From macho icon to relative character: Development of hero in Malayalam cinema | Malayalam Movie News
Compared to the day when the so-called alpha-men heroes ruled the Malayalam cinema, it seems that there has been a harsh change in the Hero concept in Bollywood. In the early decades, especially in the 1970s and 80s, the heroes were often largely larger than life, which were apprited by stars such as Jayan, who embraced a “Superman-Collectner” Archtype with exaggerated masculinity, action-pack roles and moral neutrality.These characters were made ideal as invincible, macho role models, often dominating narratives with their physical skills and brave works.Big change in 2010The 2010s mark the “new generation” with the rise of the Malayalam cinema movement, characterized by unconventional subjects and narrative techniques. This era saw a change towards more reliable, flawed and fine hero than stereotypeical macho hero. Actors such as Fahd Fasil defined valor by portraying characters with corrective masculinity, often marginalized or traditionally embrace feminine symptoms such as vulnerability and emotional depth.It created an alternative model of manhood which was associated with modern audiences.
‘It took 3 months to convince the director of Kuruthi to convince me as a villain’ – Prithviraj SukumaranA major interesting trend in Malayalam cinema is that the stars who enjoy a huge fan base have come forward to take negative-torn characters. One such example is Prithviraj Sukumaran in the film ‘Kuruthi’.
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Talking to India today, Prithviraj said, “I think, as an actor or a star, you should always have enough understanding to identify how you can give yourself the best possible way for a film. For a film like ‘Kuruthi’, it came as a casting, without any casting, nothing, and I produced that film. [Manu Warrier] That I should not be a hero and I should be a villain. I felt that this is the best way I can lend myself to the film.It is always important that you give the film first priority and you finish second in the film. ,“Representation of a Malayali hero has changed” – Pooja MohanrajIn a special conversation with actress Pooja Mohanraj, she said that the representation of Malayali Nayak has changed significantly.Talking to Etimes, he said, “The representation of a Malayali hero has also changed. All these films have extremely weak men. They are not in a position to do supreme work; They are really losing their control, which is completely different from a toxic hero. ,
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Taking the example of Basil Joseph starrer ‘Ponman’, the audience is allowed to go to the fact that the hero in the film is nothing when compared to the villain played by Sajin Gopu, even in the context of physical strength. In ‘Ponman’ connects the audience to the hero, it is definitely his determination and will power, which goes to any extent that he wants. Even in the climax fighting scenes, Basil Joseph’s character is using the intellect rather than the strength to handle the opposing.“Malayalam film industry is no longer a hero -primary industry” – Kalesh RamanandSpeaking especially, actor Kalesh Ramanand said, “The Malayalam film industry has changed a lot and is now focusing on its content rather than any other factors. I am doing some actor a great market value or nothing else. I am just a sidewalk actor. If someone trusted me to keep me as a lead for a film and wrapped its shoot within 30 or 35 days, they were only relying on the material. The Malayalam industry is now proving that material can be made even without a hero.Bollywood is no longer a hero-oriented industry. ,“Even Fahd Fasil wants to be a toxic alpha”Talking to ETIMES, ‘Aavesham’ actor Pooja Mohanraj shared, “” Even Fahd Fasil’s color wants to become a toxic alpha, but there is a lot that creates a struggle in it where he is unable to become a toxic alpha. He wants to love all his trauma. Therefore, the kind of hero representation in Malayalam cinema has changed. ,
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He further said, “Even in Naslen’s ‘Premlu’ or ‘Brahmagam’, we look at the different colors of men. And in ‘Manjmel Boys’, you see different colors of men with weaknesses. All these are all characters who are not like an ideal hero, who have all this;Do the audience love this change?The audience of Malayali grew up on seeing his favorite superstar playing heroic characters in films like ‘Narasimham,’ Valitton ‘, and others. Ideally, lightening their tone in such shifts or brave works should create mixed opinions from the audience. Interestingly, Malayali audience loves this new innings in the brave concept. In the most recent Mohanlal film ‘Thudram’, he saw his favorite superstar weak in the first half, when Prakash Verma’s villain character beaten him. This was the reason that this was the same with ‘Dravim’ and ‘Brahmagam’ of Mammuti.Finally, a weak hero or a weaker hero will definitely open new places to tell a compacted and interesting story.
