Kummatty - A G. Aravindan Masterpiece

G. Aravindan's 1979 masterpiece, Kummatty is on Youtube, looking better than the original. The painstaking restoration effort, jointly done by World Cinema Foundation in the US, India’s Film Heritage Foundation and the Italian archive Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna has paid off. The vibrancy and the life in the restored print is unbelievable. The restored print is better than the original I had watched at least half a dozen times in my childhood. The restoration is a testament to the resolution and sharpness of the original analog film (Eastman color stock), even after all the negatives were lost and the restoration team had to rely on the positives, location shots and on the recollections of the original cinematographer.

Piper Kummatty and his band of followers.

Kummatty is a beautiful visual poem. A poem from a bygone Kerala, a Kerala that ceased to exist around the time the movie was made in the late seventies. It is the kind of movie you can show your American/western movie-buff friend representative of native Indian folklore on celluloid cautioning her/him the India depicted in this movie is as far removed from the present day India as snake-charmers and climbing rope-tricks.

A theyyam in the movie.

I first saw the movie when I was in 3 or 4 years old. It was promoted as a children's film. Although the director, G. Aravindan was of the opinion that he didn't consider it a children's film as he didn't like typifying his films, he said children may like it. Kerala state government went ahead and awarded it the best children's film for that year. Not to lose the opportunity to promote a world-class children's film, it was screened (almost) every weekend we visited the outdoor movie theater at the children's park at Napier Museum. I was traumatized every time I watched the movie. It was definitely not for little kids.

The mysterious figure of Kummatty, the dark vibe of the movie and the story (no spoilers) where one of my own kind (child) was thrown into deep 'existential' trouble and had to stay in that 'troubled' state waiting for the Kummatty to come back distressed me no end.

A real stray dog that landed a lead role in Kummatty.

G. Aravindan was not the most talkative of film makers. His films were contemplative visual poems. Kummatty is no different. When your main lead is a dog for the half the movie, dialog becomes dispensable. 

Aravindan's movies also served as vehicles for other talented people. Kummatty must be one of the finest cinematography projects ever helmed by Shaji N. Karun. In almost all of G. Aravindan's films, except the last couple, the camera was handled by the talented Shaji N. Karun. Well schooled in the mid to late twentieth century art house movie making techniques of long meditative shots and sparse dialog, Shaji N. Karun went on win Camera d'Or at Cannes with his own directorial debut composed along similar lines, Piravi, in 1989. 

G. Aravindan, Shaji N. Karun (photo courtesy Ramu Aravindan, son of G. Aravindan.)

The folk songs composed for Kummatty by Kavalam Narayana Panicker, set to music by M.G. Radhakrishnan have found a permanent place in the Malayalam cultural encyclopedia, with rebirths in the form of popular and rock songs by bands like Avial, decades after the movie was released.

Vilasini in one of the beautifully framed shots from Kummatty.

The only familiar face for me in this movie is of (Kuttyedathi) Vilasini. The choice of unknown actors or having common folks play part in his movie is also signature G. Aravindan. His movie, Kanchana Sita had tribal people from Andhra (location where it was filmed) playing main roles in that movie. Ashok who played the lead (kid), Chindan in Kummatty recently showed up at a screening of the restored version. Kummatty was the only movie he had ever acted in.

Kummatty's stash of animal crackers.

Kummatty sharing animal crackers treats with kids.

Kummatty is translated as 'the bogeyman' in the subtitles. I would disagree. Kummatty is not exactly a bogeyman, but he is more like a pied piper, luring kids with his songs, music, magic and animal crackers. Animal crackers are pretty symbolic in this story which is closely connected to animals. Unlike the piper from Hamlin, Kummatty has no ill intentions, he is an eternal child who finds joy and magic in the small things in life. The best compatriots he finds in his expeditions are children who share his sense of wonder and joy. 

Temple pond where Kummatty takes his bath, banyan tree and the temple in the background, where Chindan and his friends are seen watching the mysterious magic man.

Aravindan said Kummatty symbolized spring. He is a force of nature who visits a place according to his own schedule, like seasons. He comes after the rains, in spring, when lakes and ponds are abrim with water and nature is green and bountiful wearing its finest.

Evening market on the street, a common scene in mid twentieth century rural Kerala. Chindan played by Ashok is seen buying fish for his family's dinner.

Re-watching this timeless classic at the end of the first quarter of twenty-first century, it offers us a window into rural Kerala from half a century ago. None of these scenes will be naturally occurring anywhere in present-day Kerala. 

