്തിലെ മീര ആണ്. ജീവിതത്തില്‍ എല്ലാ അര്‍ത്ഥത്തിലും തൊട്ടു എന്ന് ബോധ്യപ്പെട്ടിട്ടും തന്നെ ചതിച്ച കാമുകനെ കിടക്ക പങ്കിട്ടതിന് ശേഷം അയാളുടെ പാന്റിന്റെ ബെല്‍റ്റ്‌ ഊരി കഴുത്തുനെരിച്ചു കൊല്ലുന്ന മീരയെ മറക്കാന്‍ കഴിയില്ല. 'മായ'  ആയി മാറുന്ന ഗൗരിയും ആഴമേറിയ പഠനം ആവശ്യപ്പെടുന്നു. സ്വവര്‍ഗപ്രണയികള്‍ എന്നും ഉറ്റകൂട്ടുകാരികള്‍ എന്നും മാറി മാറി വിളിക്കപ്പെട്ടിട്ടുള്ള നിമ്മിയും സാലിയും! ശാരി അവതരിപ്പിച്ച സാലിയോളം ബോള്‍ഡ് ആയ മറ്റൊരു സ്ത്രീ കഥാപാത്രം പിന്നീട് സ്ക്രീനില്‍ കണ്ടിട്ടില്ല. ഇങ്ങനെ കഥാപാത്രങ്ങളെ എണ്ണിപറയുമ്പോള്‍ ഒരു പുസ്തകം ആവശ്യമായി വരും. ചര്‍ച്ച ചെയ്യപ്പെടാത്ത എത്ര ചിത്രങ്ങള്‍, കഥാപാത്രങ്ങള്‍!!, 'അരപ്പട്ട കെട്ടിയ ഗ്രാമത്തി'ലെ നായകന്‍, 'ഒരിടത്തൊരു ഫയല്‍വാന്‍'ലെ ഫയല്‍വാന്‍, 'കള്ളന്‍ പവിത്രന്‍'ലെ ദമയന്തി, 'കരിയിലക്കാറ്റുപോലെ'യിലെ ശില്പ..അങ്ങനെയെത്രയെത്ര..

                                             

പത്മരാജന്‍ സിനിമാകളിലെന്തുകൊണ്ടോ ഹൃദയത്തിനു ഏറ്റവും  അടുത്ത് നില്‍ക്കുന്നത് 'ഇന്നലെ' ആണ്. ആദ്യം 'ഇന്നലെ' കാണുമ്പോള്‍ മായയും ശരത്തും ഒന്നിച്ചു സകല സൗ ഭാഗ്യങ്ങലോടയും അവര്‍ ജീവിക്കാന്‍ പോകുന്ന പൈങ്കിളി ആശ്വാസത്തില്‍ ചാഞ്ഞിരുന്ന ഞാന്‍ ഇന്ന്, ഒരു തലയാട്ടലോടെ ആ വീട്ടില്‍ നിന്നും ഒരു അംബാസിഡര്‍ കാറില്‍ കേറി ദൂരേക്ക്‌ മറഞ്ഞു പോയ നരേന്ദ്രനെകുറിച്ചോര്‍ത്തു ഒരുപാടു വേദനിക്കാറുണ്ട്..ഹൃദയം പറിച്ചുകൊടുക്കുന്ന വേദനയോടെ നരേന്ദ്രന്‍ ഒറ്റയ്ക്ക് മൂടല്‍മഞ്ഞിന്റെ നിഗൂഡതകള്‍ക്കിടയിലേക്ക് യാത്രയാകുമ്പോള്‍ നഷ്ടപ്പെട്ടത് എനിക്കും കൂടിയാണെന്ന ഒരു തോന്നല്‍ എവിടെയോ! ഒപ്പം സുരേഷ് ഗോപി എന്ന നല്ല നടന്‍ ഇന്ന് ലക്‌ഷ്യം ഏതുമില്ലാതെ തോക്കും പിടിച്ചു അങ്ങോട്ടുമിങ്ങോട്ടും നടക്കുന്ന വേദനയും! ജീവിതത്തില്‍ നിരാശയോ ഒറ്റപ്പെടലോ അനുഭവപ്പെടുമ്പോള്‍ ഞാന്‍ കാണാറുള്ളത്‌ അന്ന് നരേന്ദ്രന്‍ കണ്ട അതെ മൂടല്‍മഞ്ഞ്‌ ആണ്. മറ്റു ചിലപ്പോള്‍ മായ തന്‍റെ സ്വപ്നങ്ങളില്‍ സ്ഥിരമായി കാണാറുള്ള പ്രതീക്ഷയുടെ മൂടല്‍മഞ്ഞും!

