K.G. George: The Craftsman of Cinematic Consciousness
K.G. George – A man with a far-reaching vision, dynamic and prolific, with an intellectual way of thinking.
To break social norms, to challenge the existing system, and to bring in the light of equality – all these are recurring themes of today’s artistry. Films are said to be the reflection of society, yet we are still waiting for changes to occur organically. In the late seventies and early eighties, when films were made more dramatic with period themes that highlighted ill-disciplined societal systems, a sudden gush of change occurred with the advent of parallel cinema. The years between the seventies and the nineties are often referred to as the golden era of Malayalam cinema. Malayalam films witnessed a radical shift in its aesthetics and this revolution occurred with the coming of eminent filmmakers like Adoor Gopalakrishnan, G. Aravindan, John Abraham, and others into the limelight. But a seamless variety of filmography was presented to the world by the prodigious filmmaker K.G. George. Along with master filmmakers like Padmarajan and Bharathan, he carved a new path in Malayalam cinema, shaping a school of filmmaking that stood between art and commercial cinema, often referred to as semi-art cinema.
George had a distinct creative voice. His works were highly intellectual yet commercial in nature, thus preventing them from carrying the slow pace often associated with award films. His expertise did not lie in the typical commercial aspects of films. George was a visionary with a futuristic blend. His thoughts had the power to race with lightning. His films carried a sense of urgency in challenging social situations. He made almost twenty films (as a director) in his career, spanning from the mid seventies to the early nineties, each varying from genre to genre. All his films were different in themes, settings, tone, and style.
Even though he was a graduate of FTII (Film and Television Institute of India), he learned the real lessons from his mentor, the prominent filmmaker of the time, Ramu Kariat.
George’s method of filmmaking was quite different from that of his contemporaries. Even though he belonged to the school of parallel cinema, his films had a tinge of commercial touch yet were not too commercialized and did not cross the boundaries of the art film process. He created his own pattern through his films. All of his creative masterpieces belonged to different categories and had a sense of awareness in one way or another.
When we talk about how diverse his filmography was, we have to understand how deeply he dug into the emotions of human beings. The psyche of human nature is quite a complicated theory to deal with. He featured an array of characters driven by all sorts of emotions. His way of portraying the stability of the human mind and the obscurity of the human psyche is immaculate. From his very first directorial, ‘Swapnadanam,’ a marital psychodrama released in the year 1976, he dealt with the intricacies of the human mind with much delicacy. Followed by some mind-gripping films, he unleashed the intense and chaotic psychology of violence in ‘Irakal’ (1985), a psychological drama that deals with nuanced psychic behaviour and the state of neurosis. Starting from ‘Swapnadanam’ and then travelling through ‘Yavanika’ (1982-mystery artistic thriller), ‘Ulkadal’ (1979-musical-romantic drama), ‘Adaminte Variyellu’ (1984-a feminist narrative drama), ‘Panchavadi Palam’ (1984-political and satirical comedy), ‘Mattoral’ (1988-intense family drama), etc., he made sure that the stories he chose reflected innate societal systems.
A K.G. George film always stands apart, mainly due to the stories he chose to tell and the characters he shaped to portray the harsh realities of life. The complexities of the human mind and the intricacies of human nature were his deliberate ways of portraying characters. His films don’t deal with glorified or flying heroes. For him, all characters are flawed. He literally turned society into a mirror, thus picturing the grey shades of humankind. Be it Ayyappan from ‘Yavanika,’ Baby from ‘Irakal,’ or Kaimal from ‘Mattoral,’ all represent the moral ambiguity, emotional fragility, and social conditioning.
If one seeks an answer to what dictates feminism, then a K.G. George film might help one get a profound insight on the same. A film like ‘Adaminte Variyellu,’ which was released in the early eighties, when misogyny dominated cultural art forms, was indeed a breath of fresh air and a change that was bound to happen. With a different narrative technique, he portrayed the lives of three urban women who suffered ill-fated marital lives and underwent severe mistreatment. When he decided to end the film with a fourth-wall break, it is doubtful whether he knew that he had created something no less than magic. When the characters break the wall and run beyond the frame and the creator himself, we sense the liberation of souls who were subjugated and exploited for years in a world dominated by privilege.
He was indeed a visionary who knew how to model an art form that directly connects with society – maybe beyond what society is and what it actually should be. Filmmakers with pre-eminent vision and substantial narratives may create new waves of stories in Malayalam cinema but surpassing the tower of excellence that K.G. George built is a tall order. It will stand high, untouched and unbeaten. For years to come, his films will always have a place of their own, as his stories will never turn grey. At all ages, their prominence will never fade – and neither will the society – and he knew it.