Breaking with the previously unchallenged If popular cinema is at all a peek into a public conscience, such films and their depiction of women offer a curious reading of contemporary Kerala society - its anxieties and aspirations, what it professes to be and what it can’t hide.Ī loosely defined label, often eschewed even by some of the film-makers who fall within its ambit, the New Generation movement that started around 2010 pointed to a shift in sensibilities. To understand Kerala and its many contradictions, there are two reliable barometers - politics and films, both fierce passions of the average Malayali. However, for Malayalam film-goers used to seeing only submissive wives and suffering mothers on screen, this signals a wider churn in the industry that produces such films as well as the society the films seek to represent. Lipstick Under My Burkha, a 2016 movie about women, revolt and desire, no one seems to be in a rush to go back to an older, regressive era, the misogyny of Parched, a 2015 Hindi film in which four women talk about sex and desire, and They are gritty and determined,” says Sajayan tells BLįor generations weaned on Netflix and other streaming services, as well as new Bollywood films, such a conceptual switch in the characterisation of female leads may seem delayed. ![]() “Female leads were earlier just dolled up and made to dance around trees, but now we are seeing strong female characters. These films are noted for their exceptional storytelling, character development, hyper-local narratives, as well as remarkably strong, memorable female characters, the likes of whom Malayali audiences haven’t seen in a long time. Uyare (2019), to mention just a few, have come to characterise the ‘New Generation’ movement. Sajayan and Lekshmi’s characters join a growing assemblage of films that have come to mark an unfolding moment in Kerala’s film-making history. “Sex is not a promise,” she tells him, flying in the face of decades of films revolving around the sole question of a woman’s chastity. She regards their sexual intimacy with fondness, but won’t allow it to be the glue that binds her to her old life. Mayaanadhi (2017), pursues her dream of acting, even if it means separating from her lover. I’ve brought along the papers for a court wedding.”Īishwarya Lekshmi, playing the character of Aparna in “We should get married before that,” he replies. She tells him that her mother is arranging her wedding to another man. ![]() “Is the rent agreement in your name?” He looks puzzled. “Do you have an Aadhaar card?” she asks him. He kisses her forehead tenderly in response. ![]() Romeo and Juliet romance about two warring political families in strife-torn Kannur, she asks the boy she is interested in - from the rival political family - if he really likes her. Fighting spirit : Nimisha Sajayan (left) with Suraj Venjaramoodu in Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |