My exposure to Malayalam movies was always limited. During childhood, I did watch a lot of matinee shows coming on TV, but I largely confined myself to funny entertaining movies. I never explored the more serious layered movies of the 80s-90s. In fact, I never even knew such movies existed. Thus, I was pleasantly surprised when I started exploring Padmarajan’s work.
I started with Innale, followed up with Thoovanathumbikal, and then went for Namakku Parkan Munthiri Thopukal. Half an hour into ‘Innale’, I realised this was serious stuff. The pattern was similar for the other movies as well. A slow start in introducing the characters and familarizing us with the surroundings. A mid portion that keeps us hooked to the plot and a bittersweet ending that hits us so hard that we keep thinking about it for ages.
Another commonality between these three works is the presence of really strong female characters. It’s easy to mistake Thoovanathumbikal or Munthiri Thoppukal as yet another Mohanlal movie, but the movies are really about the woman leads. The male protagonists are just incidental in the story.
All three movies were way ahead of their time and talked about complex social issues without actually talking about them. They challenge the ideas of virginity, expose patriarchy, and are at the core really about love. An unabashed, naked form of love that exposes it’s greatest weakness – ‘True Love hurts’.
Read.Reflect.Repeat 