Screen Time: Malayalam Cinema Raises the Bar
Welcome to our new column!
We are pleased to introduce our new entertainment column. It will feature, on a rotational basis, all of the following and more:
- Short reviews of regional series and films
- The “Best on OTT” series: best shows, anthologies, reality shows
- Entertainment News
- Interviews with actors, directors and producers
- Blast from the Past: films to revisit
- Upcoming shows and series from South Asia
Guest contributors are welcome. Please email your queries to baisakhi.roy@gmail.com, with “Screen Time” in the subject line.
In a year of rich offerings from Mollywood, nobody has been more creative and productive than the actor Fahadh Faasil, dubbed Fa Fa by hardcore fans.
The lush environs of Kottayam in Kerala are starkly different from the concrete chaparral that is Mumbai. But for many of us who grew up watching Indian regional films on weekends in the ’80s and ’90s, there is an instant connection with Malayalam films. Those were the glory days when rainy Sunday evenings in June were spent watching cinematic gems like Fazil’s Manichitrathazhu and Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s Swayamvaram. Since it was the beginning of the new school session, there would be less pressure to hit the books and more time to binge watch movies. I remember watching most of Satyajit Ray’s oeuvre at age 12. Besides Bangla (my mother tongue), my cousins and I were lucky to relish Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi, Sindhi and Konkani films without worrying about language barriers. Thanks to subtitles, an entire generation was able to access some of the best Indian regional cinema.
A still from C U Soon
Traditionally superior
Even then, Malayalam cinema stood out for its strong themes and erudite performances. From the classic Perumthachan, which delved into generational conflict, to No. 20 Madras Mail, a thriller starring the two M’s (Mohanlal and Mammooty), Malayalam cinema was synonymous with quality. The grand tradition of evocative and nuanced storytelling, with no frills, continues to this day, and Malayalam films are finding new audiences, thanks to OTT platforms that became constant companions during a pandemic-induced lockdown. A slew of films helmed by visionary directors, starring some of the veterans as well as dazzling new talents, are ripe for the picking. Mammooty still delivers a punch, as evidenced in the entertaining Khalid Rehman film, Unda (Amazon Prime), while Mohanlal is his gentle, stoic self in the engaging Drishyam 2 (Amazon Prime). In the film, Georgekutty, played by Mohanlal, says, “I will rule Malayalam cinema.” That mantle is being shared by actors such as Parvathy, Nimisha Sajayan, Darshana Rajendran, Fahadh Faasil, Dulquer Salman, Nivin Pauly, Tovino Thomas, etc. Along with others, filmmakers Dileesh Pothan, Mahesh Narayanan and Lijo Jose Pellissery— as well as writers Syam Pushkaran and Anjali Menon— are producing groundbreaking work.
Going gaga over FaFa
Among the names mentioned, Fahadh Faasil seems to have made the most of the pandemic. The actor who famously “speaks with his eyes” has had the most releases in the past year, with each performance trouncing the previous one in terms of playing versatile characters in films that are vastly different from each other. He began on a high note with a highly experimental film, shot entirely on an iPhone. C U Soon (Amazon Prime) sees Faasil play Kevin, a cyber security specialist who aids his cousin Jimmy (Roshan Mathew) track down a girl he loves over a series of chats. He followed up this performance with two more solid outings—playing a gangster in a small coastal town in Kerala in Malik (Amazon Prime) and the titular, devious character in Joji (Amazon Prime), which is based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. 
Faasil disappeared into these roles effortlessly, his eyes alternating between maniacal, weary and despairing to convey layered emotions. Though the actor revels in playing dark and complex characters, his comic timing is spot on in Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s Tamil dark comedy, Super Deluxe (Netflix), where he plays Mugil, a cuckold who tries to help his wife (Samantha Akkineni) get rid of her lover’s body. Then there’s his endearing portrayal of Prakashan in Njan Prakashan (Netflix), a coming-of-age story played with hilarity by the versatile actor.
[Right] Fahadh Faasil and Nazriya Nazim, who are married in real life, in a still from Bangalore Days.
Though some of Faasil’s beloved films like Maheshinte Prathikaaram and Kumbalangi Nights have left OTT platforms, they can still be rented or bought via YouTube. Another must-watch film is an oldie but a goodie: Anjali Menon’s Bangalore Days (Amazon Prime), which features an ensemble cast comprising Nivin Pauly, Parvathy, Dulquer Salman and Nithya Menen among others. Those who’ve already watched all Faasil’s films to date can look for the upcoming Pushpa, with Allu Arjun, and Vikram, where he shares screen space with Vijay Sethupathi and Kamal Haasan.
If you are in the mood for:
• A tight, cops-stuck-in-the-system drama: Nayattu (Netflix)
• A bloody home invasion flick: Kala (Amazon Prime)
• A socio-political thriller: Kuruthi (Amazon Prime
Blast from the Past:
On Netflix, you can now watch Avvai Shanmugi, Kamal Haasan’s 1996 laugh riot! Inspired by Mrs. Doubtfire, starring Robin Williams, the Tamil version has Haasan in full body and face make-up, playing Avvai Shanmugi, an elderly woman who is employed by his estranged wife as a nanny to their kids. The film has some top-notch performances by legendary actors Gemini Ganesan and Nassar. The Hindi version, Chachi 420, had Haasan reprise his role with Tabu playing his wife and Amrish Puri as the father-in-law besotted with Chachi!
Meet the columnist
Baisakhi Roy is a culture writer and journalist based in Ontario, Canada. Her work has been published in several Canadian media outlets including The Globe and Mail, Huffington Post Canada, Chatelaine, Broadview and CBC. Formerly a reporter with The Indian Express in India, Baisakhi is an avid Bollywood fan and co-hosts the Hindi language podcast KhabardaarPodcast.com. She is also the books editor at New Canadian Media, with a focus on highlighting immigrant literature and authors.
Baisakhi and her husband, Umang, have a teenage daughter named Ayumi.
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