AVM Unni interviewed Malayali actors and writers and shot various cultural events in Qatar in the mid-1980s and 1990s.
AVM Unni interviewed Malayali actors and writers and shot various cultural events in Qatar in the mid-1980s and 1990s.
When Arakkal Vettath Muhammad Unni, better known as AVM Unni, began shooting videos for Malayali cultural events and interviewed Malayalam actors and writers soon after moving to Qatar for a job in 1978, he was inspired by the VHS cassette boom. Was expected to tap in and pull out a series of video magazines.
The plan never materialised. Old videos, which went unpublished for decades, have now found a dedicated audience on YouTube after his son started uploading them to the channel AVM Unni ArchivesOver 2 crore views in two years.
The vast collection of videos, most of which were shot in the mid-1980s and 1990s, includes early interviews with many current Malayalam actors and writers, scenes from various events during this period, and glimpses of various cities in Kerala. . 1990s. All of them were shot during free time from work, initially at an electricity shop and later at the Water Authority of Qatar.
from film dreams
Active in the drama circuit in Kerala in the 1970s, Unni first tried his luck in the film industry. Although he stayed with a friend from the Malayalam industry in Chennai for a few months, his film dreams did not materialise. After taking a job there, he will soon be on a ship to Qatar.
AVM Unni in 1980 and now
“That was when video cameras began to become accessible to the general public. I bought a national VHS camcorder and began documenting events. I used to shoot material for the people who organized the events. In return, I Never asked for money, but for permission to interview actors when they organize those mega events. This gave me a chance to interview many of them before. I edited the videos properly for the purpose of making a video magazine series But it never happened after returning home during the COVID-19 pandemic, says Unni, who is currently at his home in Edappal, Malappuram.
well protected
Due to the low humidity in Qatar, the tapes remained protected without any fungus attack. He admitted that he took up this job because of his unfulfilled desire to act in films. However, later, she starred in several popular home videos, which were highly popular in the early 2000s among families of Gulf migrants, especially in the Malabar region. some movies like Parethan Thirichu Varunnu Released in 2004, which starred Unni in the lead, has been extremely popular due to its portrayal of the sufferings of migrants.
Unni continued to shoot regularly until the mid-1990s, when several private television channels entered. He sporadically stuck to covering various cultural activities. He is happy now that people are finally seeing the videos he painstakingly shot and edited many years ago, and are appreciating them as reminders of an easier time.