A return to greatness

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Even a lifetime achievement award doesn’t seem to prompt Appachen (meaning grandfather) into wanting to retire. “It makes me feel 20 years younger,” says the pioneering filmmaker and businessman, who received the award recently from the Kerala Film Producers Association.

Over three decades after setting up Navodaya in Kakkanad, the 87-year-old is back on the scene getting the 10-acre studio back in shape.
“TV has made great inroads into entertainment,” says Maliampurackal Chacko Punnoose, who somewhere along the line became Appachen, a fitting name for the grand old man of cinema. “It’s great to see new talent being discovered and given the scope to grow, thanks to the medium. Even old names get the opportunity to make comebacks via TV, through judging and hosting.”
The new Navodaya has one floor dedicated to TV programming, soaps and reality shows, another area is devoted to advertising and of course, a third to cinema. The studio also offers indoor and outdoor locations. But is it comparable to Ramoji Film City? “Ramoji is as much a tourist attraction as it is a studio,” says Appachen. “Navodaya is more dedicated to offering filmmaking opportunities, with accommodation facilities for up to 300 crew members. We are happy to lease out to film, TV and ad units from outside Kerala.”
Hopefully, Malayalam films will benefit from the re-entry of a veteran, whose family is the equivalent of the first family of Bollywood, the Kapoors. in Mollywood. Appachen’s director-producer brother, Kunckako, started Udaya, the first film studio in Kerala, in Alappuzha in 1947.
In recent times, the industry has been besieged by infighting between actors, and actors and producers.
“Today, it is not the producer who holds the reins,” says Appachen, who has made Malayalam blockbusters, such as Manjil Virinja Pookal and Ente Mammattikkuttiammakku.
“And films are the worse for it. When I was active in the 1970s and 80s, the industry used to release up to 160 films a year. Producers of that calibre don’t exist anymore. Artistry is a gift, people with that special talent should not resort to fighting.”
Navodaya’s upcoming production is the digital release of My Dear Kuttichan, the first 3D movie made in India in 1984. “My son Jijo, who originally made the film with his brother Jose, is tweaking and perfecting it for the digital version,” says Appachen. “We are hoping it will be ready by Vishu (the Malayali New Year).”