actors and crew of drama Neelakkuyil During the rehearsal session. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
October 22, 1954, was an important day in the history of Malayalam cinema. The day the release was seen NeelakkuyilWhich ultimately became the first South Indian film to receive national awards – All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film and President’s Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Malayalam. Above all, the film, based on the novel by litterateur Urub and directed by veterans P Bhaskaran and Ramu Kariyat, helped Malayalam cinema find its footing. The industry, which till then had taken plots from Tamil or Hindi cinema and churned out stories that had little to do with its surroundings, came up with a narrative that reflected the times, thus giving rise to neo-realism. Became the flag bearer.
On December 29, a group of amateur theater practitioners and artistes will stage a theatrical adaptation of the historical film in Thiruvananthapuram under Theatron Today. The film tells the story of Neeli (Miss Kumari), a Dalit woman who becomes pregnant out of wedlock after falling in love with an upper caste Hindu, Sridharan Nair (Sathyan). He refuses to marry her out of fear of social pressure and Neeli is thrown out of her community. She dies while giving birth to a boy, who is adopted and taken care of by Shankaran Nair (P Bhaskaran), a postman. Guilt-stricken Sreedharan, who by then has married Nalini (Prema), eventually accepts the boy as his own.
Jitesh Damodar and Sithara Balakrishnan during the rehearsal of the play Neelakkuyil
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“We are presenting the play to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the film and the birth centenary of Bhaskaran Master. The play is also a tribute to PK Parikutty of Chandrathara Productions, who had the conviction to invest in a project that was different from the films being made at that time. He wanted to make a film that was rooted in Kerala,” says the play’s director CV Premkumar. He adds that while the renowned theater group, KPAC, staged a production based on Urub’s novel, the work is based entirely on the film.
A classic with popular appeal and aesthetic value, Neelakkuyil Controversial issues like caste discrimination, untouchability and mistreatment of women were discussed to depict. “These evils still prevail in society today, sometimes in obscure ways. In fact, we live in a time when honor killings still occur. That is why the film has not lost its relevance,” says Premkumar.
Cinematographer Vipin Mohan, who played a child actor in the film, is perhaps the only surviving actor from the cast. He was honored at the International Film Festival of Kerala this year when the film in memory of P Bhaskaran was screened.
Written by RS Madhu, the production stars photojournalist Jitesh Damodar and classical dancer Sithara Balakrishnan in the lead roles. Other cast includes Vanchiyoor Praveen Kumar, Sajna Chandran, Manjeeth, Rajula Mohan, Srilakshmi, Sankarankutty Nair and Master Kasinathan. The group has been rehearsing for the last three months.
The director of the play is CV Premkumar Neelakkuyil
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Nine songs from the film, written by Bhaskaran and composed by K Raghavan, remain evergreen, especially ‘Elarum Chollanu’, ‘Engane Nee Marakkum’, ‘Kayalarikathu’, ‘Kuyilin Thedi’ and ‘Manenum Vilaikkila’. The songs have been retained for the play, which has a duration of over two and a half hours.
The play will be staged at Tagore Theater in Thiruvananthapuram on December 29 at 5.30 pm. Entry is restricted by pass. Contact: 9847917661, 9447027033
published – December 28, 2024 01:42 PM IST