                                      

ഇന്നലെയിലെ ഇപ്പറഞ്ഞ ഫ്രെയിമുകളും, തൂവാനത്തുമ്പികളില്‍ ജയകൃഷ്ണന്‍ നനയുന്ന മഴയും, ഒരു ചെറുചിരിയോടെ സോഫിയെ വണ്ടിയില്‍ കയറ്റികൊണ്ട്‌ പോകുന്ന സോളമനെയും, സേഫ് ആയ ദൂരേക്ക്‌ യാത്രയാകുന്ന നിമ്മിയും സാലിയേയും ഒക്കെ കാണുമ്പോള്‍ അറിയാതെ തോന്നിപ്പോകുന്നു..നമ്മുടെ ഗന്ധര്‍വന്‍ ഭൂമിയിലെ ശാശ്വതമല്ലാത്ത കലാജീവിതം വെടിഞ്ഞു സ്വര്‍ഗത്തില്‍ ഗന്ധര്‍വനായി തന്നെ ജീവിക്കുകയാകും ഇപ്പോള്‍. ജീവിതത്തിന്‍റെ എല്ലാ ഭാവങ്ങളിലും പത്മരാജന്‍ എന്ന ചിത്രകാരന്‍ കോരിയിട്ട വരകളുമായി ജീവിക്കുന്ന ആരാധിക്കക്ക് ഇതില്‍ കൂടുതലൊന്നും എഴുതാന്‍ കഴിയില്ല.

കടപ്പാട് : നീതു ദാസ്‌ 

Getting Realistic!

Still complaining there are no female oriented movies in Malayalam? Then you don’t want to miss Aashiq Abu’s ’22 Female Kottayam’ which got released today. Aashiq Abu returns with yet another outstanding movie after Salt n Pepper.

The movie narrates the life story of Tessa Abraham (Rima Kallingal) from Kottayam, who works as a nurse in Bangalore. Her dream is to fly abroad to pursue higher studies in nursing. For that she approaches a visa agency and meets Cyril (Fahadh Fasil) there. Soon they fall in love and her life changes drastically. From there we can witness an incredible journey of her life. I won’t get into detail of the story as I want everyone to experience it in the theatres itself. First of all let me congratulate the director for the outstanding effort! I personally know many who said Aashiq Abu is just an overrated director after the success of Salt n Pepper. Many told me this movie is going to be a flop in the box office. For all those who criticized him and to everyone who read this, I will definitely state that he is one of the best directors our industry now has. Believe me guys; he is a director with some sense. You will definitely agree it when you witness this brilliant piece of filmmaking. We should also thank Abhilash Kumar and Syam Pushkaran for an awesome script. They should be applauded for scripting the disturbing facts our society faces these days. Whatever happened in Tessa’s life is exactly what’s happening in the lives of young women, especially those who are working in nursing field.

