Topic started by RJay (@ 203.199.72.210) on Fri Oct 19 05:38:55 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

It was not in the distant past when malayalam movies were the toast of Indian cinema. Not only the 'art' movies that amassed accolades the world over, but the populist mainstream malayalam movies also would pass muster in terms of their quality in themes, direction and acting. I am ignoring all the 'blue interludes' that happened every five years.

But what has happened to it now? I've heard the industry people pinpoint these reasons:

1. the lack of support from the government,
2. the invasion of TV
3. the changing tastes of people
4. superstardom
5. No support from malayalam literature (are there original works happening in literature these days?)

What do you folks think? I think these guys are only bringing up excuses instead of cleaning up their act. Understandably they don't want to own up for the:

1. Lack of original themes
2. Deterioration in quality
3. Tendency to ape Tamil/Hindi/Hollywood movies.

Responses:

• From: vijay (@ adsl-64-216-12-216.dsl.eulstx.swbell.net) on: Sun Oct 21 11:43:12
  
  escuz me! "TENDENCY TO APE TAMIL/HINDI/HOLLYWOOD" HA! we're the only ones who don't try to be like hollywood. stupid Bollywood does that the most. and tamil tries to be like hollywood too. we've tried to be like hollywood a few times, but never bollywood, we know we have much better movies than them already. i like the fact that we're makin movies that fit us. bollywood and kollywood (tamil) needs to admit that they r who they r, and should stop tryin to imitate hollywood!
  
  
• From: vijay (@ adsl-64-216-12-216.dsl.eulstx.swbell.net) on: Sun Oct 21 11:45:10
  
  cuz they'll never ever b like hollywood.
  
  
• From: vijay (@ adsl-64-216-12-216.dsl.eulstx.swbell.net) on: Sun Oct 21 11:47:02
  
  most tamil movies r half tryin to b like hollywood and half their culture. they're okay. but i hate Bollywood
  
  
• From: mandoose (@ cache-blr.ernet.in) on: Sun Oct 21 13:24:04
  
  
  The main reason is "Kathayillayma"
  
  -- mandoose
  
  
• From: vijay (@ adsl-64-216-12-216.dsl.eulstx.swbell.net) on: Sun Oct 21 13:53:45
  
  no, i think we have good stories, "narendran makan", "ravanaprabhu", "ishtam", etc. i don't think there's anything wrong with malluwood.
  
  
• From: vijay (@ adsl-64-216-12-216.dsl.eulstx.swbell.net) on: Sun Oct 21 14:02:59
  
  narendran makan had a very good story.
  
  
• From: mandoose (@ cache-blr.ernet.in) on: Sun Oct 21 14:25:57
  
  
  Athil okke story undayathukondu athokek hit aavukayumcheythu.. Story onnum illathe padachundakkunnu sadhanangal bahyankara ottama -- theatreukalil ninnu theatreukalilekku..
  
  -- mandoose
  
  
• From: Vince (@ ac866408.ipt.aol.com) on: Sun Oct 21 17:37:31
  
  Vijya, I agree it had a different story from all the latest movies. pakshe movieyude second partile oru middle vachu movie othiri drag cheythu. valare boring aayi ending okke. alambodu alambu. engane engilum aa padam onnu thernnu kittiyittu veenam veettil poooovan enna oru manasthithi vannu pooyi. athu oru padathinte eettavum valiya parajayam aanu. Kunjakkoo ennatha athil kidannu kaanikkunnathu??? kunjakkookku orikkalum aa role orikkalum cheyyan kodukkaruthayirunnu. dillep, jayaram, mohan lal would have been better. he tried to copy mohan lal in many scenes. pakshe annaan vaa policha aanayude athrayum poliyumoo??
  
  
• From: vijay (@ adsl-64-216-12-216.dsl.eulstx.swbell.net) on: Sun Oct 21 17:50:34
  
  pakshe, malayalathill vera tamililayum, hindiyudeyum stories betteranu.
  
