Anantaram
Anantaram (Thereafter: Monologue) is a 1987 Malayalam feature film production written and directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan. It stars Ashokan, Mammootty and Shobhana in the lead. The film is structured like a monologue. It develops through a commentary by the protagonist about himself in the first person. The attempt of the protagonist is to narrate how his undiagnosed psychosis led him where he is now. The film was an experimental film for its time as it did not have a linear narrative.[1]
| Anantaram (Thereafter) | |
|---|---|
 Poster designed by Gayathri Ashokan | |
| Directed by | Adoor Gopalakrishnan |
| Produced by | K. Ravindran Nair |
| Written by | Adoor Gopalakrishnan |
| Starring | Ashokan Mammootty Shobhana |
| Music by | M. B. Sreenivasan |
| Cinematography | Mankada Ravi Varma |
| Edited by | M. Mani |
Production company | General Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 125 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
The film won three National Film Awards. It was included in an online poll by IBN Live listing 100 greatest Indian films of all time.[1][2][3]
Plot
The film develops through a commentary by Ajayan (Ashokan) about himself in the first person. Later he tells another story about his life with the same background. Finally both these stories fuse together.
Ajayan is born an orphan. He is brought up by a doctor. A brilliant child, Ajayan grows up as a reclusive person and a confused youth. The beautiful Suma (Shobhana) arrives at their house after marrying Balu (Mammootty), his foster-brother. After Balan's marriage to Suma, Ajayan starts getting attracted to her at the very first sight. This eventually creates internal conflicts and guilt within himself. Ultimately this leads Ajayan to leave the house which ends in a possible disaster.
In the second story Ajayan narrates his confused youth and about the beautiful girl, Nalini who enters his life. Ajayan's mind shifts often between reality and an imaginary romantic world. Finally both these stories converge to a point where both Nalini and Suma become a single entity.
Cast
- Ashokan as Ajayan
- Mammootty as Balu
- Shobhana as Sumangali and Nalini
- Sudheesh as teenage Ajayan
- Bahadoor as Driver Mathai
- Azeez (actor) as the gambler
- Kukku as the nurse
- Krishnankutty Nair as the ailing patient at the dispensary
- Kaviyoor Ponnamma as Yogini Amma
- Adoor Pankajam as Lakshmi Amma
Themes
In Anantaram, the theme of perception is dealt with through the protagonist, a youth who, like Adoor, has a bipolar character. In an interview, Adoor said, "Anantaram is basically about perceptions. About a young, impressionable boy who lacks some sort of functioning. Though, my life was not very familiar, but I was searching for the familiar experience of growing up, struggling with life and relationships. What is in the frame and what is juxtaposed to it just outside the frame... or let us put it this way, it has to do with attuning to the reality just beyond perception. Actually this is part of daily experience though we don't analyse it."[4]
Critical reception
The film's overall reaction was mixed.[4]
Awards
The film has been nominated for and won the following awards since its release:
1987 FIPRESCI Prize (Karlovy Vary)
1987 National Film Awards (India)
- Won - Best Director - Adoor Gopalakrishnan
- Won - Best Screenplay - Adoor Gopalakrishnan
- Won - Best Audiography - P. Devadas, T. Krishnanunni, N. Harikumar
References
- "100 Years of Indian Cinema: The 100 greatest Indian films of all time". IBN Live. 26 April 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- "'Mayabazar' is India's greatest film ever: IBNLive poll" Archived 4 February 2015 at WebCite. IBN Live. 12 May 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- "IBNLive Poll: Vote for India's greatest film of all time". IBN Live. 26 April 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2620mv13.
- Gowri Ramnarayan. "A constant process of discovery". Frontline. Archived from the original on 10 February 2010.