A.K. Lohithadas

Lohithadas is an important personality that helped in polishing the style of Malyalam Middile cinema and in influencing film makers to take up stories that intrigued the minds of the common audience and themes that had crusts of humane predicaments. His screenplays were rich with themes that surfaces in every society and detailed with nuances of human innocence and exploited the traditional social predicaments. His narrative style flowed up to points of poetic melodrama that established an easy connection with the viewers.

He started his career during the late 1980s when the Malayalam cinema industry was showing tremendous character. Middle-cinema was at its peak when he arrived and he blended with that scenario with ease. His screenplays for directors like Sibi Malayil amd Bharathan became classics. Later, movies like Bhoothakannadi, Kanmadam and Kasthooriman that he wrote and directed also proved his mettle as an asset for Malayalam film Industry.

Shatru’s thoughts -

Lohithadas’ screenplays always touched shades of deep human dilemmas and strong currents of social predicaments. But still the outcome of these films in the box-office was mostly over-whelming, critically and commercially. At one side, when commercial entertainers always stood in front with competition, middle-cinema in Malayalam film industry always gave out good results. Talking about Lohithadas, one of the main reasons for this was the melodramatic elements in the script. Subtle melodrama was worked out in his films which made the audience to grasp the themes explored in his films easily.

The dialogues that he penned adorned with poetic but restrained threads gave out larger insights and thoughts on the whole film. A great example is the classroom scene in Thaniyavarthanam or the climax of Dasharatham or the strange emotional bonds that grow in His Highness Abdulla between several characters.

Though, I dislike most of his movies, in the later half of his film career, I still admire his early films, that still give me goose bumps. It is rather interesting to note, those recent movies always were tainted with bad humor.

His movies like Thaniyavarthanam, Kireedom, Amaram and Bhoothakannadi all remain in my favorite movies list.

Enne Swantham Shatru...

Important Films

As a writer:

Thaniyavarthanam (1987)**


Ezhuthapurangal (1987)*


Kireedam (1989)**


Dasharatham (1989)**


Mahayanam (1989)*


Mrigaya (1989)*


Sasneham (1990)*


His Highness Abdullah (1990)**


Bharatham (1991)**


Amaram (1991)**


Kamaladalam (1992)**


Aadharam (1992)*


Kauravar (1992)*


Padheyam (1993)**


Venkalam (1993)**


Vatsalyam (1993)*


Chenkol (1994)*


Thooval Kottaram (1996)*


Sallapam (1996)*



Veendum Chila Veettukaryangal (1999)**

As Director:

Bhoothakannadi (1997)**


Karunyam (1997)*


Kanmadam (1998)*




Joker (2000)


Arayannangalude Veedu (2000)


Soothradharan (2001)


Kasthooriman (2003)*


Chakram (2003)


Chakkara Muthu (2006)


Nivedyam (2007)




Links
Wikipedia
CinemaOf Malayalam


[** - must watch

* - really good]