  
• From: RJay (@ 203.199.72.210) on: Mon Oct 22 02:35:56
  
  i am not sure...we may not be copying themes...but we r copying trends...
  
  don't we have an unsahikkable number of larger-than-life heroes-based movies? more puppy romances? more colorful but meaningless song and dance sequences? and isn't there a tendency to cook up more movies on a theme that becomes a hit?
  
  i understand that some of these (action,romance, beautifully picturised songs) are very necessary to increase the entertainment value of a film. pakshay ella cineamyum ore madiri aayaal enda katha? even without these we have enough deterioration if u look at the number of mimicry and shakeela-brand movies.
  
  ee oru kollathil etra vyasthangalaya movies (i hope we don't consider dada sahib, karumadi kuttan and ravan prabhu as different...i think they are some outlandish sequences revolving around a super human protagonist) vannittundu eenu nokkiyaal ariyam nammal ee kaliyakkunna tamil hindi kaarekkalum ottum moshamalla nammal ennu.
  
  
• From: mandoose (@ cache-blr.ernet.in) on: Mon Oct 22 12:48:33
  
  
  copy adi oru valuya prasnamanennu njan karuthunnailla.. Athu keralathil mathramayi nadakkunna karyavumalla. Copy aanenkilum oru nalla story lineum nalla flowyum ulla oru movie aanenil super hit aavum ennu priyadarsan pala pravasyam theliyichittundu. Hindiyileyum tamizhileyum pole thattupolippan pattum danceum kondu malayaalthilum padameduthu vijayippikkam ennu karuthiya kurachu story writers um directorsum aanu malayala cinemayude prathisandhi. TV channels karanam cinemakku aalillathe aayi ennu ee alkar vilichukoovumpozhum lohithadas-inte padangal naatil odi. sathyan anthikadinte padangal odi.. appol tv channels aano karanam??
  pinne malayam literature-il ninnu help illa ennu parayunnathil kazhambilla. Adutha kalathirangiya pala nalla padangaludeyum kathakal malayala sahityathil ninnanu. (*eg: theerthadanam, mazha etc..).
  
  -- mandoose
  
  
• From: vivek (@ 138.238.225.177) on: Mon Oct 22 13:04:00
  
  First of all we need to get all these -woods out.
  
  
• From: vijay (@ adsl-64-123-43-208.dsl.eulstx.swbell.net) on: Mon Oct 22 13:15:57
  
  we're not copying anyone!
  
  
• From: RJay (@ 203.199.72.210) on: Tue Oct 23 00:50:47
  
  copy adi cheriya todil kuzhappamilla...pakshay kore peru ore type themes cheyyumbol endo oru sharikedu...adum oru taram copy adi alle? malayathil ippo kanunna chila padivu patterns undu:
  
  1. budhikku nirakkatha dialogues vitarunna, chadiyum parannum 10-15 pere tallunna super heroes,...
  
  2. naalo anjo sahodaranmaar chernna kudumbathinde veera gathakal...kottayam kunjachanile uppukandam brothers il ninnum todangiyadaanu...
  
  3. oru nalla jolikku vendiyo, snehicha pennine klayanam kazhikkan vendiyo nunakal paranju kore abadhangalil chennu chadunna heroes...
  
  4. kandaalum kettalum ore polulla pattukal...
  
  5. smart penkuttiyanennu kanikkan achanamma mare, mootha sahodarangale, koottukare iratta perum chilappol eda poda ennum vilichu konjunna nayikamar...
  
  idellam mattu pal bhasha chitrangalilum ulla formulas pole tanneyaanu. engilum onno rando cinemayil kanumbol rasamanu, entertainment aanu. pakshay same style ellavarum cheydittum malayalam cinema originality kaathu sookshikkunnu ennu nammal vishwasikkano?
  
  
  
• From: anu (@ 203.200.144.141) on: Wed Oct 24 19:28:43
  
  there used to be a set of directors who were talented enough in bringing out quality commercial movies. Like Padmarajan, Bharatan, Hariharan. Many of their films had that commercial ingredient without which no movie could become a success. Their films also served as inspiration for other directors of the time, but unfortunately they are no more now. They have left a gap and now this decline has become universal. I think this lack of good directors is the root cause of the problem. Even directors like Sibi malayil who used to direct good films in the yesteryears has been bringing substandard movies nowadays...
  
