Shaji Kailas is a director who brought a new wave of action in the Malayalam film scene. Shaji Kailash’s unique style of mass action thrillers was quickly adopted by the audience. The editing, the way of portraying the hero and the villain, the different camera angles, the BGM..the freshness that Shaji Kailas brought to the narration had no small impact on Malayalam commercial cinema. In the 90s, the Kerala box office star director began to stumble from the beginning of the 2000s. Shaji Kailas tried to make a comeback many times with hit films but might not maintain the success streak. Shaji Kailas in 2022 gives an indication that the ‘throne’ that might not be recovered in two decades has been secured this time.
Shaji Kailas made his directorial debut with the film ‘The News’ in 1989. The film starring Suresh Gopi was an above average success. Later, with the film ‘Doctor Pashupati’, he proved that comedy can also yield. Released in 1993 with the screenplay of Ranji Panicker, ‘Ekalavyan’ also reflected on the society with politics, religion, underworld and crime. ‘Commissioner’ (1994) is still remembered as a fiery police thriller. Mammootty’s ‘The King’ (1995) introduced audiences to a conflict-ready IAS officer with mass dialogues.
Ranji Panicker has released many films in collaboration. Most of them turned out to be the greatest superhits of all time in Malayalam cinema. ‘Aaram Tampuran’ gave Shaji Kailash and Mohanlal a new stardom. Suresh Gopi’s comeback in ‘FIR’ was a narrative with a different pace and dynamism. The all-time Malayalam blockbuster movie ‘Narasimham’ came out right following. Mohanlal’s breakthrough was in the movie ‘Narasimham’. Throughout the film, there are hit dialogues that Malayali will not forget. The dialogue ‘Nee Po Mone Dinesha’ is used even by children.
From the beginning of the 2000s, criticisms began to arise that Shaji Kailas films had lost their freshness. The audience started to see superhero heroes in the regular background like Illam, Tharavad, Temple etc. as repetitive boredom. ‘Thandavam’, which came with high expectations, failed at the box office. ‘Natur Raja’ gave a consolation victory. Although ‘Chinthamani Kolakase’ became a super hit, the subsequent films did not achieve the expected success.
After Mammootty’s ‘Drona 2010’, in which he played a double role, failed, it was predicted that Shaji Kailas would never make a comeback. With the advent of social media where the politics of films were discussed and criticized, filmmakers including Shaji Kailas began to be prosecuted. Many have pointed out that Shaji Kailash films celebrated upper casteism, patrimony, masculinity and Hindutva ideals.
There was even a character trolling Shaji Kailas in Ashiq Abu’s film ‘Salt and Pepper’ released in 2011. Dileesh Pothan played the role of the director who says that he will set Varikassery Mana when he hears that he will not be able to shoot it. Dileesh appeared in the film with a stubble and a stubble in a getup similar to that of Shaji Kailas.
After a decade, Shaji Kailas has regained its stability with the same Dileesh Pothan in the lead role. The multi-starrer film ‘Kappa’ continues to run in packed theatres. The general audience response is that Kappa is an action packed thriller with all the ingredients of a gangster film.
The Shaji Kailas-Prithvi duo became the best hit combo of the year. After many controversies, ‘Tiger’ also gave Prithviraj a break. The audience once more started saying that the action scenes of Shaji Kailas are different. ‘Kappa’ reviews also say that Shaji Kailas is coming back knowing the pulse of the new young audience. When Jomon T John was roped in as the cinematographer of ‘Kappa’, there were comments that Shaji Kailas changed track. After a gap of years, ‘Alone’ with Mohanlal is ready for release.
The reality is that no Malayalam director has been able to remain infallible at the box office for a long period of time following Ivy Sasi. Top action directors Joshi, CB Malail and K Madhu are trying to reclaim their old niche. From Lal Jose, Sathyan Anthikad to Shafie, Rafi McCartin and Jonny Antony, they are trying for success. The fifth installment of K Madhu’s ‘CBI’ released this year did not live up to expectations. Joshi’s ‘Pappan’ was a success but also met with criticism. Santhyan Anthikad’s Jayaram and Meera Jasmine film ‘Makal’ flopped. Lal Jose’s ‘Solomon’s Bee’ also flopped at the box office. ‘Meow’ received an average rating. Shafi’s Christmas release ‘Anandam Paramanandam’ continues to run in theatres. Shaji Kailash’s double hit comes at a time when the old giants are struggling to find consistency.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS: shaji kailas back in action in 2022