ldren loved this poet as one of their own. Kunjunni Mash, as he was affectionately called by the young and the old alike, was a remarkable person; and a remarkable poet too — witty, pithy, and philosophical. Seven years after his death, one of Malayalam’s most popular poets gets a tribute on celluloid: a one- hour film based on the life of Kunjunni Mash will be premiered, fittingly enough, at the Thunchan Paramba at Tirur in the first week of September. The shoot of Mayilpeelithundum Valappottukalum: Oru Kunjunnikkatha has just been completed. It is directed by Bijoy Meya and produced by Palakkal Kesavan Namboodiri, who was a friend of Kunjunni and has been trying to make this film for the past five years. It took so long to get someone to play the poet; someone who looks like him. The search ended in Krishnan Namboodiri, a retired bank manger from Palakkad. “Once we finalised the actor to play the protagonist, we could begin the shoot right away, because the script by Pappachan Kadamakkudi was completed long before,” said Mr. Meya. “We shot the film at various places associated with Kunjunni, such as Valappad, where he was born, Kozhikode, where he spent many years of his life, and the Thunchan Paramba.” The film is not a documentary. “We have fictionalised quite a bit, but it is the true story of Kunjunni’s life,” Bijoy elaborated. “The film, the first of this kind on Kunjunni, is about a travel made by a young poetess in search of the poet, who had initiated her into writing. We have used quite a lot of Kunjunni’s poetry too, which has been set to music by Ajith Narayanan. We have also referred to the girl he was in love with; his sister told us many things about the relationship.” Kunjunni never got married, however. He had found that “Ekanthathayanettavum nalla kantha” (Loneliness is the loveliest lady love). Mr. Meya has plans to take the film to schools, to show children. Kunjunni Mash, who endeared himself so much to generations of children, would definitely have approved. P.K. Ajith Kumar The one-hour film is a take on the life and poetry of Kunjunni Mas
Posted on: Sat, 31 Aug 2013 13:23:51 +0000
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