Naalu Pennungal
Encyclopedia
Naalu Pennungal is a 2007 Malayalam film produced and directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan
based on four short stories written by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
. The film stars Padmapriya, Geethu Mohandas, Manju Pillai
, and Nandita Das
in the major roles, and KPAC Lalitha, Mukesh
, Manoj K. Jayan
, Sona Nair
, Sreejith Ravi, Ravi Vallathol, Nandulal, Remya Nabeeshan
, P. Sreekumar, M. R. Gopakumar, and Kavya Madhavan
in supporting roles.
The movie chronicles a journey of womanhood across assorted backdrops with a classic amalgamation of source matters and techniques that splendidly spans times and frames. The movie has four distinct parts - each adapted from separate short stories by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
. Each of the parts narrate the stories of women from different strata of the society. Though the stories are not explicitly connected in narration, a pattern emerges in the flow of the movie - both in the chronological setting and the stature of the women.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan won the National Film Award for Best Directing
for the film .
in Alappuzha
district in Kerala
. The stories are set in the years between 1940s to the 1960s.
The Prostitute
The first story profiled is the story of a street prostitute Kunjipennu (Padmapriya) and Pappukutty (Sreejith Ravi) who decide to start a life as husband and wife. They have bound themselves in matrimony that does not have any legal sanction. When the law catches up with them, they do not have anything that can be an evidence of their commitment towards each other. The story ends in the court scene where the helpless couple are punished for the crime of prostituition.
The Virgin
Kumari (Geethu Mohandas)- literally, a virgin girl- is a farm worker who shouldered the responsibility of running her household at a very early age. Her father (M. R. Gopakumar), having realized her advancing age, accepts a suitable marriage proposal for her. After the wedding, her husband, Narayanan (Nandulal), behaves strangely, as he evades any kind of contact with her including verbal conversation and sexual activity. The husband's mysterious behaviour is accentuated by his glut. After a few days, the couple make the customary visit to Kumari's house. Narayanan, leaves Kumari in her house after the visit and never returns to take her back. As days pass, rumours spread that she has been abandoned by him because of her infidelity. Her father unable to bear the shame of it, picks up a fight with the neighbour who had brought the marriage proposal. Kumari, who had maintained silence so far, emerges from the house and decalres that the marriage never happened.
The Housewife
Chinnu Amma (Manju Pillai
) is a childless housewife. She lives a fairly contented life with her loving husband (Murali). Her husband works in a nearby town and she spends her time alone at home. One day, she is visited by Nara Pillai (Mukesh), who is a former classmate of her. Nara Pillai had run away to Tamil Nadu
, much earlier and now visits his home village only infrequently. He is said to have made good in Tamil Nadu and speaks Malayalam with a heavy Tamil accent even when he is back in Kerala. Through their conversations we realize that they both had an amorous encounter in their childhood, from which Chinnu Amma escaped narrowly due to her fear of getting pregnant out of wed-lock. Nara Pillai assumes that she is vulnerable and attempts to talk her into bed, promising her a healthy off spring.Chinnu Amma's mind vacillates, but in the end of the movie she boldly declines the offer.
The Spinster
The last one, is about an upper middleclass girl (Nandita Das
). She has a quiet life in a family composed of her widowed mother (Lalitha), an elder brother and two sisters. The story begins with a marriage proposal for her, which fails as the groom (Ravi Vallathol) prefers her younger sister (Kavya Madhavan
). She silently witnesses the marriage. As years pass on, her elder brother (Ashokan
) also gets married after having waited for her marriage for too long. As she walks towards middle age, her youngest sister (Remya Nambeesan) also gets married. Once the mother passes away, she is forced to move in with her younger sister's family. Things seem to go well initially, with her getting close to her nieces. Her sister's husband apologizes to her, for being the reason for her failed marriage proposal. But, soon problems surface as her sister gets jealous of her and starts imagining a non-existing affair with her husband and her. She goes back home alone, refusing to live with either her brother or the youngest sister. She finally has broken the shackles of others controlling her life and has decided to live on her own.
's stories came when Doordarshan in their Timeless Classics series wanted to compile works of writers in different languages who have produced classic literature. This was the first film in the project and was followed by Oru Pennum Randaanum
in the next year. Both the films have a four-chapter-structure based on independent short stories by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
. Both the films also share the same geographical and temporal setting.
Adoor selected the stories on which the movie is based, from the 300-400 stories that Pillai wrote. They were originally written over a long period of time. Thee director stated that, he chose these particular stories, because of their current relevance. He has claimed that unlike his previous films, this one is less complex.
in September,2007. The films has so far been screened at more than twenty festivals The Miami International Film Festival
selected Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Naalu Pennungal. Besides Adoor, Geethu Mohandas who featured in the story 'Kanyaka' and Martin Sebastian, the co-producer of the film attended the film festival.
