Ever since Indian cinema was born, many producers in Bollywood saw cinema as a work of art having commercial value. Most of them were willing to invest lavishly in films. That trend hasn't changed even today. Though Telugu and Tamil filmdom had people of this ilk, most of them were concerned about getting their investments back.
Similarly, producers like Maryland Subramanyam, Udaya's Kunchacko, and T E Vasudevan Sir, were some of the earliest ones in Malayalam who ventured into production experiments because of their interest in cinema. However, P V Gangadharan alias PVG, the second son of P V Sami, the owner of the large transport company in Kozhikode ‘KTC Group’, did not become a producer due to his filmy rage or ambition. Nor did he view movies as a source to generate profit. Seeking the blessings of his father, P V Gangadharan ventured into filmmaking with the understanding from his friendly community of directorial geniuses Hariharan and I V Sasi that no other art form can generate money, fame, and recognition simultaneously like cinema. That's how the film production company called Grihalakshmi Productions took shape.
Let me now go into a small flashback of my entanglement with KTC even before PVG came into the film industry.
I was running the Chitrapournami cinema magazine during those times. I went to Kozhikode to get an advertisement from KTC for the Onam edition of Chitrapournami in 1975. Though I had been to Coimbatore and Pothanur, this was my first time visiting Kozhikode. I had heard that it's a place where you get delicious halwa. But this was when I got the opportunity to go there. I boarded the early morning train from Ernakulam North Station and reached Kozhikode past eleven o'clock. At first sight, I didn't like the Kozhikode station and its surroundings much. It looked like a stained town.
I got out of the station and entered the first autorickshaw I saw on the road and asked him to go to the KTC office. The auto driver started revving up his engine. For a moment, I wondered, “How fast the auto drivers here drive!” Also, unlike the auto drivers in Ernakulam, he charged only a moderate rate. KTC's office was in a two-story building. When I saw a man in khaki pants and slack standing in front of the office, I queried. "PVG Sir is in the room," he said. This was the first time that I heard the name PVG. Our Chitrapournami always gave me the energy to dare into any place with confidence, and I didn’t hesitate here as well.
I quickly went to the second floor, knocked on the room door where PVG was sitting, and went inside. A handsome young man in a very simple dress of pants and slacks, sporting a smile on his lips, sat there. He looked at me intently. I introduced myself: "I'm Kaloor Dennis. I am coming from Ernakulam. I am the editor of Chitrapournami."
His face widened when he heard the name Chitrapournami. I took a copy of the latest Chitrapournami and gave it to him. He quickly flipped over the front page and said, "Sit down."
I sat down in the chair opposite him. After talking about Chitrapournami for a while, he called the peon and asked him to bring tea. The 'Ilaya Thalapathy' of the KTC Group, a large organization in Kozhikode, spoke to me very politely without belting out any heroic stories or claims.
I conveyed to him the intention of my visit.
"I have come to seek an advertisement of KTC for the Onam edition of Chitrapournami."
I handed over the advertisement tariff to him.
He took the tariff card, checked it out, and marked a full-page ad without entering into any bargaining. I thought he would ask me to reduce ad rates, but such demands didn't come. Though I had got advertisements from many filmmakers and businessmen, this was the first time that the tariff was signed without any cut or correction. After talking for a while, when I was about to leave, PVG said, "Dennis, you need not come to my office anymore for advertisement purposes. You just have to send someone from your office."
I wondered, ‘Oh, this man has no knowledge that there are none in my office, except myself as the editor and a peon’. Our Chitrapournami was not a big institution like KTC where many staff can be accommodated. I got into an autorickshaw, went straight to SM Street, and bought two kilos of halwa, before heading to the railway station. PVG’s humble demeanour stayed in my mind.
Forty-eight long years after our first meeting, his face on that day still lingers in my mind, perhaps because of the distinctiveness of his character. Since then, every year on Onam and Vishu days, KTC's advertisements bloomed like Onam flowers in the special editions of Chitrapournami. It was then that KTC entered the film industry for the first time in 1977. PVG was in charge of the film. His first film was 'Sujatha' directed by Hariharan. Prem Nazir was the hero.
