Joshiy, We're waiting......

By Anoop Raj

His first film came out in 1978, and Joshiy possibly has had longest career for a director in Malayalam. Hariharan still makes important films and I V Sasi might be around, but no one has been working at the pace and delivering box office success like Joshiy. The commercial success of his films since Runway notwithstanding, Joshiy has been working for a decade with cliché filled screenplays and rehashes, and his filmmaking style was devoid of the energy seen in his best works between Nirakkoottu and Lelam. Just when Joshiy seemed to have nothing new or interesting to offer, he hits a new high with Run Babby Run, which is markedly different in terms of visual narration from Joshiy’s past films, incorporating steadicam aesthetics and Tony Scott inspired framing and cutting.

An hour into the movie and one feels Joshiy has turned many years younger. Luckily, this time he has Sachy’s screenplay that is crisp, fast, and he makes full use of R D Rajashekhar’s camera skills. No one seem to have a clear cut definition of what ‘New Gen Malayalam Cinema’ means, but it seems that the term connote a type of cinema one class of audience prefer to watch and an equally good number has no interest in. Malayalam cinema once produced many action films worth remembering, but the current divided market prohibits directors from making action films due to cost and market constraints.

Joshiy has always responded to market changes and delivered box office success. When he could not, he took breaks. When one felt we are forever stuck with Tamil-cinema inspired displays of heroism in action films, Joshiy seemed to have discovered a new market to pitch films. One has to go further to see wider possibilities.

One wish Joshiy won’t turn back to making careless elaborate skits masquerading as movies as he did over the past few years. Run Babby Run is a welcome change in terms of narration, and it is exciting to think Joshiy will proceed in similar lines. Like all Malayalam directors, Joshiy is extremely script dependent, and it is high time S N Swamy polished his skills. Now that they are in a position to command time and money to make the projects they want, we hope the veterans spend more time and care into making each film, rather than manufacture them as if on an industrial scale.

‘Salaam Kashmir’ with Jayaram and Sureshgopi is slated for release next. It was with Nair Saab that Joshiy created a box-office hit against the backdrop of Kashmir. Salaam Kashmir is touted to be a family drama with lot of twists says story writer Sethu. The movie scenes are partly set in the picturesque locations of Kashmir.

Joshiy’s penchant for action is well known - with Salaam Kashmir he is focused on wooing the family audience. The storyline promises an equal mix action, comedy, & suspense.