The Thilakan saga refuses to die down –  more and more celebrities, reel heroes, cultural heroes and some zeroes are jumping to the fire, some get burned, some come out unscathed. This post covers the controversy as it unfolded and we have made it a sticky post and will be constantly updated. Tell your grand children that you read all about it in VarnaChitram.

1. Here’s a brief history.
2. Thilakan out of Christian brothers and blames Mammootty for that.
3. Thilakan threatens Dharna(sit-in) at Christian Brother’s Shooting location.
4. Goondas Disrupt the shooting of Christian Brothers
5. Thilakan denies involvement.
6. Thilakan recieves a death threat for making a derogatory statements about Mammootty.
7. Thilakan says Mammootty not to blame for his ouster from Christian brothers, says its another superstar.
8. Director B.Unnikrishnan is a mimicry artist!
9. AMMA has delusions that it’s supreme court and serves a Show Cause notice to Thilakan.
10. Thilakan, a lifelong communist, asks CPI(M) to support
11. CPI(M), a party which runs capitalist businesses, says no
12. Thilakan expelled from AMMA and FEFKA.
13. Sukumar Azhikkode parachutes into the controversy.
14. Satyan Antikkad alleges that Azhikkode admitted that he never watched a movie.
15. Azhikkode abuses Mohanlal
16. Mohanlal says Azhikode is hallucinating.
17. Azhikode says Mammootty took 5.5 Cr for acting in Pazhassi Raja
18. Thilakan is planning to create a parallel universe by producing movies with Vinayan and acting in those movies.
19. Dr.Mammootty maintains a dignified silence.
20. Renjith mocks that Azhikode takes 5 lakhs per speech and is jealous of super stars.
21. Punathil Kunjabdullah says Mammootty and Mohanlal are nothing compared to Thilakan who is an international star.
22. People in Kazhakstan say they have never heard of Thilakan
23. A researcher came up with a study on the influence of Megastar Mohanlal on the cultural and historical scenario of the state during the last twenty five years – We are waiting for Thilakan’s and Mr.Azhikode’s comment on that.
24. Innocent suggests that Sukumar Azhikkode should spend rest of his time praying and watching good Malayalam movies.
25. It gets more bizarre, Sukumar Azhikode alleges that Mohanlal snatched  late brother’s property.  He also finds out that Antony Perumbavoor was Mohanlal’s driver.
26. Mohanlal erased Sukumar Azhikode from his mind.
27. Azhikode reads English dictionary: finds Innocent means Idiot.
28. Meanwhile Innocent reveals that he was also chucked out of Christian Brothers. We are stunned and speechless at this revelation.
29. Sify reports that superstars have become closer since this controversy, produces pictures as evidence.
30. Jobless youth attack Thilakan.
31. Mammootty attempts peace.
32. Vellapally Nadesan parachutes in, bit late for the party though.
33. Ambili offers a role for Sukumar Azhikode.
34. Thilakan: I  lost  the Hollywood role due to FEFKA’s efforts.
35. Sukumar Azhikode and Mohanlal to sue each other.
36. Tension inside AMMA: Mammootty accused of one_upmanship. And here’s a neat analysis by Berly.
37. Thilakan comments that Mammootty as uninvited mediator – likens to a joker.
38. Supreme court of AMMA temporarily suspends Thilakan from AMMA.
39. This video clip is awesome.
40. Mohanlal to  act in advertisements for Khadi clothes – that too for free!  Take that Mr.Azhikode.
41. Thilakan out of ‘Hollywood movie’ DAM 999 – as FEFKA threatend to pull out all the technicians from this Hollywood movie.
42. Sukumar Azhikode calls Supreme court justice V.R. Krishna Iyer an old man!
43. Making Mohanlal goodwill Ambassador of Khadi is bigger crime than murder of Gandhiji – Sukumar Azhikkode.
44. Shaji.N.Karun ready to cast Thilakan in his movies if needed.
45. Stink spreads, K.G.George blames star system for his inactivity.
46. Thilakan ready to give explanation to AMMA.
47. Rajat Kapoor replaces Thilakan in Dam 999, the hollywood movie.
48. While everyone is getting weary of this off screen drama, Thilakan submits a 5 page written explanation to AMMA.
49. Thilakan ponders approaching court to sue FEFKA for denying him work.
50. Thilakan’s curse. Dam 999 packs up from Kerala.
51. Thilakan expelled from AMMA – for life!
52. Thilakan accuses Siddique and Edavela Babu of attempting to manhandle him.

Watch this space more updates …

Image courtesy: mathrubhoomi.com

They set up two worlds. The first one is inhabited by the British and chief among them Henry Moores, who wants to build a road in the plantation. Financed by a bank, Moores hopes that this road which will transport spices will make him rich, so that he does not have to depend on his father-in-law. He has one constraint – finish the road before the monsoons. The other world, symbolically located below the British bungalow, is occupied by the natives. Freedom struggle is in the air and various leaders are in the process of enlisting youth to participate in the movement.

The two worlds are connected by two characters. The first one is T.K (Rahul Bose), a native, who is Moore’s right hand man. He stays away from the freedom struggle and even questions the rationale behind it. The second one is Sajani (Nanditha Bose), the servant maid in the bunglow, who has an affair with Moores.

As the work on road progresses, the relationship between Sajani and Moores is discovered by her husband (Lal Paul) and the two worlds collide. When it becomes time for people to take sides, but TK, in an amazing display of servitude becomes a partner in Moores’ crime. He acts so cold that when Sajani goes missing and her brother Manas (Indrajith) collects the villagers to search for her, TK alone stays away.

Soon the pace accelerates and director Santosh Sivan’s camera focuses less on the landscape and more on the characters. The moving shots and closeups heighten the tension as police starts investigating.  The long roving shots which were present in the first half of the film, give way to short scenes in quick succession, accelerating the pace.

The script written by Cathy Rabin  and Dan Verete, based on the Israeli film Asphalt Zahov, focus primarily on TK. He starts off with unquestioning loyalty to the master and becomes a coconut – brown outside and white inside. As the events take over, he slowly transforms and it is this transformation that is the main thread. As he changes, the script writers do not spoon feed the audience with gimmicks or profound dialogue. Instead as the change happens, he joining groups he previously rejected, silently.

To the credit of the script writers they also do not feed us with the cliched caste, curry, cow image of India which is the staple of film makers like Deepa Mehta.  The movie is not melodramatic but  is not without imperfections. The loyalty of TK to Moores could have been explained a bit more as well as the motivation for Sajani to have an affair. There are no subtle hints as well and this makes the story stand on  thin stilts. Even with these imperfections, the movie really transports you to a Kerala 70 years back. The recreation is perfect and upholds the Merchant Ivory standards. The actors in fact become characters and Rahul Bose does a great job emoting with his eyes.

All Santosh Sivan movies have such perfect visuals that a reviewer has to see beyond that maya. We have never been impressed with Santosh Sivan as a director ever since he brutally butchered Asoka and Ananthabhadram, even though they both had absolutely stunning visuals. His Terrorist, we thought, had all the usual art house gimmicks but his picturization of pinakkamano in Ananthabhadram is one of our favorites.  In Before the Rains, he makes a movie which is normal, engrossing and realistic.

(image from wikipedia)