The film was also screened at the following festivals.
filmmaker Sachin Kundalkar said that his third film Gandh(Smell), an ensemble of three stories interconnected by the theme of 'smell', was inspired by Naalu Pennungal.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Moutatthu "Adoor" Gopalakrishnan Unnithan is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer. Adoor Gopalakrishnan had a major role in revolutionizing Malayalam cinema and is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of India.. Adoor's first film Swayamvaram pioneered the new wave cinema...
based on four short stories written by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai was a novelist and short story writer of Malayalam language, spoken in Kerala state, South India. He is popularly known as Thakazhi, after his place of birth. He focused on the oppressed classes as the subject of his works, which are known for their attention to...
. The film stars Padmapriya, Geethu Mohandas, Manju Pillai
Manju Pillai
Manju Pillai is an actress in Malayalam films and television serials. She is reputed for handling comedy and negative roles with ease. She was one of the heroines of Adoor Gopalakrishnan's award winning film Naalu Pennungal. She is the grand-daughter of Malayalam film comedian S. P. Pillai.-Early...
, and Nandita Das
Nandita Das
Nandita Das is an award-winning Indian film actress and director. As an actress, she is known for her performances in Fire , Earth , Bawandar , Kannathil Muthamittal and Aamaar Bhuvan . As a director, she is known for her directorial debut Firaaq , which has won a number of national and...
in the major roles, and KPAC Lalitha, Mukesh
Mukesh (actor)
Mukesh , born Mukesh Babu, is an Indian film actor and producer known for his work in Malayalam cinema.- Personal Life :...
, Manoj K. Jayan
Manoj K. Jayan
Manoj K. Jayan is an Indian actor who mainly acts in Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films. Manoj has won the Kerala State Film Award twice: Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Hariharan's Sargam and Second Best Actor for Hariharan's Pazhassi Raja .-Family and early life:He was born in...
, Sona Nair
Sona Nair
Sona Nair is a film actress working mainly in Malayalam movies. She is also known for her roles in TV soaps.-Career:Thooval Kottaram was her first movie in Malayalam. In this movie, she played a character named Hema. After this, she appeared in films such as Kadhanayakan, Veendum Chila...
, Sreejith Ravi, Ravi Vallathol, Nandulal, Remya Nabeeshan
Remya Nabeeshan
Remya Nambeesan is an Indian film actress. She made her career debut in 2000 with Sayahnam. Following performances as a child artiste in several Malayalam films during the early 2000s, she went on to play minor supporting roles, before essaying starring roles since 2006...
, P. Sreekumar, M. R. Gopakumar, and Kavya Madhavan
Kavya Madhavan
Kavya Madhavan is an Indian film actress who works in Malayalam cinema. She made her debut in Pookkalam Varavayi as a child artist. In 1999, she became a lead actress in Lal Jose's Chandranudikkunna Dikhil.-Background:...
in supporting roles.
The movie chronicles a journey of womanhood across assorted backdrops with a classic amalgamation of source matters and techniques that splendidly spans times and frames. The movie has four distinct parts - each adapted from separate short stories by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai was a novelist and short story writer of Malayalam language, spoken in Kerala state, South India. He is popularly known as Thakazhi, after his place of birth. He focused on the oppressed classes as the subject of his works, which are known for their attention to...
. Each of the parts narrate the stories of women from different strata of the society. Though the stories are not explicitly connected in narration, a pattern emerges in the flow of the movie - both in the chronological setting and the stature of the women.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan won the National Film Award for Best Directing
National Film Award for Best Directing
The National Film Award for Best Direction winners are given below. Satyajit Ray has been awarded the maximum number of times in this category....
for the film .
Plot
Naalu Pennungal is the story of four women from KuttanadKuttanad
Kuttanadu is a region in the district of Alappuzha, in the state of Kerala, India, well known for its picturesque vast paddy fields and its geographical peculiarities. It's the region with the lowest altitude in India, and one of the few places in the world where farming is carried out below sea...
in Alappuzha
Alappuzha
Alappuzha , also known as Alleppey, is a town in Alappuzha District of Kerala state of southern India. As per 2001 census Alleppey is the sixth largest city in Kerala with an urban population of 177,029. Alleppey is situated to the south of Kochi and north of Trivandrum...
district in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. The stories are set in the years between 1940s to the 1960s.
The Prostitute
The first story profiled is the story of a street prostitute Kunjipennu (Padmapriya) and Pappukutty (Sreejith Ravi) who decide to start a life as husband and wife. They have bound themselves in matrimony that does not have any legal sanction. When the law catches up with them, they do not have anything that can be an evidence of their commitment towards each other. The story ends in the court scene where the helpless couple are punished for the crime of prostituition.
The Virgin
Kumari (Geethu Mohandas)- literally, a virgin girl- is a farm worker who shouldered the responsibility of running her household at a very early age. Her father (M. R. Gopakumar), having realized her advancing age, accepts a suitable marriage proposal for her. After the wedding, her husband, Narayanan (Nandulal), behaves strangely, as he evades any kind of contact with her including verbal conversation and sexual activity. The husband's mysterious behaviour is accentuated by his glut. After a few days, the couple make the customary visit to Kumari's house. Narayanan, leaves Kumari in her house after the visit and never returns to take her back. As days pass, rumours spread that she has been abandoned by him because of her infidelity. Her father unable to bear the shame of it, picks up a fight with the neighbour who had brought the marriage proposal. Kumari, who had maintained silence so far, emerges from the house and decalres that the marriage never happened.
