Chemmeen, based on the novel by Thakazhi Sivashankar Pillai, remains a high point in Malayalam cinema.
More than six decades after its publication (1956) and more than five decades after the release of its screen adaptation (1965), Chemmin (Shrimp), remains a high point in Malayalam literature and cinema. Its author, Thakazhi Shivshankar Pillai may have dismissed his bestseller as ‘one’.Painkillers (difficult) novel’ which he finished in eight days, but the book has been translated into 30 major Indian and foreign languages.
Director Ramu Kariyat took the film rights from Thakazi for Rs. 8,000 in the 1960s, then a huge amount for a Malayalam novel. Sometimes melodramatic and commercial in appeal, Ramu’s Chemmin It may not be a cinematic piece of restraint like many of Malayalam cinema’s later internationally celebrated films, but it is still a fine artistic work of human passion.
The film revolves around the life of a beautiful young village girl, Karuthamma (Sheela), the daughter of an ambitious and unscrupulous Hindu fisherman, Chembakunju (K. Sreedharan Nair). He falls in love with Parikutty (Madhu), a Muslim fish merchant and childhood friend.
Chembakunju’s sole purpose in life is to own a boat and net, and Pareekutty, at Karuthamma’s request, offers to finance him on the condition that that haul will only be sold to him. Meanwhile, Karuthamma’s mother, Chakki (Adoor Bhavani), learns of her daughter’s affair, and warns her to stay away from Pareekutty as marrying a person of another religion would mean the entire community. Will have to face the wrath of the sea.
Karuthamma renounces her love and marries Palani (Sathyan) and moves to another village, where people soon learn about her past affair. Despite being an honest wife and a good mother, Palani doubts her chastity. One night after a bitter fight, Palani goes out to sea alone in his boat. A heartbroken Karuthamma cries and awaits the return of her husband. In an unexpected turn of events, Pareekutty meets Karuthamma and their old love wakes up. Meanwhile, Palani gets sucked into a whirlpool while trying to catch a shark.
The story is based on an Old World saying that the safety of a fisherman at sea depends on the loyalty of his wife. Through the ages, such fables have been the keeper of the conscience of many intimate rural societies. The fishermen in the coastal village of Kerala, where the film is screened, is no exception. Chemmin Explores this theme beautifully through its many complexities, as we see the villagers engulfed in great camaraderie, like prawns in a puddle. They take momentary action without thinking about the consequences.
Chembakunju’s greed drives him insane, while Pareekutty and Karuthamma’s indiscretions result in their death. There are no permanent villains or heroes, because weakness and forgiveness unite them all. For example, the relationship between Chembakunju and its neighbours. The neighbor’s jealous wife often fights Chakki when Chembakunju is prosperous, but when Chakki dies, she immediately assumes the role of her daughter’s mother. The taunts that Palani’s friends taunt about his wife’s past love reflect the worldly entertainment that a primitive society enjoys in its affairs.
Chemmin The coast opens to picture-perfect images of Kerala, and is sustained throughout by its pleasant shading and gracious use of colour. A reference is felt to the rural template of earlier iconic Bollywood films (eg. Mother India) In ChemminGorgeous montage of daily life depicting the journey of the fisherman at sea and the fisherman at work that unfolds like an ethnographic document of rural South India. Recurring scenes of sea and sailing fishermen can at times make the contemporary viewer feel in need of some trimmings, but once you sink into the sluggish pace of the film, the indulgence is rarely unsettling. Veteran Bollywood director Hrishikesh Mukherjee edited the film in association with KD George.
timeless score
high Point ChemminHowever, its music brings together a talented pool of music makers from the North and the South. Bollywood music director Salil Choudhary weaves a timeless score as he captures the unique sounds of a kaleidoscope setting. In a seamless blend of folk tunes and mainstream music (remember the hill track) Madhumati), many moods of the ocean can be heard in the songs and background score of the film. The then-emerging singing talents, KJ Yesudas and P. Leela, enrich its melodious numbers, but undoubtedly the song of the film is Manna Dey’s ‘Mansa Maine Varu’ (the little bird of my heart), which waits inside and outside the film. does. Like a wandering mint like its tragic hero. Wyler’s lyrics best celebrate the poetry of the common man in his pain.
The beauty of adapting good literature to cinema is that it finds a wealth of well-carved, authentic characters beyond memorable characters to help one get a taste of a context in all its diversity. Samudra, Songs, and the very vulnerable Sheela (one of South India’s most popular actors with nearly 500 films to his credit) as the unfortunate Karuthamma, however, remain the film’s three aces. Chemmin Engages and entertains the audience while educating about the lives and concerns of the fishermen of Kerala, which is attested by the intimacy of the inner perspective of its source novel.
Celebrated as a pioneering endeavor for its technical and artistic brilliance, Chemmin It was the first South Indian film to win the National Award for Best Film in 1965. It also won the Certificate of Merit at the Chicago Film Festival and Best Cinematography for Marcus Bartley at the Cannes Film Festival, and was later screened at various venues. International Film Festival.
Critic, writer, film producer is Dean,
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences,
RV University, Bangalore
,