The friendship between us grew as he got into filmmaking. It was at that time that A J Kuriakose of Mother India Movies, a native of Thodupuzha, and his son Joy Kuriakose came together to make a film titled Ee Manoharatheeram with I V Sasi as Director. The screenplay and dialogues were written by renowned writer Parappuram. Prominent actors like Madhu, Jayan, Sukumaran, Jayabharathi, Vidhu Bala, KPAC Lalitha, and Cochin Haneefa were part of the cast.
The producers of that film and my best friend Kitho were friends and thus I too became part of its making. When it was discussed who should distribute the film, many names cropped up, but the father-son producer duo wanted some good distribution company that would jell well with the producers.
Grihalakshmi, the film production company, by now had also started a distribution company named Kalpaka Films in Ernakulam. Its manager was a tall, gentle young man named James. Since this guy used to come to the Chitrapournami office quite often, when he heard about the distribution of Ee Manohara Theeram, he told me: "Dennis, you know PVG Sir. Why don't you ask him about the distribution?"
Thus, I called PVG and talked to him about it. PVG was also interested when he heard the details of the film. He came to Ernakulam the next day. With myself in the middle, the distribution was discussed and fixed. There wasn't much discussion as well. Thus, Ee Manohara Theeram was released by Kalpaka Films. Though the film was not a huge success, neither the producer nor the distributor incurred losses.
After that, PVG began to make films only under the banner of Grihalakshmi Productions, without really making any effort to distribute projects of other producers. He then did three films with director I V Sasi–Manasa Vacha Karmana, Angadi, and Ahimsa. Angadi, which is inscribed in golden letters in the annals of Malayalam cinema history, became a super hit. It took theatres by storm, with the audience going crazy over actor Jayan’s evergreen dialogue as his character Babu, a daily wage labourer, gives a befitting reply in accented English, to the surprise of everyone around. Malayalis were also mesmerized by the story plot, especially the special moments in the life of a Coolie who showed he was second to none, which was new to them in every sense. Similar was the success of Ee Naade, which told the story of a specific era.
Grihalakshmi then went on to become the biggest banner in Malayalam cinema with films like Balachandra Menon’s Chiriyo Chiri, Bharatan’s Kattatte Kilikoodu and Ittiri Poove Chuvanna Poove. With this, almost all the noted directors in the Malayalam film industry began to set their sights on the Kozhikode direction like Vadakkunokkiyantram.
It was then that PVG came to know that famous writer M T Vasudevan Nair was attempting a script, giving a new inference to the character Chandu Chekavar, but this time depicting the 16th-century warrior mentioned in the folk songs of Northern Kerala in a positive way. He then sets off immediately to meet MT, to evince interest in taking up the big-budget project. Thus, the epic historical drama Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha directed by Hariharan, was born. The film created waves all across the state, without limiting itself to any specific region.
With all the projects taken up basking in the glory of success, films with director Sathyan Anthikad -- Toovalkottaram, Veendum Chila Veetukaryangal, Achuvinte Amma, and the ones like Shaji Kailas’ Ekalavyan, Priyadarshan’s Advaitam, Sibi Malayil’s Kaanakinavu, Jayaraj’s Swathvanam, and Roshan Andrew’s Notebook too got released under the Grihalakshmi banner soon after. Then PVG forayed into new business terrains, at the expense of film production for some time. Most of the films produced by Grihalakshmi bagged honours, including national and state awards.
The family now runs over 20 businesses, ranging from KTC to PVS Hospital, PVG Apartments, KTC Offset Printers and the like. PVG also served as the director of Mathrubhumi. His daughters Sherga, Shenuga, and Shegna too followed the footsteps of their father and ventured into the film production sector. They have already made films Uyare and Janaki Jaane with new-generation directors. Saiju Kurup and Navya Nair play the hero and the heroine in Janaki Jaana.
