If you want to bring a smile to any Malayali, just quote these dialogues - “Anganne Pavanai Shavamai” or “Oh my Godddd” or “CID Escape Escape”. When two Malayalis meet after a long while and they reminisce about the old memories, the two characters Das and Vijayan have to find a place in the conversation. Or even Gaffurka dosth, Ananthan Nambiar, Balettan and Pavanai…. It was on this day May 6th in 1987 that this epic movie released - Director #SathyanAnthikkad’s absurd slapstick comedy #Nadodikattu! A small trivia for the trivia lovers, Pavanai’s real name was P V Narayanan ! But then that wouldn't make you tremble in your shoes and that's how “Pavanai” was born !! #Nadodikattu was released on this day May 6 in 1987 . Mamu Koya who played Gaffoor ka passed away earlier this month.
Kerala of the 1980s. Unemployment galore and not yet romanticized. Lack of opportunity leading to crime and going against the system was not yet an option. “Engenegillum Oru Joli Sheriyakkam” was the refrain of the young man. Almost stating what his parents would be mouthing. And that is exactly what PremaDasan, B Com ‘First class’ tells his lady love Radha(#Shobhana). Das and his friend Vijayan are peons in a private company but get thrown out. They but two cows but the animals don't yield enough milk; in frustration they sell the cows and decamp on a boat to Dubai in search of the Gulf dream. The agent tricks them and they land up in Chennai. They manage to gain employment but also land up in a drug racket. The twists and turns become more and more absurd and life is a roller coaster. At the end, the plot fades but Das and Vijayan become etched in our minds forever.
There is no mention of how the two goofy friends come together. Vijayan mentions somewhere that he robbed his sister-in-law’s Thaalimaala . Das’s mother works domestic chores at a relative's house. It is the classic underdog story that went on to churn out two sequels #PattanaPravesham and #AkkareAkkareAkkare; it didn't matter what the story had to offer; we just went to see our favorite Das and Vijaan and track their adventures with fondness!
The two friends keep hurling insults at each other all day. Vijayan believes that pre-degree is also a degree and Das who is B.Com First class does not miss any opportunity to pull his friend down. At home, Vijayan resents the fact that he has to do all the household chores while Das lazes around. And yet that scene when Das is trying to impress a woman by picking a fight with a man, Vijayan stops him at first but when the man calls Das a scoundrel, Vijaayan thinks nothing of deflating the car tyres. It is just pure irony that the man turns out to be their new boss!
The story by #Siddique-Lal is written by #Sreenivasan, who excels in self-deprecating humour that became his signature style in many other movies later. But what endured is the #Mohanlal - #Sreenivasan bond that saw the duo churning out a spate of movies that took Kerala by storm back then. I think #Sreenivasan had a gift for understanding the psyche of the malayali sentiment at that time and the movies captured a lot of popular themes of the time - unemployment, the gul dream, the gulf returnee, one upmanship and sarcasm of the highest order!. It is relevant to mention that a lot of the cartoonists of that era in India were from Kerala and their brand of wry, sarcasm found its way into these scripts. Sample the cartoons by Shankar, Abu, Kutty, OV Vijayaan and EP Unni! The script is absurd and yet hilarious. In order to orchestrate a sequence where Vijayan has to chase the goons with pistol in hand, the script sends him to film director #IVSasi’s residence where he meets actress #Seema and when they meet, the song from Avalude Raavukal plays in the background. At the police station, the two friends see the lock-up and their faces fall but the very next moment, the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi on the wall cheers them up !
#Nadodikattu made a lot of the other characters household names too. Gaffur ka dosth is still popularly used as a slang nearly fifty years later. #Mammookka with that toothy grin teaches the boys some popular Arabic phrases and even gives them life advice even when he has absolutely no intention of taking them to Dubai. Then there is #Thilakan who discovers his funny bone as Ananathan Nambiar. Everytime the phone or the doorbell rings, he gets rattled. His dialogue “Anaganne Pavanai shavam aayi… enthiokke bahalam aayirunnu …machine gunnu, malapurram kathi, bomb, olakkede moodu” is simply brilliant! #Innocent as Balettan abhors Malayalis because they can become a burden but has a heart of gold. #Janardhanan as the politician Kovai Venkatesan with MGR style dark glasses discovers his stock phrase “Ahyyyooooo” that he goes on to use in countless comedy films afterwards. And #CaptainRaju plays his most iconic character Pavanai with his box of lethal weapons. When Vijayan asks “Ethaa eee alapalathi”. Pavani retorts “ Look man, I am not alapalathi. I am Pavanaai”.
Some of the scenes are envisaged with sharp thought and deep sensitivity. The opening scene has an Ambassador car rumbling through the streets, announcing the Kerala Government lottery in that gravelly irritating tone of voice; it is almost as if they are mocking you for being poor and in need of some luck! The romance between Das and Radha is not love at first sight. It is built up on very weak footing and that is why it is endearing. The scene when Das lands up at Radha and her mom’s house asking for kerosene and finally all other ingredients to cook a meal is stunning. Radha doesn't offer him a chair during their first meeting at the office and this miffs Das.
Radha and her mother become a kind of fulcrum around which Das’s life revolves, especially after the demise of his mother. Interestingly, it is the woman who points out the hero’s shortcomings and coaxes him to give up on ego and false pretenses and work hard to earn a living.
#Nadodikattu is produced by #CasinoProductions and music is by #Shyam and #YusufAliKechery. The song “VyshakaSandhye” continues to top the charts as an evergreen romantic number.
#Nadodikaatu brought back memories of #JaaneBhoDoYaaro in parts for me. The plot is so absurd and the fallacies in the twists and turns are so obvious. And yet the characters are so endearing. And this is because the characters are sketched beautifully and reflective of the angst of the times. Das is a graduate but works as a peon while the Head Clerk there is several times SSLC failed.
Long after you are done with #Nadodikattu, the dialogues keep playing in your head and they have survived so many decades later. Sample this - “Hello Mr Periera, CIDs Escape…” or “ Sasiyettan Bharanilaa” or “Ethra Manoharamaya Nadakkatha Swapnam”. A movie that truly captured the angst and the ethos of the times and gave us a comic pair with impeccable comic timing that has regaled generations of Malayalis!
