"Commercial movies gave me the platform to launch serious films"

By Pradeep

Malayalam filmmaker Jayaraj, whose Karunam won the coveted Golden Peacock award at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) this year, is waiting for the monsoon to shoot his new film based on a character from the novel, Kayar by Jnanpith awardee Thakazhi Shivasankara Pillai.

Jayaraj has come a long way, an arduous climb to the top. He had no godfathers and in the beginning, his family was strongly against him choosing films as a career. It was quite natural, as this young man had decided to quit an engineering career for the glitzy, glamorous and risky field of movies.

Getting into a tiff with his father who admonished him for neglecting studies, Jayaraj landed in Chennai. He was fortunate to work as assistant director to one of Malayalam's most sensitive filmmakers, the late Bharathan, in films like Minnaminuginte Nurunguvattom and Vyshali. "It was a tremendous experience. A learning process that really did a world of good," says the celebrated director.

There was something special in Jayaraj's very first film. Vidyarambham (1990) was a sentimental tale that stood out for its subtle narration. Jayaraj came to be noticed. Then suddenly, one found him changing tracks to the fast, action-packed commercial genre of films. Aakasakottayile Sultan and Johnny Walker, who were marked by fast cuts and tight close-ups, bombed. This was when Jayaraj began a search for the right balance. He got himself immersed into subjects that told of the human predicament caught in passionate tones of emotional crisis. Kudumbasametham stabilized him as a director. The soulful lyrics of Kaithapram Damodaran Namboodiri and the poignant performance of Manoj K Jayan made it a film to remember. Then followed Paithrukam and Sopanam, both elegant and evocative, which heralded the birth of an exciting phase in Jayaraj's career.

All of a sudden Jayaraj switched loyalties again. From the firm ground of middle-road cinema, he once again dabbled in the quick sand of commercial cinema. Films like Arabia, Highway and Thumboli Kadapurram were mediocre; none of them having the stamp of the director's unique style.

At this crucial juncture of his career came Deshadanam, a film into which Jayaraj poured his head and heart. It was his first serious work and he doubled up as its producer and director. The film went on to bag seven Kerala state awards. Like his earlier work Paithrukam, critics hounded this film as well. It was wrongly identified with revivalism but Jayaraj boldly survived the pressures.

Kaliyattam that followed went on to win the Swarna Kamal (1997) at the National film awards. The film was an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello, and for the first time on Indian screen, a Shakespeare work was being made into a film. It reminded one of Stone of Blood, the much-acclaimed film by Akira Kurosawa, the ace Japanese director whom Jayaraj considered as his idol.

The Theyyam setting and backdrop of the ritualistic form contributed to giving the film an ethnic ambience. It once again exemplified the director's spirit for experimentation, unflagging enterprise and fixity of purpose. Above all it was the success of low budget films.

Jayaraj's hour of glory was when his latest film Karunam won the Golden Peacock award at the recently concluded International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in New Delhi. The jury hailed this deftly made film as a `classic'. It narrates a unique experience in a simple, strict narrative that expounds a cruel tale without any loss of emotion. This, Jayaraj was able to achieve through the riveting performance of the lead artistes Vavachan, a mentally retarded man and Eliamma, an ordinary housewife from Nileswaram (Kasargod).

Even as Karunam was creating waves at the IFFI, Jayaraj's new commercial entertainer Millennium Stars was released all over Kerala. Once again he seemed to be struggling to find his sense of belonging.

Karunam is the first of a series of nine films that Jayaraj has planned based on the Navarasas. He is now waiting for June and the monsoon. Then, he and his band of artistes under Harvest Films will set camp at Kuttanad. It will be a film based on a minor character from Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai's famous novel Kayar.

Excerpts from an interview with Jayaraj