Fahadh and Rima deliver an exquisite performance. The year is proving good for Rima with the performances from Nidra and this one. But the performance in this movie will be her tag for the coming years. Fahadh is brutally charming as Cyril. When it comes to acting, he is just perfect. No wonder why gals where cheering for him in theatre. The scenes between Cyril and Tessa are just wow! The supporting cast has been excellent, whether it be Prathap Pothen, TG Ravi, Sathar, Resmi Sateesh etc. Music by Rex Vijayan and Bijibal is commendable. The film got some outstanding BGM’s. The song 'Melle Kollum' is wonderfully rendered and shot. Shyju Khalid deserves a mention for the beautiful visuals.  Also to editor Vivek Harshan and others who supported in making this movie worth watching. The movie will really inject some emotional hangover to you. Cyril and Tessa will rule our minds for a long time. I would definitely ask everyone to watch this movie, especially gals! We should thank Aashiq Abu and his wonderful Team for presenting us a credible movie. Special mention to the producer OG Sunil who even did a small role in this movie. Our industry needs more sensible and interesting movies like this. We can really rely on people like Aashiq Abu, who will take our cinema to new heights. 

My IFFK Diary

One whole week Trivandrum was in a festive mood. Everyone used to wake up with the hope of seeing more and more beautiful films, meeting new people, having film chats over a cup of tea etc. Now everything has gone missing as IFFK 16 (International Film Festival of Kerala) came to an end yesterday. Even though the festival was full of controversies and troubles, I really enjoyed as it was my first one. But compared to last years, the movies weren’t of that quality and the organizing was also weak. Fortunately I got the chance to watch some of the better movies in the festival. Among them I was very much impressed by the Syrian film ‘Damascus with Love’. That was a film which really  amused me, I was too happy after watching it. Should say it’s one of the best movies I watched in recent times. Thanks to my friend Anu Mohan for choosing that movie. The other films which I liked were The Painting Lesson, The Cat Vanishes, A Seperation, Lucky, Together etc. My opinion was that ‘The Painting Lesson’ (which got the audience award) should have been awarded the ‘Suvarna Chakoram’. It doesn’t mean that ‘The Colors of the Mountains’ was bad, but I found the other movie better. Among the Indian movies, I got the chance to see ‘Delhi in a Day’ and ‘Akam’ (the only Malayalam movie I saw). Meeting Prashant Nair (director of Delhi) was one of the best experiences of film festival. I really got proud when he said he’s waiting to watch ‘Adaminte Makan Abu’ as he was getting rave reviews about this movie from everyone. Please do understand that people from other parts of the world value Malayalam films a lot, whereas what about our own audience? ‘Akam’ based on Malayattoor’s ‘Yakshi’ was a good attempt from Shalini Usha Nair. But the audiences were showing their class by making all sorts of noises and comments. I still wonder why these people discourage Malayalam movies while they sit with pin drop silence for an offbeat movie from any other language.

Damascus with Love

I should thank my friends Vishnu Raghav, Anu Mohan, Jyotish etc for making this IFFK a memorable one. It was really a stage for me to meet new people from different sectors. Not to forget meeting a beautiful gal after watching Akam movie. The way she waved me a ‘hi’ will remain as one of the unforgettable moments of IFFK. And if you people say to pick a movie, I would definitely go with ‘Damascus with Love’. I can’t explain how beautiful that movie is, you have to watch it and get the visual delight. Do try to watch it soon! I may have missed some of the best movies this time, but I don’t regret as whatever I saw didn’t let me down. Everyday there was protests and fights at the main venue which really made me remember about my college. Hope next year the film festival will be better in every way than this time, being free from all controversies and issues. And we can sincerely hope that the venue won’t be shifted to Calicut, which will definitely create chaos. 

The Painting Lesson

Urumi: A classic epic!

Year 2011 started by gifting us with a completely new&thrilling movie experience by Rajesh Pillai&Team! The movie 'Traffic' was really a trend setter in our industry, a change our film lovers were expecting. Traffic was the best film that many of us saw in some years, not to forget the movies like Pranchiyettan and Cocktail which really attracted good audiences back to the theatre. The context of this blog is definitely another classic movie which got released today..A movie which i like to call as the "Magnum Opus" of renown cinematographer Santosh Sivan.."Urumi" !

