Malayala Cinema Pinnitta Vazhikal zooms into Malayalam cinema from 1928 to 1968, and gives an overall view of myriad aspects of filmmaking and the people involved

Malayalam cinema is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, even though the exact date of release of the first film Vigathakumaran is still under dispute as to whether it is 1928 or 1930. One can take this as a pointer to the state of archiving, documentation, history-writing and scholarship in Malayalam cinema, despite its claims to be one of the most vibrant cinemas in India, one that has consistently produced some landmark films and some all time greats of Indian cinema.

It was when VHS technology and television arrived that most films of the earlier decades got a new lease of life. Though many of the films of the Black and White period were salvaged during this period, several important classics were lost forever.

The negatives of even films of the 1960s and 70s such as Nagarame Nandi, Athithi and Iniyum Marichittillatha Nammal were never found, leave alone earliest films like Vigathakumaran, Yachaki or Balan.

Ironically, the only full-length feature film from the silent era in South India that survives is the ‘Malayalam’ film Marthandavarma, that too only because its print was seized following litigations relating to copyright.

This means that a large chunk of our visual culture and history is irretrievably lost forever; as a result, the history of Malayalam cinema is akin to that of plays and live music concerts of yore; they remain only in the memories of those who were witness to them, or in some secondary evidences as to their existence.

Similar is the case with other souvenirs and memorabilia of cinema — posters, song books, notices, LP records and publicity materials. If at all anything remains, that is due to the relentless efforts and selfless passion of some cinephiles who spent their lives, time and resources to collect them.

Blast from the past

It is in this context that M. Jayaraj’s book Malayala Cinema Pinnitta Vazhikal assumes significance. It is a collection of his writings on Malayalam films of the first four decades; it covers all the films released between 1928 and 1968, from Vigathakumaran to Kayalkkarayil, which was released on December 19, 1968.

The first part of the book briefly gives an overview of the historical origins of Malayalam cinema, narrating the story of pioneers and their early attempts. It is followed by descriptive reviews of all the films released during the period in chronological order. The major sources of information that the author uses are newspaper advertisements, reports and reviews of the period, which is something that has not been explored fully by scholars so far.

Jayaraj’s approach and intent are different from that of a historian or a film theorist or analyst, though he makes forays into all these areas. What makes Jayaraj’s book unique is the diversity of views that he is able to bring in. His narrative weaves together inputs and insights from different sources: apart from information from the advertisements, newspaper reports and reviews, the book contains a brief storyline of the films, details about the actors, technicians, artists and production houses. The technical and other details highlighted in the advertisements that accompany the release of the films provide a rich source of ‘evidence’ and materials for his analysis.

As the prints or copies of most of these early films are lost and untraceable, such descriptions become an invaluable source of information for future researchers. Jayaraj blends into his narrative the life and work of film personalities — actors, singers, scenarists and technicians who made a mark in Malayalam cinema.

These short bio-notes about the personalities are given along with the film they made their debut with; the notes also contain a brief overview of each one’s career, their major contributions and accomplishments.

In the news

Another major attraction of the book are reproductions of the newspaper advertisements of the films, which gives the reader a visual history of film advertisement and publicity, and factual details about the dates and centres of release. The tag lines of some of the films provide an interesting lead into the marketing strategies of the time, periodical changes in the aspects of cinema that are highlighted and also the evolution of visual layout and the ad-language employed over time.

Interesting adlines

Here are some of the interesting adlines from early decades: “Stunning events! Hair-raising sights! Strange incidents! Heroic acts! Scenes overflowing with compassion! Jokes! Comedies! An awesome and virtue-inspiring community story that combines all emotions” — Gnanambika aka Ragaleela (Gnanambika/ 1940); “A passionate love story. In the struggle called life, some people succeed, but many fail. Sasidharan is not sure whether he succeeded or failed...” (Sasidharan alias Strange Love/1950); “A social film where all arts wonderfully blend” (Yachakan / 1943).

By not limiting his film-historical narrative to the ‘content’ or ‘story’ of film, Jayaraj makes interesting digressions that bring several interesting details about and incidents from the film industry of the time. The book very diligently follows the entry of major artists and technicians, genres and techniques, formats and marketing strategies, stars and singers, along with the introduction of new technical innovations, thematic continuities and breaks, audience responses and critical reception of films. All the firsts and debuts in Malayalam cinema — the advent of a new genre, a star, singer, technician, production company and so on — are identified and elaborated here.

What often ails our film history and writing is the overemphasis on narrative content and personalities, and on ideological shifts and narrative styles.

This book, by shifting the focus to the other side, that of advertisement/publicity materials and audience response and critical reviews, complements the existing body of literature on Malayalam cinema, while providing critical information and inputs that could inform its social history. One hopes Jayaraj will come out with a sequel on the films of the next decades.

An edited and annotated compilation of the visual material — advertisements — that accompany the book, should make an interesting coffee-table book providing glimpses into the history and evolution of film publicity in Malayalam press.

Malayala Cinema Pinnitta Vazhikal

M. Jayaraj

Mathrubhumi Books

Rs. 600