Classmates, when I say this word, different things would instantly come to our minds. School, college or even the peers you may still meet even now. But to me, this word means that, plus a little more, actually a lot more. This word is the name of the film which became my threshold to Malayalam cinema and that missing jigsaw piece which helped me to connect with the best friends that I have till date.
This post is about how I,a girl born and brought up with Bollywood and Hollywood cinema, began to appreciate films from the state where I'm originally from, Kerala.
It all started in the summer of 2009 when my family and I had gone to the small town of Mavelikara, to visit my mother's family. We were bored one afternoon and decided to go for a movie, of course English and Hindi were out of the question so Malayalam was the only choice. From previous experiences, I was neither looking forward to nor was I expecting much. I was going because it was better than sitting at home alone.
We reached the theatre and I asked my grand-father which movie we are going for, he told me Classmates. My instant reaction was, what kind of name is that? But then again, Malayalees are known for their “excellent” film name choices, like Kangaroo, Chocolate and Lollipop so this did not seem too bad. After buying popcorn and juice, we sat in the theatre and I was bracing myself for the worst. However to my surprise, the moment the movie started till the very end, my eyes were glued to the screen and I enjoyed every minute of it. This movie was like the surprise gift you get from a person you don't know very well, and it turns out to be your favourite. This film had romance, drama, elements of suspense and to top it, some nice music, quite unusual from the typical Malayalam songs. The story was unlike any other film I had seen so far. And what made me feel so good was I didn't have to ask anyone to translate any of the dialogues for me. I understood it all, it was the best feeling in the world. But so far, I haven't explained what the best part was, or should I say who?
I can proudly say that Malayalam cinema has finally got a heartthrob, who I have plastered my bedroom walls with. Not only does he look handsome, but his acting skills are extremely original and refreshing. His name is Prithviraj, you may have seen him in the Tamil film Raavan, with Aishwarya Rai and Vikram. Anyhow, he had the lead role in Classmates, and it made the film so much more interesting. And ever since I watched that movie, I loved him so much that I began to watch his other films, one after the other. Gradually, I began to realise that Malayalam films aren't that bad. Even if I was slightly biased because I was watching films only because Prithviraj was in it, regardless of that, the stories were unique and characters were very real. As time went by, I decided to watch films starring different actors and soon enough, they began to grow on me. I realised that they weren't idealistic or exaggerated like many of the characters in Hindi movies or predictable like some of my favourite English chick-flicks and romantic comedies. I do admit that sometimes I do need help in understanding what is going on, but overall it has helped me in picking up the Malayalam language and becoming aware of certain traditions and norms which I didn't know about earlier.
So when I joined college later that year, in Trivandrum, I was able to talk with a lot more confidence and ease to my classmates. I'm sure I surprised many of them when I told them how many Malayalam movies I had watched. Of course, they all had different tastes and their own personal favourites, but just the fact that I had watched some, proved that I wasn't too much of an outsider and it made them feel more comfortable around me,and vice-versa.
Nevertheless, allow me to return to the film, that started it all. Frankly speaking, Classmates was so much like the college life I had experienced in Mar Ivanios. The college parties with rallying and voting, cultural functions, closing college because of various reasons, the manner in which students behave, and most importantly the happiness and fun times I had with my classmates. And till date, whenever I hear a song from the film or see it on television, I think back to the first time when I had seen it and consider it a good-luck charm, because not only did it help me get in touch with my Malayalee roots, but I've also had the good fortune to have great classmates ever since. Therefore,give your regional films a shot, and embrace your mother-tongue, you never know, you may learn something new, and even learn to love it like how I have!
