CULTURAL HUBS, WHERE
ORDINARY BECOMES EXTRAORDINARY: A JOURNEY THROUGH TEASHOPS IN SELECT MALAYALAM
MOVIES
Cinema emerged as a medium of
entertainment. But gradually owing to
its mass popularity it acquired the role of creating awareness and educating
the public. To achieve this role it
started becoming a document of our lives and a record of our time and space. A society is molded to a great extent by
historical events. So naturally a
popular medium in the society also gets influenced by historical factors. Thus
cinema industry also started reflecting the ideals propounded by various
historical events.
If we analyze the history of a state
like Kerala we can end up with a handful of such historical movements. As we all know Kerala has long tales
of sufferings to tell and also many number of movements to share with. It has emerged as a powerful state as a result
of such movements. We can even go to the
extent of saying that as a result of the echoing of the several national
movements only we are now what we are.
Thanks to the reformation movements and the reformers.
The national movements and the ideas
propounded by the national leaders started penetrating into Kerala and the
people of the region started accepting these ideals as their own. They were so inspired by those ideals that it
became their way of life to form a critical opinion about every issue that came
in their way. Therefore the idea of an
ideal place became very essential for the people from various strata of the
society to sit and discuss about the issues.
That is how the wayside restaurants popularly known as teashops started
appearing on stage.
The movement called Panthibhojanam
or mixed eating was the immediate cause for the emergence of teashops. This movement propounded the idea of people
from various castes and communities sitting together and eating. This was indeed a revolutionary step
especially in a caste ridden society like Kerala. As a result of such reform movements, the
marginalized in the society started acquiring freedom of movement. They started demanding higher wages for the
works they have done. Thus most of the
people in the deprived sections of the society, no longer remained deprived. They started becoming economically
independent. This economic freedom
helped people to get an access into the teashops. These wayside restaurants welcomed anybody
who could pay them for the food they offered.
Thus there was a play of economy based on money and the conditions of
the society in these wayside restaurants which helped them to evolve and
develop and become a part and parcel of our daily lives and popular media like
cinema.
This paper attempts to offer an
analysis of how the wayside restaurants were a major element in a couple of
Malayalam movies and also how they played an important role in the fictions
from which these movies were adapted. I
have tried to analyze the films Neelakuyil, Bhargavi Nilayam and Olavum
Theeravum adapted from novels by Uroob, Muhammad Basheer and M.T. Vasudevan
Nair respectively. In all these fictions
and films the importance of teashops was never belittled. Teashops were the centre of attraction in all
these fictions. And therefore when films were made out of
these fictions, teashops also emerged a powerful mechanism through which the
plot developed.
Cinema is for all the sections of
the society. That is why it has emerged
as a popular medium. Anybody can watch a
movie. Therefore we can say that in a
way cinema promotes secularism. Your
caste or religion never determined your right to watch a movie. And such a
secular medium can address any issue of the society and provide a solution that
can redress the grievances. So how can a
filmmaker ensure his audience about the pain he has taken in ensuring secularism
and addressing issues of the society in his film? It is through such subtle measures like
shooting a scene in the wayside restaurants that they do so.
The teashops or the wayside
restaurants are the abodes of the so called marginalized. The customers in the
teashops are treated only as individuals.
People from different strata of the society meet at such places. They can assert their individuality by raising
their opinions on whatever issues, whether they may be on major or minor
incidents in these wayside restaurants.
Thus these teashops offer an opportunity to every person who otherwise
does not get a chance to express their opinions in the public sphere. Every person craves for attention. Everybody wants others to hear their
views. Teashops help them not only to
achieve their desires but also in broadening their perspectives. Assertion of individuality moulds our
personality. Without the characters
knowledge, teashops provide them this opportunity.
Teashops also offer a chance for the
audience to see different types of observers.
There are both passive and active observers in the society. When such people find a place in teashops,
the active observers actively involve in discussing the various issues in the
society by reading newspapers, exchanging local news or by simply
chatting. In films such active observers
have a major role to play. It is through
them that the major concerns or the message of the film gets revealed. In our real life also such active observers
are actively concerned with the issues of the society. Their opinions form the basis of the critical
opinion of the public. Such opinions can
even have an impact on the running of the government machinery. But only difference between reality and reel
is that in real life active observers express their opinions through mass media
and also by becoming a part of several organizations whereas in cinema, the
wayside restaurants become an ideal place for such discussions.
There is yet another group who must
be given space at these juncture- Passive observers. They remain passive both in reality and
reel. This may be because of several
reasons. Either they do not have enough courage
to speak out their opinions or they do lack any such critical ideas. Such characters also get a chance to
participate in such discussions simply by nodding or smiling or just passively
accepting or opposing in their minds the views of the active observers who both
observe and react to the major issues which they also in a sense wanted to
do. Thus such characters are also given
a space in teashops. They enter into
them as mere passive individuals but go out as enlightened individuals at least
in their minds, so later when a chance comes they can also express their
ideas. Cinema is a reflection of the
society and therefore both the passive and active observers form a part of the
reel.
