'That movie gave me Seema, my wife,' said IV SasiAvalude Ravukal was a shock treatment for Malayalam cinema. The bold portrayal of a prostitute touched many a raw nerve.
“All my movies were risky. Avalude Ravukal was a bigger risk,” I.V. Sasi, who passed away in Chennai on Tuesday, had told Malayala Manorama in an earlier interview.
“The tale was never told before. But I was not afraid to make the movie. That’s how I worked. Looking back, that remains my favorite movie. There is another reason for me to love that movie. That movie gave me Seema, my wife,” he said.
Sasi married the lead actress after the movie was released in 1978. Avalude Ravukal is often derided as the first 'adults only' movie in Malayalam. The movie, in fact, was a bold experiment in a clammed up society. No other mainstream director could think of pulling off such a project then.
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Sasi married the lead actress after the movie was released in 1978Raji, Seema’s unforgettable character, challenged society’s perceptions about a sex worker. The movie was an eye opener on several counts. It documented the disturbing atrocities faced by a lone woman and her struggles to cope with an exploitative world.
The movie’s legacy also lingers in the beautiful songs, including ‘Rakendu Kiranangal’ and ‘Unniyaaraariro’, written by Bichu Thirumala and composed by A.T. Ummer. Alleppy Sharif wrote the screenplay for the movie.
Seema was joined by a host of leading actors, including Ravikumar, Soman, Sukumaran, Bahadur, Kuthiravattom Pappu and Kaviyoor Ponnamma.
“The movie had a life of its own,” Sasi said. “I do not remember how the story evolved. We considered several actresses before deciding on Seema.”
The veteran has directed about 150 movies in Malayalam but he was never in doubt about his favorite. Devasuram (1993) and Ee Nadu (1982) were the other picks from his impressive oeuvre.
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Ee Nadu, a political thriller written by T. Damodaran, was a candid take on the unholy alliance among politicians, bureaucrats, policemen, and criminals. Sasi and Damodaran opened up a genre in Malayalam, which largely confined to the safe bet of romance and family dramas.
Devasuram, written by Ranjith, was a game changer too. The heroic tale of personal egos and revenge was the first on a list of superhero movies in Malayalam.
(From an earlier interview to Malayala Manorama)