The social, political and cultural landscape of Kerala has irrevocably changed. The physical environment - built structures and the nature surrounding them, if they still exist untouched anywhere, are flanked by updated buildings and inundated with signs of progress like tin-sheet roofing or neon lighted billboards.

Chindan, with a pot of water, framed against the doorway of a typical Malabar home or temple, built of hewn laterite.

Kummatty was shot in my favorite part of the world, north Malabar. The rolling grasslands and sun burnt laterite hill tops of Kasargod where Kummatty frolics with his band of child followers is reminiscent of my childhood summers. The crimson faced theyyams and the local architecture in hewn laterite brings back memories of grand-parents and the cool interiors of ancestral homes. 

Kummatty takes us back to a lost world and a lost time,  where the pagan spiritual rituals, theyyams, bare chested grandmas and seasonal magic men co-existed with evening village markets and centuries-old banyan trees. At the discerning age I am now, Kummatty is no longer disturbing, the beautiful work of art has revealed itself, speaking of love, nature, (wo)man and the interconnectedness of it all. Thank you, G. Aravindan!

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Pakalkkinavu

Tales of philandering playboys and gullible girls 'destroyed' by these men have provided fodder to many an Indian movie. Pakalkkinavu, (def:daydream)  is a 1966 Malayalam film penned by M. T.  Vasudevan Nair and directed by S.S.Rajan based on this general theme.

Nellikode Bhaskaran & Sathyan in Sathyan's mid-century modern apartment

Other than M.T's characteristic protagonist, a young man from a tharavad in Valluvanadu, the story, the setting and the dialog are very modern compared to other Malayalam films from the sixties. This is the earliest Malayalam movie that I have seen/heard the word "cool" being used by the lead actor in the way we use it now, as a slang term meaning awesome.

Even the young man, played by a young looking 54 year old Sathyan is not the typical hero you see in M.T's stories. In fact both male characters in the movie, Sathyan's Babu and Nellikode Bhaskaran's Chandran are atypical of the roles each actor used to play during their usual outings. Nellikode Bhaskaran has a meaty role in the movie, a far cry from the side roles I am used to seeing him in.

Sathyan on his motorcycle, Sharada and Bhaskaran looks on

The movie starts with a motorcycle ride through the city of Bangalore where Babu is seen establishing his character as the rich scion who matches women on his pillion with his outfit of the day. It was an eye-opener for me that even back in the sixties, Bangalore was Keralites' idealized city where girls went to go wild and men were all dashing and debonair. In this city of daydreams, Babu is seen living in a hotel suite decorated with tasteful pieces of mid-century modern furniture. He drinks beer for water and plays savior to jobless youth like Chandran when he feels like it, with only one condition - no one is supposed to give him life advice. Keeping your mouth shut vs homelessness, that is an easy choice for Chandran.

A very young Sharada as Malathi makes appearance as Chandran's acquaintance. But the audience and Babu knows, try all he might Chandran is not going to get the girl. The girls usually have a incomprehensible fondness for dudes on motorcycles and Malathi turns out no different in the end.

Sharada & Sathyan - 30+ years age difference separates the stars often paired togehter

The second half of the movie shifts back to Kerala from Bangalore and in Malathi's place we have Vasanthi as Shaari, Malathi's younger sister. While it is melodramatic at some places as was the trend of the times, the treatment of the movie, including the ending is contemporary.

 

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Kannur Deluxe: A(n Accidental Feminist) Caper

Once upon a time there was a deluxe KSRTC (Kerala State Road Transport Corporation) express bus, the most majestic of its kind, connecting Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur - the southern and northern ends of the habitable civilized world of the kingdom of Kerala. To hop on this bus's tale, please ignore certain fundamental facts, such as - Kerala is not a kingdom, but a southern Indian state formed after the independence of India in 1947. Kannur is not the northern most district of Kerala, it is Kasargod which is mostly Karnataka in disguise, thus Kasargod can be conveniently overlooked the same way KSRTC disregarded it as any kind of destination worth traveling to, back in the sixties.

Kannur Deluxe is one of the first road movies in Malayalam. This sensational 1969 whodunit stars Sheela and Prem Nazir in the lead roles.  The story travels from Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala to Kozhikode in the north, the last but one destination of the KSRTC 's longest and premium bus service at the time, called the Kannur Deluxe Express. This deluxe express bus service was like the Concorde of that era - fast and sensational, a mythical creature that zoomed past to glamorous destinations, while the rural countryside stood by and gaped, their mouths wide open.