Sincerely saying, i went to watch this movie just because it's a Santosh Sivan film! Having a great interest in movies, i was really fascinated by this man's cinematography. I think 'Yodha' was the first movie i watched of him, later went on to experience his visual excellence in many movies like Kalapani, Roja, Dil Se, Raavan, Perumthachan, Iruvar, Ananthabhadram and many. Urumi was no different..Maybe he presented us with a entirely different experience..An apt example for 'visual treat'. No wonder if he bags too many awards next year! It will be ungrateful if i forget to mention about his direction, which had won him several accolades too. The way he directed this movie has to be certainly appreciated, for presenting one of the best movies in recent years! I wish he does more Malayalam films in the coming years, so that we people will be certainly gifted with more and more excellent films. 

Traffic really proved that script is the real hero of a movie, Urumi stamps it with yet another strong script. Shanker Ramakrishnan deserves the full credit for the wonderful script which is really the strength of the movie. Worked as a longterm associate with director Ranjith, he really proved his mettle in his first film "Island Express" (one among the then short films in Kerala Cafe). The story gives you a new picture about Vasco De Gama, a one which is unknown to all and maybe shocking. He has really got a bright future and we really expect a lot of good films from you. Yet again Deepak Dev produced some fine songs and stunning background score for the movie. After a longtime i was able to see people singing along with the songs in theatre! Another reason why i wanted to watch this movie today was Mr Ullas Mohan. A great choreographer from Trivandrum, with whom our team Year Outz got a chance to learn some moves had choreographed a song which had the ravishing Vidya Balan in lead. That song really lighted everyone in the theatre..Sexy choreography and Vidya!


The casting has been perfect in this movie. This will be a film that Prithviraj can be really proud off. After a series of disappointing films, finally he is back in track. His acting is really good and his looks are just sizzling. Prabhu Deva, Genelia and Jagathy worth a special appreciation for their stunning acting. I think will be one of the best characters of Genelia's career! Nitya Menon, Amol Gupte, Vidya, Tabu, Arya and everyone in this movie have done justice to their roles. I should admit that i have never seen Vidya this gorgeous. She's simply stunning with her looks. The locations are just beautiful, beautiful and beautiful..It looks like a Hollywood film through Santosh Sivan's lens. The entire cast and crew has to be appreciated. I recommend everyone to watch this movie for witnessing a classic epic, some fine acting, mind blowing cinematography, gorgeous actresses..A complete package! For all photography enthusiasts, this movie will be an ultimate treat. This will be a movie which will make us all proud..This movie will gift you an entirely different experience..A must match movie for this summer!

I, Celestial Lover!

Many will think that this blog is irrelevant as i have already written about Padmarajan Sir in 'January's Loss'! But as the day January 23 arrives, everyone will remember this great man with love and pride. His films were some of the landmark movies in Malayalam. I am not going to analyse his direction or scriptwriting as i am not at all eligible to do it. Let us discuss about the wonderful films,scripts and stories he has gifted us!

He wanted to be famous as both director and writer. But after getting into film field, he had to distance himself from writing to concentrate more on direction. Some writers describe this as a great loss for Malayalam literature, even i feel the same. The best thing about him is that he gifted us with a lot of films to remember for a long time, in fact some of the exceptional films in Malayalam. He was the best script writer in our film industry. Last year i got the chance to see his movies like Kallan Pavithran, Oridaththoru Phayalvaan etc. I was amazed by the talent this man possessed. Two weeks back i watched 'Moonampakkam' again, which made me cry like anything. It is one the classic movies in Malayalam. His way of direction,storytelling and picturisation is unique, thats why we all want to be the next Padmarajan!

