The late Padmarajan was an author and director of rare sensitivity and accomplishment. The late Bharathan and he had such an impact on Malayalam movies that their films never needed the prop of a star for marketing.
Innale (Yesterday) was a very beautiful Padmarajan film made in the 1980s, starring Shobhana, Jayaram and Suresh Gopi. Even today, Keralites fondly remember the film and its unusual end.
After nearly two decades, the film will be remade in Tamil and Telugu with Malayali actress Navya Nair donning Shobhana's role.
This is the second role immortalised by Shobhana in Malayalam being remade in Tamil; the first being Manichitrathazhu (Chandramukhi in Tamil).
Kasturiman, now in Tamil!
Joining the ranks of successful Malayalam films to be remade in Tamil is Kasturiman. The film, directed by Lohitadas, had Meera Jasmine and Kunchako Boban in the lead. It's the story of a gutsy young girl who worked as a housemaid while studying in college. Later, she works to help her lover realise his dream of becoming an IAS officer.
She plays the same role, while Prasanna of Five Star and Azhakiya Theeye fame plays the hero.
Ente Veedu Appuvinteyum... in Tamil
Sibi Malayal's Ente Veedu Appuvinteyum had Jayaram and his son Kalidas playing father and son. While the son walked away with all the awards including this year's National Award, his father had to be satisfied with the role of a proud father.
Son of actor parents (Jayaram and Parvathi), Kalidas has inherited talent in abundance.
Being a family drama and a tearjerker, Ente Veedu Appuvinteyum had families filling the theatres, and was a blockbuster.
Now, the film has been remade into Tamil as Kannadi Pookal, with Parthipan and Kaveri as the parents while Kalidas's role will be played by another Malayali boy, Ashwin. Like Kalidas, he will probably be the scene stealer when the film is released this week.
Another award for Kamal Haasan
More on rediff.com!
An unusual award has come Kamal Haasan's way soon after his doctorate from the Satyabama Deemed University. It is the Professor A T Kovoor Memorial National Award, named after the celebrated rationalist. Not many outside Kerala may know what this award is about.
Being an atheist and a rationalist, Kamal must have been happy to win this award, and was in Kochi to collect it.
"Jesus Christ and the Buddha who acted against the evils in society, were rationalists," said the actor while receiving the award. "I have been branded a Communist. I don't mind. I am a communist, a rationalistÂ…"
Kadal, as we all know, is a small film produced by Shankar and directed by Balaji Sakthivel. It is also one of the biggest hits of recent times. The hero, Bharat, plays a motor mechanic in the film and the heroine is Sandhya. The film was about a school girl falling in love and eloping with her love interest.
Now, a school in Tamil Nadu has filed a suit seeking to restrain the filmmakers from screening the film in the country and a direction to pay Rs 2 million towards damages. They contend that in more than six scenes, the name of the school was prominently displayed, and the film has been picturised in such a manner that it gives the impression that the girl studied there.
The film, complains the school, creates such a bad impression that some parents do not want their children to continue studying in the school any longer!