  
• From: Raghu (@ 164.164.79.36) on: Thu Oct 25 06:25:08
  
  Exactly Anu.well spoken.
  The death of Padmarajan,Bharathan and the inactivty of others like mohan,KG George etc has left a large gap and the "middle stream" genre of films r not being made anymore. The characteristics of such films were tht u cant brand them as commercial or arty.They were serious, intellectually pleasing and devoid of all pretensions but at the same time entertainng too.Their way of film making itself was very modern as well as creative.But tht genre seems to have been lost by the current directors.Perhaps Kamal is the only one who tries to make films like that.
  A major reason is the lack of good stories and to an extent the spinelessness of the directors to venture into bold themes.
  
  
• From: mandoose (@ cache-blr.ernet.in) on: Thu Oct 25 16:39:10
  
  hmm.. pakshe ee middle stream directors-nu enthu kondu "Vamsanasham" sambhavichu?? mattulla creative mekhalakalil athu sambhavichathumilla...
  So some real problems?????
  
  
  -- mandoose
  
  
• From: SREE (@ 62.3.1.114) on: Sat Oct 27 06:23:20
  
  PLEASE SEE MY COMMENTS IN CAPS. SREE.\-------------------
  
  1. the lack of support from the government, (GOVERNMENT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT EXCEPT TO REDUCE THE TAX)
  2. the invasion of TV (IF MOST OF OUR MOVIES ARE ABOVE AVERAGE, THE TV WILL BE OUT IN FEW MONTHS :- WHAT A WORST SERIALS THEY ARE TELECASTING ? WOW !UNTOLERABLE)
  3. the changing tastes of people (THERE IS NO PERMANENT TASTE FOR HUMAN, THEY ALWAYS LOOK FOR QUALITY)
  4. superstardom (I DONT SEE ANY STARDOM IN MALAYALAM, NO STAR CAN BE A PLUS POINT FOR SUCCESS OF A MOVIE, SEE MOST OF THE SUPERSTAR MOVIES ARE FLOP)
  5. No support from malayalam literature (are there original works happening in literature these days?) [THAT IS RIGHT]
  
  What do you folks think? I think these guys are only bringing up excuses instead of cleaning up their act. Understandably they don't want to own up for the:
  
  1. Lack of original themes [THEY CAN'T ]
  2. Deterioration in quality [ LOW PROFILE]
  3. Tendency to ape Tamil/Hindi/Hollywood movies. [NO SELF CREATIVITY]
  
  
  
  
• From: tint (@ host190-114.wipro.net.in) on: Sun Aug 3 07:47:29
  
  The art & culture in any society just reflects the state of the society . Degradation in malayalam films points to something bigger..
  
  
• From: ram (@ 204-17-226-208.gen.twtelecom.net) on: Mon Aug 4 10:56:57 EDT 2003
  
  I think Government support is really bad for Malayalam movie industry.There are not much new talent-directors,actors etc...Tamil and Hindi have lot of new directors and actors,but our industry still revolving with a few actors.
  
  
• From: UNNI (@ 206.187.218.166) on: Tue Aug 12 20:03:08 EDT 2003
  
  KILL ALL THOSE STUPID ACTORS IN THE INDUSTRY NOW - KUNCHAKO, MANI, AND ALL THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW THE ABCs of acting.
  Lal and Mammootty are good but they better retire before being thrown out.
  Start new. DIrectors are all good except some idiots like Vinayan, Renjith.
  Everything will be back to normal as before.
  I miss the golden age of Mal. Films from 1982 to 1994, when Lal and Mammootty excelled. How natural and nice the films were. Now I never watch malayalam films (new). To be honest the last new film I saw was JOKER because it was the only video available in my houseath that time.
  What happened to Vince, Sree, Siby?
  
  

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