The ‘New’ Blue Lotus
Yesteryear Malayalam films were rich in their scripts and connected easily with the social and cultural life of people in Kerala. But, unlike Bollywood and other regional film industries in India, Malayalam film industry had always shied away from remaking its classics. But, the first step in this direction is made now and this year Malayalam cinema will witness the release of the first ever remake in its history. ‘Neelathamara’ (The Blue Lotus) is this path breaking film in the history of Malayalam Cinema.
‘Neelathamara’, one of the most beautiful movies ever made in Malayalam cinema, was scripted by M.T. Vasudevan Nair, the renowned Malayalam author, scriptwriter and director. M T has made some slight changes in the script for the remake to connect to new generation audience.
The original movie, released in 1979 was directed by Yusaf Ali Kechery. Ambika immortalized the lead character of Kunjimalu, a 16 year old village girl, with her fine performance in the original. The remake, helmed by Lal Jose will have debutant Archana playing Kunjimalu.
The male lead of the film will also be played by a newcomer. Debutant Kailash steps into the chappals of Ravikumar, who played the hero in the original. Suresh Nair, who is making his debut as an actor, will be seen as Appukkuttan, the character that Sattar did in the original.
The remake is produced by G. Suresh Kumar under the banner of Revathy Kalamandhir. The new version is Suresh Kumar’s tribute to the original, as he was fascinated by the original in his youth days.
Vidyasagar has set the tunes for lyrics penned by Vayalar Sarath Chandaravarma. Vijay Ulaganathan is the cinematographer. ‘Neelathamara’ is scheduled for release on October 9th, 2009.