Pavithran
Encyclopedia
Vattapparambil Krishnan Pavithran, known mononymously as Pavithran (Malayalam:പവിത്രന്; 1950 – 2006) was a famous Malayalam film director.
His friendship with director P. A. Backer
led to the making of the film Kabani Nadi Chuvannappol
(When the River Kabani Turned Red, 1975), which he produced. He made his directorial debut with Yaro Oral
(Someone, 1978) for which G. Aravindan
composed the music. The film was about the travails of urban life and identity crisis in the city. It introduced to Malayalam a genre of personal cinema, which is deliberately anti-realist. This won state awards for Best Direction, Best Editing and Best Cinematography. In 1981, he composed the music T. V. Chandran
's directorial debut Krishnankutty
.
Later he made a shift in his form of filmmaking with Uppu
(Salt, 1986), where he adopted the middle-stream cinema model. In Uppu, he told the story of the atavistic Muslim practice of male polygamy. It became controversial upon release. In an interview, Pavithran commented, "Salt is a trifle better - the truth always is. The religious laws are almost unknowingly misused by people, leading to the exploitation of those who succumb or resign themselves to religious and social pressures. Our intention was not to victimise or ridicule a minority." Uppu won the National Film Award for Best Regional Film
.
Utharam
(Answer, 1989), written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair
and starring Mammootty
, is about the investigative journey that the protagonist embarks on in order to find the reasons behind a poetess's suicide, a bizarre step she took despite her picture-perfect life. The film became a major commercial and critical success and has earned cult status.
His last film Kuttappan Sakshi (Kuttappan, the Witness, 2002) begins in the pre-independence era when the communist movement was coming up in Kerala and inspiring poor peasants and other workers to raise their voice against the feudalism and the exploitation of the Nampoothiris.
Pavithran died on 26 February 2006. His daughter Eva is a film actress in South Indian films.
Biography
After completing his graduation Pavithran made two unsuccessful attempts to get admission at the Pune Film Institute. This failure made him join a Law College nearby the film institute at Pune. Instead of studying law, he spent his time in the Film Institute seeing world classics and how films were made. He used this opportunity to befriend the institute students and understand cinema closely.His friendship with director P. A. Backer
P. A. Backer
P.A. Backer was one of the "new wave" Malayalam film directors of the 1970s and 1980s. Backer was born in 1940 in Thrissur, Kerala State. Whilst still a student Backer worked as a journalist for Kuttikal and Poomottukal. He then worked as an assistant to director Ramu Kariat...
led to the making of the film Kabani Nadi Chuvannappol
Kabani Nadi Chuvannappol
Kabani Nadi Chuvannappol is a 1975 Malayalam feature film directed by P. A. Backer, produced by Pavithran, and starring T. V. Chandran, Shalini, Raveendran and J. Siddiqui. This leftist political drama film came out during the Emergency period. It was the directorial debut of P. A...
(When the River Kabani Turned Red, 1975), which he produced. He made his directorial debut with Yaro Oral
Yaro Oral
Yaro Oral is a 1978 Malayalam film written and directed by Pavithran. It was his debut as a director. It introduced to Malayalam a genre of personal cinema, which is deliberately anti-realist. The film's music is composed by acclaimed film director G. Aravindan.-Plot:Malathi, a gynaecologist, is...
(Someone, 1978) for which G. Aravindan
G. Aravindan
Govindan Aravindan who was popularly known as G. Aravindan was a national award winning film director, screenwriter, musician and cartoonist from Kerala, India. He was known for his unorthodox way of film-making; he changed his cinematic forms consistently and experimented in story telling without...
composed the music. The film was about the travails of urban life and identity crisis in the city. It introduced to Malayalam a genre of personal cinema, which is deliberately anti-realist. This won state awards for Best Direction, Best Editing and Best Cinematography. In 1981, he composed the music T. V. Chandran
T. V. Chandran
T. V. Chandran is an Indian filmmaker, script writer, and actor. He is most known for his art-house films which have references to history and undertones of politics and feminism...
's directorial debut Krishnankutty
Krishnankutty
Krishnankutty is a 1981 Malayalam film that marks the directorial debut of T. V. Chandran. The film started production during the emergency period. A critical and commercial failure, this experimental film did not even have a wide public release. The film represents a continuation of P. A. Backer's...
.
Later he made a shift in his form of filmmaking with Uppu
Uppu
Uppu is a 1986 Indian Malayalam film directed by Pavithran and written by K. M. A. Rahim. The film is about atavistic Muslim practice of male polygamy. Film is entirely on the side of the wronged wives, mounting a strong criticism of this aspect of the Muslim religion. It stars P. T. Kunju...
(Salt, 1986), where he adopted the middle-stream cinema model. In Uppu, he told the story of the atavistic Muslim practice of male polygamy. It became controversial upon release. In an interview, Pavithran commented, "Salt is a trifle better - the truth always is. The religious laws are almost unknowingly misused by people, leading to the exploitation of those who succumb or resign themselves to religious and social pressures. Our intention was not to victimise or ridicule a minority." Uppu won the National Film Award for Best Regional Film
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam
The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam winners:...
.
Utharam
Utharam
Utharam is a 1989 Malayalam mystery-thriller film starring Mammootty, Suparna, Sukumaran and Parvathy. It was written by acclaimed Malayalam writer M. T. Vasudevan Nair based on the short story No Motive by Daphne du Maurier. The film was a commercial success and also received critical acclaim. It...
(Answer, 1989), written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair
M. T. Vasudevan Nair
Madathil Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair , popularly known as MT, is an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He was born in Kudallur, a small village in the present day Palakkad District, which was under the Malabar District in the Madras Presidency of the British Raj...
and starring Mammootty
Mammootty
Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 360 films, and is only next to Prem Nazir in the number of lead roles...
, is about the investigative journey that the protagonist embarks on in order to find the reasons behind a poetess's suicide, a bizarre step she took despite her picture-perfect life. The film became a major commercial and critical success and has earned cult status.
His last film Kuttappan Sakshi (Kuttappan, the Witness, 2002) begins in the pre-independence era when the communist movement was coming up in Kerala and inspiring poor peasants and other workers to raise their voice against the feudalism and the exploitation of the Nampoothiris.
Pavithran died on 26 February 2006. His daughter Eva is a film actress in South Indian films.