He and his films still continues to inspire many youngsters to the film industry, but no one has ever achieved the fame like him. Ranjith is the only person now alive who got the caliber to do films like him.  Even after 20 years, he remains to be the best director of our industry. People still love to watch his films again and again. I recently read an article in a newspaper where actor Ashokan stated..'He was my luck, his death my bad luck'. In the same actor Jayaram stated 'Padmarajan Sir is my god'! It's so nice to see the media still remembering him and a million thanks to the TV channels for telecasting his movies from time to time. This year i want to complete reading all the stories he wrote, that will be my resolution. Very happy to know that K Rajeev Kumar and Suresh Kumar are remaking 'Rathinirvedam', a classic film penned by Pappettan and directed by Bharathan Sir. But it's better not to remake his directorial ventures, so that the class of the movies won't be spolied! I often feels the song 'Devaanganangal kaiyozhinja thaarakam' was written about him. You maybe greatly missed..But you and the wonderful films you gifted us will live in our hearts forever!

Remembering Monisha!

Yesterday while scrolling through TV channels, i happened to see the movie 'Adhipan' being aired in Kiran TV. I needn't get in detail about the movie as it is not the topic of discussion here. The movie really took me back to the memories of a fine actress called Monisha Unni (Monisha). Coincidentally, its her 18th death anniversary tomorrow. 

Recently i happened to read an article by one Bala Menon which tells us about life of Sreedevi Unni(her mother) after her death and the last few moments of Monisha's life. I am sure all her fans&film lovers will get disturbed after reading this, just because many still hesitate to accept her death. I am not going to get in detail about that as i am a great fan of her too. No one will ever forget 'Gouri' of 'Nakhashathangal', which introduced her to the film world. It bagged her the National Film Award for the best actress, the youngest recipient for that and the only actress to receive this award for debut film. The very first scene which comes to my memory when i think about her is the famous song 'Manjal Prasadavum Nettiyil Charthi' written by ONV Kurup..i think everyone shares the same memory:)..She went on to act in about 20 more films which included Tamil and Kannada movies. The characters in Perumthachan and Kamaladalam really proved her acting talent. It's known to everyone that she was an exceptional dancer, had her first stage performance at an age of 9 and went on to win many awards for Bharatanatyam and all. Her dancing talent was well used in Kamaladalam directed by Sibi Malayil. How can we ever forget that movie which showcased the brilliant performances of Mohanal and Monisha? The role of 'Kunhikkavu Thamburatti' in Perumthachan was the strongest character of her career. She had a divine look in that film:)..Still everyone remembers almost every character portrayed by her. I love her song sequences in movies like Aryan and Kudumbasametham!

I always feel that the song 'Manjal Prasadavum' was written about her. Till now i haven't seen an actress with such grace in our film industry..To me she was the face of Kerala woman. A very talented actor,dancer with a lot of innocence,genuine charm and delightful smile on her face always! Her face always had the innocent expression, which always reflected in her characters too. December 5,1992 will be always remembered as a black day for the cultural society of Kerala, the day which left the film lovers in immense pain . She joined the list of artists like Jayan, Shobha etc who left us when their career was at the peak. 'Nrithyavedi', an organisation founded by Sreedevi Unni in 1979 was renmaned to 'Monisha Arts' in memory of her, which provides a good platform to many young artists. It's not essential that it has to be December 5 for us to remember her as she still lives in all our hearts. While seeing her mother acting in movies these days, we just wish that she was alive..she left us leaving a lot of great characters behind. Perhaps she would have been the best actor in India by now, that much talent she possessed. It's sheer coincidence that December 5,1992 happened to be a Saturday and i am publishing this blog on another Saturday! Monisha..you will live in our hearts forever!I dedicate this writeup in memory of this great actress and a mother who came back strongly to life after suffering so much from fate's cruelty. 

Dream Girl!

Hema Malini is regarded as the 'Dream Girl' of Indian Cinema. I don't disagree with it, but has a point to make here. For all Malayalam movie fans, the dream girl will be certainly another actress. An actress who came and conquered the hearts of many people with her charming eyes and sexy body..One of the beautiful actress that Indian film industry has ever seen..She is our own Sumalatha..Or Kerala's own Clara!

