For decades, I.V. Sasi’s name was synonymous with super hits in Malayalam cinema. He entered the scene when Malayalam cinema narratives were dominated by family dramas, jaded romantic comedies and outlandish detective stories. He introduced larger canvases and vibrant narrative terrains that were populated not by the ideal and the romantic, but the rustic and the ordinary. And his stories were charged with a new dramatic vigour, sensuality and visual feel.
He introduced several new artists, and gave some of the otherwise ‘side actors’ momentous roles. The roles in his films moulded some actors into super stars. I.V. Sasi was an artist who was confident about his art and craft, someone who knew the pulse of the audience, and was capable of transforming the script at hand into the magic of the screen.
Pursuing cinematic dreams
Attracted by cinema at an early age, he left home and studies to pursue his dreams in the dream city of Madras [Chennai]. Beginning his career as an art director and assistant director, his first directorial venture was Utsavam (1975), which dealt with the issue of drinking water shortage faced by people living in an island. It is an intense story of conflict, love triangle, and in a certain sense, idealism. The film had an ‘established villain’ in cinema of the time, K.P. Ummer as its hero. It was a commercial success and launched Sasi as a sought-after director so much so that he did as many as 11 films in a row in 1977, nine films each in 1978 and 1979. In a career spanning four decades, he did more than 150 films, some of which were in Tamil and Hindi. Emotionally intense story lines with masculine tensions at the centre was his narrative forte.
These dramas were mostly set in a specific milieu with strong female presences that ignite, spur, and sometimes mediate the masculine conflicts, or become prey to its rapacious ambitions or unquenchable lust. In the 1970s he made some successful films like Itha Ivide Vare , Avalude Ravukal , Eetta , Iniyum Puzhayozhukum , Allavudinum Albudavilakkum , Manasa Vacha Karmana , Ezham Kadalinakkare , Aarattu , and a super hit of all times, Angadi . The next decade saw him marching ahead with more hits like Ahimsa , Ee Naadu , Ina , Aaroodam , Uyarangalil , Athirathram , Aalkkoottathil Thaniye , Adiyozhukkukal , Aksharangal , Kaanamarayathu , Anubandham , Karimpinpoovinakkare , Koodanayum Kattu , Vartha , Aavanazhi , Adimakal Udamakal , Abkari , 1921 , and Mrugaya .
In the 1990, with the spread of television and the rise of super stars who began to dictate scripts, he found himself out of tune with the times. Inspector Balram (1991) and Devasuram (1993) starring the two super heroes of the time, were the last big commercial hits in his career; these films in a way also mark the end of a certain period and the beginning of another in Malayalam cinema: till then, its narratives were largely rooted in social and historical settings and its heroes, heroines and characters were life-size.
The tension and conflicts of the social and political atmosphere that I.V. Sasi films explored and dramatised changed radically, and within the emerging narratives of communalism and global consumerism, he seemed to be out of place and time.
What Sasi did to Malayalam film industry was to shake it up from its small-scale vision and narrow narrative canvas.
Larger canvas
He set his narratives in different milieus, vocations and locales like the Kozhikode market in films like Angadi , the village near the forest in Mrugaya , the arrack business in Abkari , bamboo forest in Eetta , NRI life in Ezhamkadalinakkare , the broad historical canvas of the Malabar Mapilla rebellion and so on. Characters who populated these terrain came from all kinds of backgrounds; apart from the rich landlords, industrialists, traders and corrupt politicians who stood on one side, on the other side were coolies, headload workers, bamboo cutters, sex workers, pimps, hooch brewers, beggars and idealistic young men and women who represented the emerging demands and desires of Kerala’s civil society.
The social drama at the centre was about the promises of the Nation, and of the various renaissance and political movements that shaped a secular, democratic society like Kerala. In Sasi’s films one can see a society that is gradually being pulled apart by narrow power groups and vested interests of different kinds like the communal, economic and party-political.
The mood of the post-Emergency decades pervaded by general disillusionment and revolt, the crumbling of Nehruvian nationalism and the rise of corruption provided an ideal setting for the rousing popularity of I.V. Sasi films. Hence the immediate and intimate identification and empathy for the rebellious head load worker played by Jayan in Angadi , the sex worker (Seema) in Avalude Ravukal , the belligerent rebel (Mammootty) in 1921 , and the many macho men and luscious women in his films whose desires, personal dreams and survival was in conflict with the establishments of all kinds, political, social, sexual and moral.
Director of synergies
Most of his narratives were set in large canvas with several parallel story tracks within it; this facilitated the featuring of several actors from different generations with equal importance in the story. So, actors like Madhu, Jayan, Soman, Sukumaran, Sreevidya, Seema, Sheela and Ratheesh and brilliant performers like Kuthiravattam Pappu, Balan K. Nair, Sankaradi, Bahadur. T.G. Ravi and Meena who were always typecast in other films, played some of their most significant roles in I.V. Sasi’s films. The strength, vigour and popular appeal of his films drew not only from the panoply of actors but also from the creative synergy he had with scriptwriters like M.T. Vasudevan Nair, Padmarajan and T. Damodaran in the first phase of his career and later, with Lohitadas and Ranjith. In each such association, I.V. Sasi explored certain thematic streams that were at the core of the writers; in his films with MT, the dilemmas and conflicts of the individual in the changing social scene were foregrounded ( Thrishna , Aalkuttathil Thaniye , Adiyozhukkukal , Aaroodam , Aksharangal , Anubandham , Rangam , Idanilangal , Abhayam Thedi , Midhya ); in his Padmarajan films, the themes of revenge, male sexuality and desire were central to the narrative ( Itha Ivide Vare , Vaadakakkoru Hridayam , Kaikeyi , Kaanamarayathu , and Karimpinpoovinakkare ).
With T. Damodaran, he created successful film genre of political thrillers that drew its energy from the various political controversies and corruption, and the rise of money power in society, coupled with the degeneration of progressive movements that failed to represent the concerns and dreams of civil society ( Ee Nadu , Ahimsa , Angadi , Meen , Thusharam , Innallenkil Naale , Thadakam , Nanayam , Aavanazhi, Vartha , Abkari and Inspector Balram ).
The sheer versatility of the master filmmaker is evident from his prolific oeuvre as well as the range of themes, actors, and technical mastery in all departments of filmmaking. A hallmark of his films was his attitude towards the sensual and the erotic. He explored very sensual themes through a visual idiom that unflinchingly placed the human body at the centre. He was at ease both with intense individual dramas as well as vast and complex narrative terrains.
Made before the term ‘sex worker’ was invented, a film like Avalude Ravukal dealt with the life of a ‘prostitute’ in a trading town like Kozhikode; while telling her story, he presents the various faces and facets of Malayali male sexual desire and morality.
A film like 1921 , on the other hand, is the first big historical movie in Malayalam. It deals with a contentious chapter of our Independence struggle, but does it in grand style and high drama. It is also one film that does justice to history. Its representation of the region, the milieu and the historic incident became all the more politically relevant and socially resonant in the next decades when the movie images of minorities became biased and parochial.
I.V. Sasi was a pioneer and trendsetter whose impact on the Malayalam film industry was deep and far reaching. He broke away from old- generation storylines, dramatics, moralism and visualscapes, introducing fresh vigour, pace and sensuousness into the narratives and confidence in the industry at large. Looking back, his films leave behind a visual archive of Malayali life and society at a tumultuous period in its history, when assurances about the past, expectations about the present and hopes about the future were crumbling.
He explored and elaborated those conflicts and dilemmas to present a kaleidoscopic view of Kerala society from below.
REWIND
* I.V. Sasi was born on March 28, 1948, in West Hill, Kozhikode.
* He won the National Award for the best film on national integration for Aaroodam (1982). He won the state award for best director for Mrugaya (1989). 1921 won the best popular film award in 1988 and Aalkoottathil Thaniye won the award for second best film in 1984. He also won a
state award for best art director for Anubhavam (1976). He was the recipient of the JC Daniel award for 2014.
Star acts
Mammootty acted in 33 of I.V. Sasi’s projects and Mohanlal in 20 of them and they acted together in 12 films helmed by the director. Mammootty got two state awards for best actor for I.V. Sasi’s films, Adiyozhukkukal (1984) and Mrugaya (1989). He also got the best supporting actor award for Ahimsa (1981).
Trendsetter
Ezhamkadalinakkare was the first Malayalam film to be shot in North America and its hit song Suraloka jaladhaara... was filmed near the Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada.
