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THE BLUE KOEL SINGS AGAIN

The New Indian Express Kochi

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August 21, 2025

70 years later, Malayalam cinema's milestone film Neelakuyil is reborn in 4K, uniting generations through restored memory, Vipin Mohan's reflections, and late actor Miss Kumari's son Babu Thaliath's pursuit of preservation

- VIVEK SANTHOSH

N MONDAY evening, the auditorium of the Chavara Cultural Centre in Kochi held its breath. The lights dimmed, the projector whirred, and for a few seconds, there was only darkness. Then the frames flickered to life, sharp and vivid, freshly restored, almost reborn. Malayalam cinema's first great milestone, Neelakuyil (The Blue Koel), unfolded once again before a packed audience, K Raghavan's timeless folk-inspired melodies like 'Ellaarum Chollanu', 'Kuyiline Thedi', 'Maanennum Vilikkilla' and 'Kayalarikathu' resonating throughout the hall.

It had been seventy-one years since Neelakuyil first played in theatres across Kerala, introducing a new language of storytelling. In 1954, it broke away from mythological retellings and melodramatic fantasies to plant Malayalam cinema firmly in the social soil of Kerala. Adapted from a story by Uroob and jointly directed by P Bhaskaran and Ramu Kariat, the film told a stark yet tender story of love across caste lines, embodied by Sathyan, Miss Kumari and Prema in roles that became immortal. That year, the film won the President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film, the first ever for a film from Kerala, and the All India Certificate of Merit at the same 2nd National Film Awards, also a first for South Indian cinema.

The screening in Kochi was no ordinary replay of history. This was the premiere of the film's digitally restored 4K version, made possible by the National Film Development Corporation and the National Film Archive of India. The Cochin Film Society, once dormant after the pandemic, revived itself for this occasion, joining hands with the Chavara Cultural Centre to make the evening possible.

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