Thillaiakathu Chronicles

Mr. Pillai, I’m sorry I can’t help You

          

Mr. Chithambara Nathan Pillai, I am very sorry.  I can’t help you.  I won’t help you anymore.  Do you know what happened to me in the children’s educational film festival that took place at Kozhikode recently?
  

Do you know how old I am?  I am fifty years old.  At this age being pelted by rotten eggs and tomatoes, that too for your sake.  It is pathetic.  How many times I told you that it is Kerala not your Tamil Nadu.  Malayalees will show interest only on sexual harassment and bribery issues.  You simply turned your deaf ears towards my timely advice then.  However, nothing has happened to you.  Rotten eggs and tomatoes pelted on my forehead and cheeks.  Do you know what did they say when they attacked me?

“How dare you to bring a filthy drama like this to our fest.  What do you think about the audience of this fest?  The people who have assembled here are not only lovers and observers of good films but also makers of good films.  To such a place bringing a historical drama of 15^th century, that too acted by freshers.  So, you devil, get this as our token of love and respect”

Thoughtlessly, I took my wife, children, and a few of my neighbours with me to the festival.  Within a few minutes, the audience became restless and shouted to stop the film and exhibit the next film.  Therefore, I could not sit inside.  I left the hall holding my mobile as if I had an urgent call.  My wife and children, who were fed up of seeing the audience restlessly shouting to stop the film, did not see my face with the messy things.  Somehow, I was rescued by the police officers and volunteers and taken to the washroom where I washed the mess.  When I tried to go back to the hall, they warned me.

 “Sir, it is not advisable.  There would be a worse attack again.  Therefore, we shall arrange a taxi and you may go and wait at the Railway station.  We shall make arrangements for your family too, to join you in the station.”

I had to listen to them and no other go as there was a possibility of another attack, a worse attack, if they happened to find me again in the premises.  Therefore, I grabbed the chance to escape.  My family joined me at the Railway station and surrounded me with suspicious looks.

“What happened? Why are you here without attending the festival?  Any problem? We saw you with some mess of tomatoes and eggs on your face!  Lot of questions posed at me.

I cleverly managed “Oh that one!  It was just a facemask to brighten my face you know!  Some television channel is about to interview me about this fest.  So, I was getting ready that is all?” 

“Oh I see!  Anyhow, I should trust your words.  Actually we got a different meaning for that mess.”  My wife chuckled mischievously.

Then I succeeded by saying “The audience had mistaken the drama thinking that it was against the belief of Hindus in Kerala.  In Kerala, all Hindus are said to believe in Lord Vishnu.  There is no any section known as Saivites here in Kerala.  So, they could not tolerate the clash between the devotees of Lord Siva and Lord Vishnu”.   In a way I convinced them to some extent. 

However, I know very well that it was not the clash shown in the drama created the problem but the drama itself caused restlessness among the audience.  Nobody could follow and understand the drama.  If it had been written in Malayalam, they would have tried to understand.  But, it was written in English.  That too in 20^th century English without the key words of the so called Modern English words like ‘shit’, ‘hell’, ‘wanna’, ‘gonna’, ‘yaar’, ‘aint’, and ‘o.k’.  How many times I begged you, Mr. Pillai, to approach a journalist to translate your Tamil dialogues.  If you had done, he would have successfully added all the necessary flavours and ingredients in the dialogues.  You simply placed the heavy load on my head despite my warning.  I know the reason behind it.  You tried to complete this short film with forty thousand that you had in your hand.  Therefore, you trapped me saying that I was fluent in English.  Yes!  I know English.  I can speak and write in it.  But with limited vocabulary and structures.  I studied in Government aided schools, was taught English by Science and Social science teachers in my high school classes.  I never got chances to watch Cartoon network or movies in Television during my childhood days as the blessed children of present generation.  Therefore, I translated your lengthy Tamil sentences in English.  Only then, I got a chance to understand the drama.  Your drama is wonderful.  However, the wonderfulness can be enjoyed only when one goes deep into your drama.  To go deep into it one should have a reasonable knowledge about the social history of Kerala and at least know the basic difference between Dvaitha philosophy and Adhvaitha philosophy.  But, in this speedy modern world, nobody will take that much effort to understand a drama of an unknown person.  Mr. Pillai, you are not well known here.  The great M.T.Vasudevan Nair had succeeded in twisting the incidents that took place in the history of the great Unniyarcha where as you tried to have a twist in the life of Mahabali and HiranyaKashibu.  You know that it was not a twist it was the real happenings.  

Do you know who is Mahabali here in Kerala now?  He is a strong Vishnu devotee, having a broad mark of Vishnu on his forehead with an overhanging belly and walking along the road with a palm umbrella during Onam season to promote business and delight Malayalees with the voice of a well-known comedian.  They don’t have any complaint for that great King being cheated by Vamana who sent him to the underworld.  They believe that Mahabali was not a good and kind king but an Asura King and a threat to Devas.  As Lord Vishnu punished him, they believe that Mahabali became a blessed Asura. 

They have not heard about your Seerkazhy Chattanatha Swamy who took revenge on Lord Vishnu for his cruelty on Mahabali.  Your Chattanathan after killing Vishnu wore his skin after removing it from his body and thus got the name Chattanathan of Seerkazhi.  Though both are poorly fabricated stories, Malayalees have been exposed to the first one.  Therefore, they won’t accept that Vamana a Brahmin ascetic from the Land of Gothavari River trapped Mahabali and sent him to the forest after receiving three boons from him.  In the same way, they won’t simply accept that Hiranya kashabhu was also killed by a lion while smashing a cage of a lion unknowingly on the demand of his son Prahalad.   Prahalad the scapegoat of his Vaishnava gurus was said that he was unaware of the treachery.  Such findings even if they are genuine the modern Keralites won’t accept.  Even, Ulloor, the great poet of Kerala tried in his poem and miserably failed.  They never think and analyse the unprofitable dead past.  So, it is not that much easy to divert their attention on this type of issues.  So, Chithambara Nathan pillai, it is better to stop these kinds of correction in the religious field.  Nobody is interested to squeeze his or her brain for these ‘good for nothing’ issues.

         

The next day, I turned the Newspaper and got a great relief not finding the rotten egg news.  But I was greatly disappointed to find the comments of Sindhu George in Desabhimani.  There were only three films in English.  Among them, one was a documentary.  When she mentioned all films in Hindi and Arabic, she pointed out that ‘Disguise’ was the only film in English.  Our Mahabali wasn’t considered even in the category of English films.  Instead, she found fault with a few films with defective visualisation and boring actions.  Do you know who this Sindhu George is?  A well-known critic.  Daughter of the great revolutionary poet, George.  Even such a critic failed to understand the film or did not want to say anything good about the film.  So, it is crystal clear, better to stop this type of expensive risk.  I have decided not to commit the same mistake again in future.  So, leave me alone.  If you are not convinced yet and willing to take these types of risks again, go and approach Rajesh Pandit.  He is the talk of the time.  He has revolutionised the film industry with the very first film of his.  He is an all rounder too.  So, he will be helpful to you.  Leave me alone, Mr. Seerkazhy Chithambaranathan Pillai, I am very sorry.  I can’t help you.