She acted in Malayalam,Telugu,Kannada and Hindi. But it was her roles in malayalam movies that made her famous, and she is still remembered for that beautiful roles. It's indeed a great honour to be famous in the name of character that you did. Many won't get that chance, but she is lucky enough to be still known as "Clara". Thoovanathumbikal is regarded as her best movie till date. Her roles in Nirakoottu,New Delhi and Thazhvaaram made her one of the leading actresses in malayalam. She acted in more than 40 malayalam films. She is lucky to have worked with many legends like Padmarajan,Bharathan etc. It was quite unfortunate that she took a break from film field at her peak time. It was a great loss for malayalam movies and movie fans.

No one has ever portrayed the role of a sex worker this beautifully. Jayakrishnan and Clara remains as one of the best pairs that malayalam film industry has ever witnessed. Now too their romance and dialogues are famous among the youth. She has played many other strong characters too, which is still remembered by everyone. For me Clara is the best role of her till date and that character defines the title of this role. Many will be now thinking about the relevance of this blog now...This is just a dedication to an actress whom I admire so much for her beauty and acting. I like to be born again as Jayakrishnan and marry Clara...And we live as the 'butterflies of the spraying rain'!

Thoovanathumbikal

This is one of the best films i have ever seen in Malayalam. A mix of pure directorial brilliance and exceptional acting, supported by soothing music and frames. The credit goes to the entire crew behind this movie! This one film proves why Padmarajan is still regarded as one of the best directors in the film industry..No other director has ever dared to direct such a bold subject! When comes to acting, everyone has justified their selection to respective roles. Mannarthudi Jayakrishnan is a milestone character in Mohanlal's career, I should say he lived as Jayakrishnan. Sumalatha's Clara was one of the strongest character ever in Malayalam movies, infact her best character ever! Radha was nicely portrayed by Parvathy and Rishi was yet another great character for Ashokan, who is really lucky to have worked with almost all eminent directors of our industry! Another noted performance is that of Babu Namboothiri who plays the role of Thangal, a pimp by profession. Jagathy's Ravunni Nair adds spice of comedy to this movie! Every others acted in this film did great justice to their roles. The film is also famous for its great music, cinematography, locations and all. Both songs(Onnam ragam paadi&Megham poothu) were super hits. Padmarajan was always perfect at selecting his film locations, for this film he choose our very own Thrissur. The song scenes shot around Vadakkunathan Temple were simply superb. The film had some outstanding scenes like Jayakrishnan writing to Clara, their first meeting, Jayakrishnan proposing Clara, their next meeting at railway station, the climax scene(actually in this movie,every scene has got its own beauty). Rain plays an important role in this movie, it's a part of Jayakrishnan&Clara's journey. The climax scene leaves a nostalgic feeling in our mind. With a very touching music, Padmarajan ends the movie in a nostalgic style as Jayakrishnan accepts Radha as Clara gets married to someone else. They part with immense pain in their hearts..Clara loved Jayakrishnan only, but had to leave him for everyone's good future!

Thoovanathumbikal (Translation: Butterflies in the Spraying Rain) is a 1987 Indian film written and directed by the late P. Padmarajan, which is based on his own short story Udakappola. The protagonist is Jayakrishnan, who displays two entirely different faces, that of a rustic person and a sophisticated one. The film won rare accolades for the brilliant script. Perumbavoor G. Raveendranath composed some excellent musical scores (Onnaam Raagam Paadi,Megham Poothu Thudangi) for the film. Mohanlal is seen delivering one of his best performances as Jayakrishnan. The highlight of the film is the bold subject that is not dealt with usually in Malayalam films.

