The Politics and Poetics of Visualizing Rains and Romance in Reel and Real Worlds: An Analysis of P. Padmarajan’s Thoovanathumbikal as an Adaptation

Abstract

Malayalam cinema is one among the most loved and critically acclaimed traditions of cinema as it has showcased some of the classics of celluloid as well as could claim some of the best of talents in film makers. P. Padmarajan, the name is synonymous with the novel aesthetics of Malayalam cinema, a filmmaker, who blended romance and realism to create some of the most iconic Malayalam movies. Renowned as the avantgarde film maker, iconoclast and one among the most beloved directors of Malayalam cinema, Padmarajan’s tales were taken from life, raw and rustic; where pathos, love, lust, agony and loss formed the myriad formed the manifold hues, which set in a new cinematic tradition.