The Red Reels

Thanks to the Malayali political psyche, films romanticising left ideology have become a trend

- Cithara Paul

Malayalis are of two kinds— either they are communist sym-pathisers, or they hate communists. Thanks to this love hate relationship with communism, Mollywood has always had a space for political films, or rather, films with comrades in lead roles. Of late, this trend of “comrade films”, has been on the upward curve, with five such releases since March 2017. All had superstars in lead roles, and almost all fared well at the box office.

The trend started with Oru Mexican Aparatha (A Mexican enormity) which told a campus story, with a macho SFI leader (Tovino Thomas) in the lead. Then there was Comrade in America (CIA), where Dulquer Salman portrayed a daredevil SFI leader. It was followed by Sakhavu, with superstar Nivin Pauly playing an idealist comrade. There was even one titled Sakhavinte Priyapatni (Comrade’s dear wife), narrating the story of a young widow of a martyr in the red bastion of Kannur. The latest of the lot is Parole, with superstar ootty—a left sympathiser in real life— playing the lead as Comrade Alex, who sacrifices everything for the sake of ideology.

Some attribute this trend to the collective political psyche of Kerala society, which is left of centre. “I have always felt that Malayalis, despite differences in political preferences, have a soft corner for an ideal communist, who lives for the poor. The commercial success of most of the comrade films can be attributed to that,” said Shibin Francis, scriptwriter of the runaway hit, Oru Mexican Aparatha.