There is also an innate sincerity
even in the items exhibited in the teashops.
What is the typical image of a teashop that we have in mind? A shed, where there are bunches of
bananas, a glass shelf where various
food items are kept, desks, benches, the owner usually in vests, one or two
helpers etc. What does such a scene
symbolize? Poor working class background
is brought on screen through teashops.
They come to teashops to spend their free time, trying to relieve
themselves from the drudgery of their works.
That is how teashops become the hubs where ordinary is given space and
helps the ordinariness to emerge as extraordinary. When the ordinary working class people are
given individuality by offering them a space in the teashops they come out with
extraordinary ideas which may become the backbone of the cinema.
Teashops are in a way cultural hubs. Every society wants its culture to be
imparted into the mindset of the people so that they can be followed by
everybody. Cinema makes the job easier
through teashops. People from various
sections of the society come and sit in teashops. Anything under the sun can become a matter of
discussion for them. They discuss and even indulge in a verbal duel to prove
their points. Almost all the characters
try to prove their points. But at the
same time everybody will be cautious about their culture and so they try to
prove their points by holding on to their cultural concerns. Anything against their culture won’t be
tolerated by the people. Thus teashops
within cinema act as the mouthpiece of the society by trying to create a
positive impression in the minds of the audience about one’s own cultural
background.
Teashops also acted as the newspaper
as well as the reference book of an area.
Whenever a person comes to the place for the first time, generally the
local teashop is the place where he goes first.
This is done to understand the nature of the place where he has now
arrived. Teashops act as a helping guide
to understand the past, present of that area.
It always welcomes anybody into its arms. That is why in most of the works whether in
fiction or in film the protagonist will first step into the teashop of that
area where he is a newcomer. Sometimes
teashops can also become a locale where gossips are generated. In certain instances they generate humor and
certain other times they help the plot to take a turning point.
This paper tries to give a
discussion on the role of the wayside restaurants in bringing out the message
of the films Neelakuyil, Bhargavi Nilayam, Olavum Theeravum. Neelakuyil, a 1954 film is based on a story
by Uroob under the same name. The film,
directed by Ramu Kariat and P. Bhaskaran presents teashop as a major
character. Neelakuyil narrates the story
of a high born school master Sreedharan Nair played by Satyan and a Dalit woman
Neeli played by Kumari. This school
master rejects her when he comes to know that she is pregnant and marries an
aristocratic woman. Neeli dies in
childbirth. Sankaran Nair, the character
played by the director P. Bhaskaran himself, looks after the child. Later Sreedharan Nair admits his mistake and
accepts the child.
The narrative of Neelakuyil moves
between the household world and the outer world. The household setting is represented by the
world of the protagonist Sreedharan Nair.
The most important thing about the protagonist is that he makes his
appearance not even once in the teashop.
This is a clear hint of his character.
He likes to live in a secluded and isolated world of his own. He does not welcome changes. He believes in his own orthodox principles
and therefore he abandons Neeli when he comes to know that she is
pregnant. He never visits the local teashop
Bhagavathi Vilasom owned by Manavalan Joseph may be because of his habit of
withdrawing himself into his own world.
Teashop being the centre of activity and driving the plot forward must
have brought changes in him if he would have visited it at least once. He should have understood the depth of
feelings innate in the minds of ordinary people, which he failed to understand
in his relationship with Neeli, if he would have stepped there at least
once. As a contrast to this protagonist,
the movie offers another character played by the director himself. The character Sankaran Nair makes this
teashop his favourite hangout. He is a
character who welcomes changes unlike the protagonist. That is why he looks after the baby boy of
Neeli and Sreedharan Nair even when the father is alive and is not ready to
look after the baby who is born out of a low caste woman. He visits the teashop frequently where
everybody is given freedom of speech, open thought and physical
interactions. The teashop visited by
people from various cross sections of the society like peasants, fishmongers,
hawkers etc offer him solace from the dilemma he might have been undergoing in
his mind.
There was a tendency for the high
born to keep away from local teashops.
The only person who is indifferent to this tendency in Neelakuyil is a
member of a declining tharavad who frequently visits Bhagavati Vilasom teashop
to sell the things he has taken from the tharavad. But anyways the teashop in the film
Neelakuyil has acted as an important tool in the hands of the film makers to
convey the important message of the film which is to break the walls of
discrimination based on caste, colour, and creed. Another important element that adds beauty to
the film is the songs. If such an
element of embellishment is shot within a teashop, it once again emphasizes the
idea that teashops can not only become the mouthpiece of a film but also can
enrich the essence of the films. The
song in Neelakuyil, Kayalarikathu, is an example for this.
Bhargavi Nilayam, a 1964 film is
based on Muhammad Basheer’s story Neelavelicham. The movie directed by A. Vincent utilizes the
possibility of teashop to a great extent.
Many major events take place here.
Just like the household world and outer world in Neelakuyil, two faces
of that locality are portrayed in Bhargavi Nilayam. Bhargavi Nilayam, the name of the house which
is regarded as a ghost house by the people of that area has a story to tell. It shares the information of the tragic fate
of Bhargavi, a beautiful girl who died mysteriously. This sharing of information happens in the
local teashop. For the people who meet in the teashop, this mansion is a
mysterious place where eerie things happen because of Bhargavi who is now a
ghost. This eerie mansion where abnormal
things happen is in total contrast to the local teashop where normal things
happen as it is a representation of the real world. The writer who comes to stay in that eerie
mansion first visited the local teashop and it is from here that he came to
know about the mysteriousness of the place where he lives. It is here where we meet the alleged murderer
of Bhargavi her own ‘muracherukan’. The
writer gradually started accepting the views of people who frequented the local
teashop coupled with his own experiences in the house. He emerges a kind of hero to the people of
that locality. This is because he showed
great courage to stay in that haunted mansion.
Thus the most important thing as far as film is concerned is the
evolution of a hero and this happens in both the fiction and the film through
the people who frequented the teashop.
Olavum Theeravum a 1970 P.N. Menon
movie is based on M.T. Vasudevan Nair’s novel.
This movie tells the story of a person Bappotty, the hero, proving
himself at a teashop near a ferry. The
teashop acts as the source of strength for the hero. It is here that he interacts with the society
and makes exchanges with the people. Many confrontational scenes of the film
take place in the teashop. The film
maker has tried to introduce such scenes with the help of certain elements like
silence, broken down gramophone, the sound of the river lapping the bramble
thick shorelines of the teashop. The
teashop in this film is owned by Kuttan Nair.
It is akin to the title itself.
The title Olavum Theeravum itself is centred around the teashop as the
river reflects the sounds produced within the teashop. The sound is the voice of the society. The intermingling of voices heard within the
teashop, come out of the teashop and echoes in the ripples of the river which
carries the storyline forward. This merging of different opinions heard within
the teashop where everyone knows everyone else becomes an example for the
harmonious existence expected from the people in any society.
Fictional works are the outcome of
the imaginations and experiences of the writers who tried to present them
clothed in the right choice of words and ideas catering to the interests of the
reading public. Once such fictions hit
the right track, entertainment promoters indulge in the effort to make such
works into films so that they can reach to a larger number of audience. The main difference between the fiction and
the film is that film reproduces the visual imagery hidden within the deep
recesses of the minds of the readers.
Film makers undertake painstaking efforts to add colour to the visuals
that the readers of the works have in their minds. They want the effect to stay on in the minds
of the audience for a long time. Keeping
such an aim in their mind they try to reproduce the techniques used in fictions
and also in films, usually by adding an extra colour to those techniques. The use of local teashops in movies is one
such technique. The film makers try to
recreate the usual scene in a village where teashops are the only hangouts in
most cases. They thus include the images
generally associated with a real teashop in their movies also. The paper till here tried to analyze the
major aspects of teashops. But one thing
that I personally felt is that these teashops which acted as the backbone of
both the films and the society were the hangouts only for the male gender. In most cases, women kept out off the scene
or simply remained within the interiors of such set ups by doing the works
allotted to them. They were not given a chance to participate in the discussion
that happened in the teashops. This may
be because of the fact that society at that time had not welcomed such daring
steps. But gradually the attitude of the
society changed. Women started coming
into the foray of the discussions that molded the public opinions. But then the teashops started becoming a part
of nostalgia giving way to grand hangouts.
Except for some movies it remained out of the scene.
Most of the films of the
contemporary time present high restaurants and hotels as the favourite areas of
the present generation. Even if some
character ventures to go to a teashop it is highlighted as if he or she is
doing an extraordinary thing. Years ago
you step into the teashops as an ordinary being as the teashops were the centre
of activity for a huge mass of people.
But years later you simply get into the teashop to enjoy the nostalgic
reminiscences. But it is really heartening
to see some welcoming changes like Minister Muneer opening his Face Book account
in front of a teashop with a group of youngsters. This shows that today’s society wishes to
bring back those cultural hubs where ordinary things once gleamed
extraordinary. Let us wait again for
those local teashop scenes both in fictions and in films which once determined
the events not only in reel but also in reality.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anderson,
B. Imagined Communities: Reflections on
the Origin and Spread of Nationalism.2nd
ed. London: Verson, 1991
Bhabha,
H. Nation and Narration. London:
Routledge, 1994.
Venkiteswaran,
Dr. C S. “Tea- shops in Malayalam Cinema.” Kerala
Reader SCERT. Kochi:
2011.
Viswanathan,
G. Masks of Conquest: Literary Studies
and British Rule in India. London: Faber
& Faber, 1989.
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