Deluxe Express Bus from the movie Kannur Deluxe (1969)

This is the same bus my parents used to take on their yearly vacations to go back to their homes in Kannur from Thiruvananthapuram where they both lived and worked, before I was born. Indian Railways didn't have an unbroken train service connecting the state capital with Kannur at the time, so Kannur Deluxe - the 12 hr. overnight KSRTC bus service was a practical and convenient transportation solution for them. To immortalize these journeys my parents even got me a wooden KSRTC express bus toy - my first ever toy vehicle, that kind of looks like this. This guy makes these miniature scale model toy buses for anyone nostalgic about old Kerala public transport buses.

Sheela, K.P. Ummer, G.K. Pillai in Kannur Deluxe

Kannur Deluxe, the movie, is a crime caper that opens with a damsel in distress - Sheela, is seen running from the cops and finds refuge at a rich old guy's (G.K. Pillai) house. Why is she running from the police - this question along with several other burning questions will be answered before the curtain falls, hold on tight. The rich guy gives her a stenographer job at his company, while his son (K. P. Ummer) is a bit sweet on her. 

Prem Nazir and Sheela in Kannur Deluxe

Being a disposable employee for the company (Sheela does not know she is), Sheela is tasked with delivering a stash of cash from the company H.Q at Thiruvananthapuram to a business partner at Kozhikode and she uses the Kannur Deluxe as her mode of transport. The money is stolen and then dramatics and excitement ensue. The crime that forms the crux of the movie was an adaptation of a real life crime incident that happened in Kerala a few years before this movie was released. 

Prem Nazir and his side kick Adoor Bhasi are also on the bus as a slightly off the rocker Namboodiri and his helper. So is Jose Prakash - the favored villain in those days. Up and coming directorial talents - I.V. Sasi and Hariharan assisted the director Antony Bhaskar Raj or A.B. Raj (Trivia : A.B.Raj is south Indian actress Saranya's father.) Nellikkode Bhaskaran has the glamorous job as the conductor of the Kannur Concorde and devises a clever plan that traps the small time crook Jose Prakash, half way through the journey. There are also other familiar faces like Sankaradi, Paravoor Bharathan and T.R. Omana. 

Kannur Deluxe at Kollam KSRTC bus stand

As a firm believer in the religion of inspirational quotes, I know it is not the destination that matters, it is all about the journey. Kannur Deluxe is the movie for us believers. A lot of drama and songs happen as the journey progresses and cleverly the layers of intrigue are peeled off, leading to an unexpected revelation at the climax, which I won't reveal since I am not into spoilers. All I am willing to give away is at the end Kannur Deluxe becomes an exercise in accidental feminism. 

The journey through the length of Kerala in the company of an unpredictable story is thoroughly engaging. Along with the riveting story and characters the movie also gives a window view of the scenes and places of everyday Kerala from the 1960s, keeping it authentic. There is Palayam church at Thiruvananthapuram, Neendakara bridge and clock tower at Kollam, the round and Vadakkumnathan at Thrissur, Feroke bridge near Kozhikode, KSRTC bus stands at Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Aluva and Kozhikode and a lot more Kerala in the frames in-between. If you are a Malayali who wants to take a trip down the memory lane through the geographical length of Kerala, take a ticket on Kannur Deluxe - the accompanying  story of intrigue and mystery enacted by your favorite actors is a bonus.

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C.I.D Nazir: The Malayali James Bond

CID Nazir, 1971 Malayalam blockbuster stars Kerala's evergreen movie star Prem Nazir as Malayalis' James Bond. For the uninitiated Malayalam movie star Prem Nazir holds two Guinness records for playing the highest number of lead roles in movies - in 524 films and acting opposite the same heroine (Sheela) in 110 of them. The man was a prolific hit making machine back in his day. No wonder he was chosen to play Malayalam's adaptation of Ian Fleming's famous spy.

 

CID stands for Criminal Investigation Department officer. The department in real world gets their marching orders from CBI - Central Bureau of Investigation, India's counterpart of the FBI. For a movie CID officer, the character has to be a master of disguises, here below are the many faces of CID Nazir.

The 60s & 70s Malayalam cinema CIDs or detectives had to have excellent cosplay skills. A CID's crime solving abilities were a distant second. Since CID Nazir is Malayali incarnate of James Bond, he is shown as an irresistible ladies man. Unlike other Malayalam movies of the time the hero does not form a lasting bond with the heroine when this movie ends. 

