Chayilyam is
an eye opener. We are masters in turning every real feelings into
formalities-love into wedding, spirituality into religion etc. Modern
society has become schizophrenic turning every original biological occurrence into superstitions. Thus blossoming of womanhood is under
utter believes of dark superstition A girl on his periods is treated
as an outcast. Women are elevated as goddesses only if it benefits
those in power. The original feelings of womanhood and motherhood are
never taken care of by the present society. Women are but easy prey
in the modern hostile society. Manoj Kana, the gifted Director direct
from the world of drama focuses these issues in his debut film Chaliyam. Chaliyam means the red paint used to colour the faces of
theyyam. It dwells in detail how religious believes paint masks
around original faces leading everyone into pseudo personalities. In
the beginning all religious believes should have been conceived as an
ordered way of life. But as times pass the same believes degenerate
and decays. It kills originality. Manoj takes the cue from the pseudo believes of the society. There is a mass hysteria going on in the
name of belief which is totally against women. Society use women for
maintaining an order which enslaves them further. Chaliyam is the
story of a girl who understands this facts distinctly She fights
with the society with all her might alone. Can she change year old
believes? No ! But she poses a serious question- Are we all sane?
Gouri a
village girl belonging to the malaya community falls in love with a
boy belonging to vannan community. Even though both these communities
makes their livelihood by performing theyyams, inter caste marriage
between the communities is strictly forbidden. To make matters worse,
one day while he was performing kathivanoor veeran, his uncle die of
heart attack in the sanctum sanatorium which is very inauspicious.
Everyone searches reasons of this odd occurrence Kannan openly confesses his first sin before everyone. He had indulged in the 'sacrilegious' act of making love to his beloved just before the
performance of the theyyam. This cuts a hole in his psyche. The
incident turned to be the end of his artistic career as he was
expelled from his home and community. The lovers elope to a friends
home. Deprived of his artistic livelihood he is compelled to
undertake hard labour at a stone mine. Life turns to be a real toil.
A son was born to the couple. They settle in a hut constructed in a
Govt. Land. Here things turn upside down as Kannan out of melancholy
turns into an alcoholic beating his wife and son and finally committing suicide.
The film
opens with the widow accompanying his father in law, a traditional
vaidyar to their home. Here everyone opposes her. The community
elders came and threaten the family to expel them from the community and from performing theyyams if they allowed the widow to
live with them. Gouri hearing the heated arguments reaches a trance.
Shouting and howling she performs a peculiar theyyam dance known to
the elders as daivakoothu performed in the village years ago by
women. All present were taken aback and after the melee every one
concludes that she is the incarnation of mother goddess. The news
spreads fast and everyone competes to worship her. She and her father
in law (who takes her to a psychiatric who attribute the symptoms to
an early menopause seems to be normal but the entire community turns
psychic and compel her to perform the daivakoothu usually played by
women after menopause She out of compulsion consent to play for only
once where as the Hindu fanatics who visit her want her to be changed permanently as
a mother goddess. The 41 day penance is about to end and she had to
perform the theyyam the coming day. Torn between her motherhood and
her spiritual adherence her periods returns back thanks to the
treatment she has been undergoing under her father in law. She blossoms into a women again and her son who was wholly against the entire
idea of this madness visit her at mid night and they escape in a boat
to freedom.
Film making
was no easy task to Manoj Kana. This gifted youngster has directed
some 15 dramas which were well received He collected the huge amount
for shooting from 'bucket collection'. He took great pains to get the
film released. Finally the opposition leader has to intervene to get it
released.
The crew gave good support to the director. Anumol who played Gouri needs
special mention. She was exceptionally good portraying the different
moods in a superb way.
I saw the
film yesterday from Sumangali theatre, Payyanur. It was the last show
and there was a good audience. But no one left their seats after the
film is over. The end was so abrupt. It should have been shot much
more vividly. Last impression is the lasting impression. It was as
though some calamity has occurred which had prevented the film to close
naturally
There
indeed are some negative points. Being the debut film these are not
serious. Some scenes reminds an earlier movie on the same subject. The
scene with the Hindu fanatics seems to be patched up.
The film is
indeed a commendable venture.
