How betraying a friend or an acquaintance can ruin ones life is poignantly depicted in the Malayalam film Thalappavu made by actor-turned-director Madhupal. The movie is based on a real-life confession of a police constable about gunning down a naxalite in a fake encounter as per the order of his superiors nearly thirty years ago. The screenplay by Babu Janardhanan uses the stream of consciousness flow to show the mental state of the constable who feels deranged after the incident.

Lal plays Constable Raveendran Pillai whose family life is ruined after the killing of Joseph (Prithviraj), a revolutionary leader fighting for the rights of the hapless farmers of Wayanad. Raveendran is a misfit in the police force as he is not courageous or cruel as the others of his ilk. He is a family man to the hilt and dotes on his children. He befriends Joseph on the way while on duty. Joseph introduces him to the revolutionary ideas. Raveendran takes instant liking for Joseph and roams in the forests with Joseph during his free time.

If not for anything else, Thalappavu is worth watching for Lal's performance alone, which is simply awesome. Prithviraj's role is more like a special appearance when compared to Lal's. National Award-winning actor Atul Kulkarni appears as the lecherous landowner who appears in a few scenes in the second half.

Madhupal's efforts as a director deserve applause for not only taking a bold theme for his debut film as a director, but also for the non-linear pattern of narrating the theme, where past and present merge to showcase the state of the mind of the protagonist. Thalappavu should be appreciated and watched by all those who rue the fact that the golden period of Malayalam cinema ended a decade or two ago.

Thalappavu won two Kerala state Film Awards: Best Debute director (Madhupal) and Best actor (Lal).

Web page - http://www.thalappavu.com/story.htm

Neermaathalathinte Pookkal:


A touching story of a young girl's love for her grandmother. A nostalgic journey down the memory lane in search of love - true, unconditional love. A heart's yearning for sincere and unaffected love. Neermaathalathinte Pookkal, based on a story by Madhavikutty (Kamala Das),  is a shortfilm made for those who still cherish in their hearts memories from their childhood and also memories related to their first love in life. The film is a tribute to love - the basic instinct inherent to every man and woman. The Nalappat ancestral house at Punnayoorkulam in Thrissur provides the location for the film.

The 40-minute shortfilm is truly like a haiku, with simple dialogues not longer than a few words. Yet it conveys the thought processes and  ideology of the writer (Madhavikkutty). The story is no story either. It is emotion that is wrapped around in slow moving scenes, with the mood predominating, not the action. For action is almost absent, only thoughts and their picturization..

The popular film actress Praveena stars as Madhavikkutty, viewers will find careful attention to details in her portrayal of the famous writer, her costumes and hair style closely matching early photographs of the writer. This film is Praveena's show and she deserves all the awards she received, for the role is difficult to portray. 

Neermaathalam has won several awards - 6 state awards and 5 critics awards. These include Film City Award,  Ala award, Prem nazir award, Thikkurissi award and FBT Award. Neermaathalam is a romantic story filled the intimate moments of love. The mood of the shortfilm is  well captured  in the following excerpt from the writings of author herself :

There is a house now far away where once

I received love. That woman died,
The house withdrew into silence, snakes moved
among books. I was then too young
to read and, my blood turned cold like the moon.
How often I think of going
there, to peer through blind eyes of windows or
just listen to the frozen air,
or in wild despair, pick an armful of
darkness to bring it here to lie
behind my bedroom door like a brooding
dog... You cannot believe, darling
can you, that I lived in such a house and
was proud, and loved... I who have lost
my way and beg now at strangers’ doors to
receive love, at least in small change..

My Grandmother’s House - Madhavikutty aka Kamala Das aka Kamala Suraiya

About Madhupal:

About Sohanlal: