A great master of cinema

K.G. George remains the least celebrated of the great masters of Malayalam cinema.

Four decades may have passed since Swapanadam was released, but you would still enjoy it as much as a viewer did in 1976. It is a brilliant work of cinema – superbly written, beautifully shot in black and white and excellently acted.

The man who directed that film turns 70 on Sunday. Chances are, not many people would notice. K.G. George remains the least celebrated of the great masters of Malayalam cinema.

In fact, he has few equals in Indian cinema. Fewer have handled as many different themes as deftly and with as much subtlety.

He directed

Yavanika , the finest mystery in Malayalam cinema. He also made Panchavadipalam , the greatest satire ever in Malayalam. He also directed Kolangal , one of the finest portrayals of rural life in our cinema, and Irakal , the best psychological thriller in Malayalam.

He could also come up with an Adaminte Variyellu , a feminist film narrated in an unusual style. And yes, he made a poignant love story set on college campus – Ulkadal .

Ulkadal , Yavanika , Swapnadam and

Panchavadipalam were not just critically acclaimed, but were welcomed by the masses as well. George, a graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India (Pune), could take a lot of credit for bringing quality cinema closer to the average viewer.

Golden period

Some of his best works came in the 1980’s, the golden period of Malayalam cinema. If Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Aravindan and Shaji N. Karun were coming up with masterpieces that put Malayalam cinema on the world map, directors like George, Padmarajan, Hariharan, Mohan and Bharathan were making artistic films that drew large audiences.

It is unfortunate that George has not received as much recognition as most of those directors. We are talking of someone whose debut work ( Swapandadam ) won the State Award for the best film and went on to win quite a few more.

Yavanika also was adjudged the best film, while Adaminte Variyellu and Irakal won the award for the second best film. Rappadikalude Gatha won the award for the best film with popular appeal and aesthetic value.

From his first film, George showed that he was a master in casting. He brought the best out of his actors.

Rani Chandra was brilliant as the female lead in Swapnadanam and she was well supported by Mallika and Soman (all the three won the State awards). The list is pretty long: Mammootty and Bharat Gopi in Yavanika , Thilakan in Kolangal and Ganesh Kumar in Irakal , Sukumari in Panchavadipalam ….

George also wrote those characters (often he would collaborate with other scriptwriters).

He may have made his last film in 1998, but it is still not too late for Malayalam cinema to say, Thank You and Happy Birthday, Mr. George!