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Innocence Lost in times of confused ideologies

The melodious child dead in me, Long before the axe chopped off my head  

T. V. Chandrans latest Malayalam film, Ormakalundayirikanam (Memoirs and Desires) opens with these lines from a poem by Shene. The film is an eloquent visual statement on the lost innocence of childhood. But not just that. Through elegant, skillful intricacies of story telling, Chandran illuminates the loss of innocence in politics.

In a career spanning over a decade Chandran has made five feature films, each clearly showing a steady evolution. Krishnankutty (1981), Hemavin Kathalrgal (1984), Alicinte Anweshanam (1989), and Ponthanmada (1993). The last three films were shown in the Indian Panorama. Alice was the sole Indian entry at the Locarno Film Festival in 1990. Ponthanmada, apart from getting the award for the best director, also bagged many other awards; best actor (Mammootty), cinematography (Venu), music (Johnson), and participated in a number of foreign film festivals.

T. V. Chandran s new film is a bold political statement on the fateful years of the so called Liberation Struggle in Kerala led by the Opposition Congress, assisted by the Christian church and the upper caste Hindus, culminating in the dismissal of the first ever elected Communist government of E. M. S. Namboodiripad.

Films based on political themes were always present in the mainstream cinema. Apart from the commercial potboilers, advocates of good cinema, like Adoor Gopalakrishnan, late G. Aravindan and John Abraham tried their hand at this genre. But nobody ever attempted a subjective political statement.

Interestingly, this is the first ever attempt on a controversial subject like this. Juxtaposing images of political turmoil and childhood experiences, Chandran creates one of the most stirring visual experiences of Indian cinema in the recent years.

The whole narrative is structured around the experiences of a twelve-year-old boy, played brilliantly by the prodigy, Nitin. In a way, Jayan, the protagonist of the film, is based on the director himself. Jayan comes to terms with reality after a series of painful experiences. Yes, there are autobiographical elements in the film, admits Chandran.

Set in a small village of Kerala in the 1950s, the film throws light on the strong middle class values, which could never reconcile to the leftist trends. The film effectively portrays the growth of a pervasive mix of politics and religion. The director avoids falling prey to rhetoric, instead he captures the mood of the period, with his acute observation and careful details.

Jayan roams around the village, witnessing unpleasantness of the adult world. He is entertained by a sweet shop owner. When the friendly barber of the village is murdererd, the boy suddenly becomes aware of the intricacies of dirty politics, which is invading his village. While in an emotionally disturbed states he comes across Dr. Tharakan, a scientist of sorts, who predicts the end of the world, and happily waits for it.

But the film does not just revolve around politics. The director has incorporated several tender incidences of the boy coming into adolescence. Some of the sweetest moments are captured when Jayan finds a girlfriend for himself and discovers the true pleasure of entering into a grown up s world.

T. V. Chandran s understanding of the child psyche and his mature handling of the subject is amazing. The shots, which show the blooming relationship between the boy and his hero Bhasi, a local comrade, are the highlight of the film. The director is able to visualize every step in the in the development of the pair s relationship Jayan admires Bhasi for his dare devilry, for handling his political opponents with a bravado that Jayan himself lacks. The director develops on the warm relationship shared by the two friends on screen through a series of incidences.

The film also brings out the disturbing realities of gender relationships. The boy unwittingly comes to know about his father s liaison with the maid servant and blurts it out to his mother. Later this woman from the lower middle class stages a revolt against her degenerated husband, fighting to preserve her own dignity in the process. It is a display of the director s consistent concern for the plight of the weaker sex. It is a recurring subject in all Chandran s films. Alicente Anweshanam (The Search for Alice, 1989) was the most concrete statement from the director on this theme (which is considered a landmark feminist film). Ponthanmada (1993) also portrayed the fate of hapless women.

The film, Ormaklundayirikkanam, ends with the boy listening to the radio news about the dismissal of the Communist government, at the village reading room.  Upset and dismayed, he finds himself isolated from the overjoyed crowd. Excellent use of visuals strengthens the impact of the film. Venu s camerawork is mesmerizing. The dream scenes of the boy and the dead face of the barber are shot with a highly inspired consciousness of the medium. Continuing with his practice of eschewing the conventional concepts of art cinema, the director positions himself above the divisions of art and commercial . He takes recourse in calculated understatements of emotions and events this is what builds the drama in the movie.

Chandran s 90-minute film clearly bears its sympathy towards the Communist movement. At a time when communist-baiting has become the in thing, Chandran s attempt to portray it on screen only tells his tremendous conviction in his art.

Very few Indian films have successfully treated such controversial subjects correctly, balancing the political and cinematic aspects of a theme. Chandran s films stand out as an exception with its aesthetic richness and multi-layered portrayal of human life at a certain historical juncture.

The Asian Age

8 September 1995