If a director has to transplant real life to celluloid, observational skill and an abundance of life experience are necessities. To an extent, these qualities contributed to Ramu Kariat’s accurate depiction of the sea and life on its shore in his landmark film Chemmeen , and to his success as a filmmaker.
Ramu Kariat’s childhood was spent in Chettuva, a seaside village in Thrissur district. His early days were tinged with loss, as Ramu lost his father Kunjayappan at the age of four, causing him and his mother Karthiyani to depend on the kindness of relatives to get by. However, Karthiyani was able to send Ramu to school, and he was educated at Engandiyoor Elementary School and Kandassamkadavu High School.
Ramu dealt with his predicament by mingling with the villagers of Chettuva, a community of toddy tappers, farmers, fishermen and coir workers, all of whom would later find cinematic representation in his films. This was also a time of social change, with the teachings of spiritual leaders like Sree Narayana Guru, Nataraja Guru and Bodhananda Swamikal as well as the Communist ideology deeply rooted in the region. Ramu himself would go on follow the Left ideology.
During his school days, Ramu preferred to stay and sleep at the houses of relatives and friends. He was also a good singer and orator. One of his teachers in Engandiyoor Elementary School, V.K. Velukutty, was well-read and wrote dramas. One of these dramas was selected to be enacted as part of the school anniversary, and he selected Ramu for a role. Ramu attempted to convince his teacher that he lacked acting ability, but was unsuccessful, and had to attend rehearsal camps. The theme of the drama centered on the need to uplift downtrodden lower classes, with Ramu playing a rich man whose conservative views were at odds with those of his son, leading to clashes between them.
In the drama, the son leaves home to join a movement aimed at national integration, and the two do not meet for many years until the father is injured in a train derailment on his way to Thirupati for pilgrimage. At a hospital, he is among those who are offered free service by a group that happens to include his son. Seeing this changes his mind, and upon recovering and returning home he donates all his wealth to the poor. The drama was enacted in front of a huge crowd; Ramu’s performance was well received and he was adjudged best actor.
This experience inspired him and after completing school Ramu chose to work in the field of drama. He was a part of many of K.S. Thalikkulam’s dramas, and was the lead in Vasanthi , in which he also sang two songs. Having read many works on drama and cinema, Ramu shifted to journalism, and started a film magazine in Thrissur called ‘Sound’. He also had a close relationship with writers like Thakazhi, Uroob, N.P. Chellappan Nair and Basheer.
One day Ramu went to Thiruvanathapuram to collect information about a film called Thiramala , which was to be shot at Merryland Studio. A turning point in his life occurred during this trip, when in the midst of a discussion with director Vimal Kumar, Ramu was invited by him to join the project as assistant director. He consented on the spot, and had the opportunity to clap the first shot of the film. This was Ramu’s breakthrough into the world of film.
The next year, he directed Neelakuyil with P. Bhaskaran and won the maiden national award in Malayalam. His next film Mudiyanaya Puthran , also received a national award, catapulting him to the level of top directors in India. With the triumph of Chemmeen , he attained a pedestal among other renowned filmmakers. Ramu went on to direct more than a dozen Malayalam films and also acted in Remanan, directed by D.M. Pottekkatt, who hailed from a region adjacent to Ramu’s own village.
Ramu Kariat was a jury member at the Moscow International Film Festival and was elected to the State Assembly from Nattika in 1965.
Till his unexpected death on February 10, 1979, Ramu Kariat was an integral part of qualitative cinema.