Plot: Jayakrishnan (Mohanlal), a well-to-do bachelor lives a dual life, one among his friends in the town and the other at his native village, where he lives with his mother and sister. While he is a free bird celebrating life with his crowd of friends in town, he is a proper family-man at home. The film is about his dual life and his encounter with the sex-worker-to-be Clara (Sumalatha), which takes him on a different journey and his love of Radha (Parvathy).

Jayakrishnan is a typical Thrissur Keralaite guy belonging to a noble family. He has his own vision of life, especially when it comes to marriage. He is hardworker and works in his own farm. At the same time he find time to enjoy a very modern life with his friends in town, about which very few people in his village knows.

One day he meets a girl called Radha, who is a distant relative of his and he falls in love with her. What attracts him to Radha is her toughness in her words (which normally portrays a persons character) which very few girls will possess. Now he feels it very hard not to tell Radha that he loves her and want to marry her. But Radha refuses it, thinking that he is a flirt.

Meanwhile, Jayakrishnan meets another girl, Clara. She hails from coastal fishermen community and was having poor life with her stepmother harassing her badly and was trying to get out her clutches. As an easy way for this, Clara agrees to become a sex worker and meets Jayakrishnan. Under the depression on getting rejected by Radha, Jayakrishnan gets acquainted with Clara and under one circumstance, make love with her. Later realizing that Clara was a virgin, Jayakrishnan becomes very much disturbed. Because one of his promises to his life is not to spoil a girls virginity unless, she is his wife or in-case he happens to do so, then that girls should become his wife. Thinking that breaking his one promise in life, he may spoil his entire life, Jayakrishan proposes to Clara. Admired by his sincerity to life she felt it difficult to reject his proposal and so Clara just disappears from Jayakrishnan because, she did not want to spoil his life by becoming his wife as she has already become a sex-worker in mind.

During this time, Radha, hearing more about Jayakrishnan from her brother (Madhavan), who is pretty close to Jayakrishnan, starts falling in love with him and becomes ready to accept his proposal. Her brother tell her that it was the first time that Jayakrishnan is proposing to a girl. She meets Jayakrishan and express her feelings and tell him that she feels sorry about what had happened in their first meeting. But now Jayakrishnan feels that he is not the right person for Radha and when she asks the reason, he will disclose everything that happened for him with Clara. Now she feels even more closer to him because of his sincerity. Radha, now express to Jayakrishnan, how she feels about him and tell him that she is not worried about his past and since he is not going to meet Clara anymore, she does not care about her. But Clara comes to the town again to meet Jayakrishnan. Jayakrishnan couldn't help him from not meeting her. During his time with her, he tell her about Radha, and Clara feels so happy about that. But later on Clara feels that she is the hindrance for Jayakrishnan not committing to Radha and vows that she will not meet him anymore. And before she leaves, request him not to disappoint Radha.

Now Jayakrishan and Radha get closer to each other and decides to marry. Everything goes on fine for a period until one day Jayakrishnan gets a telegram stating that Clara is coming to see him once more and this would be the last time they would meet each other and it would be at the town railway station. Clara is on her way for a long journey. Being shocked by this, Jayakrishnan and Radha couldn't decide what to do next. Radha requests Jayakrishnan not to meet Clara, but Jayakrishnan could not resist his mind from seeing her.

Towards the end of the movie, Jayakrishnan reaches the station to meet Clara. Radha too reaches the station without Jayakrishan's knowledge. At the station both gets shocked by seeing that Clara had already got married and is having a baby. She tells Jayakrishnan that she had decided to marry in-order to save both their futures. Now she will have a family life and Jayakrishnan will get Radha, with whom he had actually fallen in love. At the end the movie Clara leaves Jayakrishnan's life forever and Radha marries Jayakrishnan (though not shown explicitly in the end).

Cast:

Mohanlal - Jayakrishnan

Sumalatha - Clara

Parvathi - Radha

Ashokan - Rishi

Babu Namboothiri - Thangal

Jagathi Sreekumar - Ravunni