The 1969 movie Kannur Deluxe can be considered a prequel of CID Nazir. In both movies Prem Nazir is the CID and Adoor Bhasi is his assistant CID, although P. Venu, the director of CID Nazir did direct a film called Detective 909 Keralathil (1969) prior to this, it does not have the continuity you expect in a movie series in the absence of the main character CID Nazir, which Kannur Deluxe has. P.Venu will go on to make a sequel to CID Nazir in 1972 called Taxi Car. 

Other CID movies that I am familiar with from the same time period where Prem Nazir stars as the CID are Cochin Express (1967), Love in Kerala (1968), Danger Biscuit (1969), Ernakulam Junction (1971) and Lankadahanam (1972).

CID Nazir - the movie starts off with a different  CID - a young and handsome Raghavan as CID Chandran. As a young and junior hero, he is expendable and is finished off before the opening credits. CID Nazir is then tasked with finding and bringing the criminal gang behind Chandran's killing to justice.

  Raghavan as CID Chandran

Bhasi as Bhasi

Sreelatha as Sreelatha

Adoor Bhasi plays the assistant CID, Bhasi. He also provides comic relief. Unlike the Malayali Bond - CID Nazir, assistant CID Bhasi has a permanent lady love in this movie, Sreelatha. Bahadur, another actor who assists Bhasi in the comic relief effort plays the caretaker and helper at the bungalow Nazir stays in. It is the same house where CID Chandran was originally murdered. Bahadur and Bhasi were like Laurel and Hardy of Malayalam of that era.

Bahadur

 A masala potboiler Indian movie has to have a good looking heroine so that the dashing CID officer can engage in some stress-release in the form of singing, dancing and running around trees with her. A very young Jayabharathi, in her late teens is CID Nazir's girl friend for two and half hours of the movie's running time. While the girl is hopelessly in love with the CID, the upstanding CID never really expresses any deep feelings for her. She is mainly there as the subject of his songs and the movie did have some chartbuster songs thanks to this romantic track.

Jayabharathi as Shanti

The villains, the semi villains, the vamp and the villain's lair showcases the usual suspects like Jose Prakash, Nellikkode Bhaskaran and Sadhana. The underground (looks like a bomb shelter) villain's lair is typical repurposed studio set that has stood many movie villains in good stead. The super villain never shows his face, as the camera shows the back of his head from behind his chair and you can see his foot soldiers facing the camera. There is an ominous globe on the villain's desk as if to say the world is not enough.

The villian's lair and the standup meeting with his 'employees'

Sadhana, a Malayalam star from the 60s and 70s who specialized in vamp and cabaret dancer roles is the femme fatale. She gets a pretty meaty role trying to mislead and murder the ladies' man CID. She also gets a cabaret dance number and song and in the end she switches side, thus redeeming herself and reuniting with her ex-boyfriend. I tried looking up Sadhana and found that the lady died penniless - the same fate met by many supporting actors in Malayalam film industry.

Jose Prakash as Shivaram

Sadhana as Miss Lovely

K.P. Ummer as Das

K. P. Ummer - another mainstay actor of 1960s-70s Malayalam movies makes his appearance as Das, Miss. Lovely's boyfriend and CID's secretary. He makes his entrance one day at mid-night at CID's bungalow, looking for a job and CID offers him the job of his secretary. Why at that hour is a question we should not ask, it could be that the investigative types could only be cornered at their abodes at mid night and therefore it was the best time to ask for a job. Ummer was usually the second hero, if the movie had space for more than one or on rare occasions, he donned negative characters as well. Speaking of not-so-innocent characaters, Nellikkodu Bhaskaran and Jose Prakash play a couple of dapper characters who are sus.

Nellikkodu Bhaskaran

CID Nazir is a complete entertainment package. You have ghosts, ghostly killers, murder, mayhem, dashing heroes, sensual damsels, suave baddies and a taut script sprinkled with a bunch of melodious songs. IMHO it delivers bang for your buck. In 60s and 70s when Malayalam cinema was afflicted by tear-jerkers, where all was never well at the end, CID Nazir was 100% entertainment. Here below are some more entertaining stills from the movie.

Jayabharati as Shanti - a song scene

Shanti and CID Nazir - all in a day's work for the CID

CID Nazir breaks into a song to cool off when things get too heated up on the investigation front

T.S. Muthiah, Jose Prakash as Sivaram and CID Nazir

This is one of the last scenes of the movie. Malayali 007 is returning to New Delhi after successfully completing his assignment. Shanti (Jayabharati) is seen giving a parting gift - a red rose, but 007 tactfully friendzones Shanti. Next movie, next beauty or bevvy of beauties. 

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