Chemmeen
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Chemmeen (Prawns) is a Malayalam novel written by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai in 1956. Widely successful, it was translated into languages such as English, Russian, German, Italian and French apart from several Indian languages. It was adapted into a film, which won critical acclaim and commercial success.
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[edit] Film Adaptation
The Malayalam film version Chemmeen was directed by Ramu Kariat and released in 1965. It won the Indian President's Gold Medal for the Best Film of 1965. Sheila, Madhu,Kottarakkara and Sathyan play the lead characters in the film.
The screenplay was written by S. L. Puram Sadanandan, with cinematography by Marcus Bartley, and editing by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Songs were set to music by Salil Chowdhury, with lyrics by Vayalar, and featuring voices of Manna Dey, K. J. Yesudas and P. Leela.
[edit] Plot
Chemmeen is set in a fisherfolk community, and one of the themes running through the plot is a belief held by that community. This belief is that the safe return of a fisherman who goes out to sea is determined by the fidelity of his wife waiting for him on shore. This is intertwined with the myth of the "sea-mother", the destroyer and preserver of the community.
Karutthamma (played by Sheila in the movie) is the daughter of a poor fisherman, Chembankunju (Kottarakkara). She is in love with a fish trader, Pareekkutty (Madhu), who helps her ambitious father buy a boat and net. In return, Chembankunju promises to sell his catch to Pareekkutty on credit. However, once he launches the boat, he dishonors the agreement by demanding cash from Pareekkutty in exchange for the fish.
Months later, when a chakara occurs on the shore, Chembankunju meets a young visiting fisherman from the south named Palani (Satyan) and soon marries Karutthamma off to him. Palani trusts his wife in spite of allegations that she is unfaithful to him; this trust of his reaffirmed each time he returns home safely after setting out to sea. In the climax, Pareekkutty has an affair with Karutthamma on the seashore while Palani fights to conquer a big fish far out at sea. Palani drowns, and in the end, the corpses of Pareekkutty, Karutthamma, and Palani's fish are shown lying on the shore.
The songs in the film, Kadalinakkare ponoarae, Putthan Valakkaarae, Maanasamaine varoo and Pennaalae were hits. Ironically, they are all sung early on in the movie. All of the songs are finished well before intermission, though parts of Maanasamaine varoo are sung again to reaffirm the love between the two lovers.
[edit] Significance
Chemmeen was recognized as a technically and artistically brilliant cinema. Incidentally, it was also one of the first Malayalam movies in colour. It was also a prominent instance of collaborative work involving technicians from Bollywood such as Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Manna Dey with those of South India. The commercial success of this movie is believed to have brought a sea-change in the way Malayalam films were made. When Chemmeen won the President's gold medal, it was the first time a film from South India did so. At the Chicago Film Festival, the movie won a Certificate of Merit. At the 2005 Brisbane International Film Festival, the movie was screened in a retrospective on 50 years of Malayalam Cinema.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Chemmeen at the Internet Movie Database