The Housewife
Chinnu Amma (Manju Pillai
Manju Pillai
Manju Pillai is an actress in Malayalam films and television serials. She is reputed for handling comedy and negative roles with ease. She was one of the heroines of Adoor Gopalakrishnan's award winning film Naalu Pennungal. She is the grand-daughter of Malayalam film comedian S. P. Pillai.-Early...
) is a childless housewife. She lives a fairly contented life with her loving husband (Murali). Her husband works in a nearby town and she spends her time alone at home. One day, she is visited by Nara Pillai (Mukesh), who is a former classmate of her. Nara Pillai had run away to Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, much earlier and now visits his home village only infrequently. He is said to have made good in Tamil Nadu and speaks Malayalam with a heavy Tamil accent even when he is back in Kerala. Through their conversations we realize that they both had an amorous encounter in their childhood, from which Chinnu Amma escaped narrowly due to her fear of getting pregnant out of wed-lock. Nara Pillai assumes that she is vulnerable and attempts to talk her into bed, promising her a healthy off spring.Chinnu Amma's mind vacillates, but in the end of the movie she boldly declines the offer.
The Spinster
The last one, is about an upper middleclass girl (Nandita Das
Nandita Das
Nandita Das is an award-winning Indian film actress and director. As an actress, she is known for her performances in Fire , Earth , Bawandar , Kannathil Muthamittal and Aamaar Bhuvan . As a director, she is known for her directorial debut Firaaq , which has won a number of national and...
). She has a quiet life in a family composed of her widowed mother (Lalitha), an elder brother and two sisters. The story begins with a marriage proposal for her, which fails as the groom (Ravi Vallathol) prefers her younger sister (Kavya Madhavan
Kavya Madhavan
Kavya Madhavan is an Indian film actress who works in Malayalam cinema. She made her debut in Pookkalam Varavayi as a child artist. In 1999, she became a lead actress in Lal Jose's Chandranudikkunna Dikhil.-Background:...
). She silently witnesses the marriage. As years pass on, her elder brother (Ashokan
Ashokan (actor)
Ashokan is Malayalam actor who is best known for his roles in Peruvazhiyambalam, In Harihar Nagar and Amaram.-Career:He made debut in 1978 was Peruvazhiyambalam was directed by Padmarajan where he played as a 15 year old boy who becomes fugitive after killing of bully...
) also gets married after having waited for her marriage for too long. As she walks towards middle age, her youngest sister (Remya Nambeesan) also gets married. Once the mother passes away, she is forced to move in with her younger sister's family. Things seem to go well initially, with her getting close to her nieces. Her sister's husband apologizes to her, for being the reason for her failed marriage proposal. But, soon problems surface as her sister gets jealous of her and starts imagining a non-existing affair with her husband and her. She goes back home alone, refusing to live with either her brother or the youngest sister. She finally has broken the shackles of others controlling her life and has decided to live on her own.
Production
The project to make films on Thakazhi Sivasankara PillaiThakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai was a novelist and short story writer of Malayalam language, spoken in Kerala state, South India. He is popularly known as Thakazhi, after his place of birth. He focused on the oppressed classes as the subject of his works, which are known for their attention to...
's stories came when Doordarshan in their Timeless Classics series wanted to compile works of writers in different languages who have produced classic literature. This was the first film in the project and was followed by Oru Pennum Randaanum
Oru Pennum Randaanum
Oru Pennum Randaanum is a 2008 Malayalam feature film written and directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan....
in the next year. Both the films have a four-chapter-structure based on independent short stories by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai was a novelist and short story writer of Malayalam language, spoken in Kerala state, South India. He is popularly known as Thakazhi, after his place of birth. He focused on the oppressed classes as the subject of his works, which are known for their attention to...
. Both the films also share the same geographical and temporal setting.
Adoor selected the stories on which the movie is based, from the 300-400 stories that Pillai wrote. They were originally written over a long period of time. Thee director stated that, he chose these particular stories, because of their current relevance. He has claimed that unlike his previous films, this one is less complex.
Reception
The film premiered in the masters section of the Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
in September,2007. The films has so far been screened at more than twenty festivals The Miami International Film Festival
Miami International Film Festival
The Miami International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Miami, Florida in the late winter. The film festival is sponsored by the Miami Film Society, which has been around since 1983....
selected Adoor Gopalakrishnan's Naalu Pennungal. Besides Adoor, Geethu Mohandas who featured in the story 'Kanyaka' and Martin Sebastian, the co-producer of the film attended the film festival.
The film was also screened at the following festivals.
- 51st London film festival.
- Vienna Film Festival.
- Seattle International Film FestivalSeattle International Film FestivalThe Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees...
.
Legacy
Noted MarathiMarathi cinema
Marathi cinema refers to films produced in the Marathi language in the state of Maharashtra, India. It is the oldest and pioneer film industry in India...
filmmaker Sachin Kundalkar said that his third film Gandh(Smell), an ensemble of three stories interconnected by the theme of 'smell', was inspired by Naalu Pennungal.