Movies that captured the secular spirit of Kerala

The recent floods and heavy rains have caused menacing damage to Kerala- a state that is preparing for it's biggest cultural festival Onam. The festive mood that otherwise would have peaked by now, is now absent as a gesture to show solidarity and respect to those affected by the disaster. Onam movie releases have been put to a halt and are expected to release only after normalcy is resumed in Kerala post floods. However, during the flood times, the southern state has seen the unity and compassion from all walks of life where people worked in shoulder-to-shoulder to overcome the natural disaster which took hundreds of lives, safeguarding the secular spirit and cultural integrity of the state. Though for a cause, people united forgetting all their differences, to work for relief activities, showing justice to the essential values of Onam that is about brotherhood and humanitarian spirit. Here we look at five Malayalam movies that reflected the goodness and secular attitude of Kerala's society that goes beyond cultural and religious identities.

Directed by Vineeth Srinivasan, 'Thattathin Marayath' is a romantic comedy which tells the love story ofVinod and Aisha. Vinod, an easygoing character played by Nivin Pauly who falls in love with Aisha (Isha Talwar), at the first sight itself. But religious difference forms a barrier in their relationship as Aisha is from an orthodox Muslim family while Vinod is from a Hindu family. The movie shows the cultural system in Malabar religion where people are ready to even die for their loved ones. The cultural surroundings of the central characters shows the secular spirit of Kerala. Vinodand Aisha unite in the climax with much help from their friends and family members.

A movie set against the beautiful backdrop of Kuttanad, 'Bhagyadevatha', directed by Sathyan Anthikkad shows the mindset of middle-class men in Kerala regarding the dowry issue. The movie has Jayaram in the lead character named Benny, a local cable TV operator who mistreats his wife for not giving the agreed dowry. Like all Sathyan Anthikkad movies, 'Bhagyadevatha' shows the warm relation and networking between people of rural areas in Kerala. Benny's uncle's role is played by Innocent, who is shown as a progressive man who is against dowry and one who believes in love marriage. The friendship and bond between families of different culture and religions are also established realistically in 'Bhagyadevatha'.

'Kadha Thudarunnu', a feel-good family drama directed by Sathyan Anthikkad, tells how people from a slum area support and stand together to help a single mother. Vidyalekshmi, played by Mamta Mohandas is stranded in the society along with her kid after her husband is mysteriously killed. With no one to help and no financial back up, Vidyalekshmi with her kid, survives in a railway station for a couple of days. As the movie progresses, Vidyalekshmi meets Preman, a naive auto driver who offers to help her and gives resort to the mother and daughter in the neighborhood he lives. The movie then shows how the closeness and coordination of people from a neighborhood helps Vidyalekshmi to complete her studies.

A regional king's lone battle against the British Empire, 'Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja' is an epoch-making film in Malayalam cinema history. Directed by Hariharan, the movie tells the story of Pazhassi Raja, played by Mammootty. The movie shows how Pazhasi Raja, with limited resources, resist against the East India Company. In this lone battle against imperialistic powers, Pazhassi gets support in the form of armory, soldiers and firepower from all communities, including Muslim communities and tribal communities.The movie shows how people of this land stood together despite cultural differences to fight a foreign enemy.

A critically appraised movie for its story and making, and one which won Salim Kumar the National award for best actor, 'Adaminte Makan Abu', directed by Salim Ahamed tells the story of an elderly Muslim couple's wish to visit Hajj. The movie follows Abu and his wife's struggles to save money to go for Hajj. In the narrative, the director has used many characters with good will who offers to help Abu's cause. Abu rejects everyone's offer as he believes it's against Islam to accept help to go for Hajj. The movie shows how people with a kind heart are ready to help people in need despite different cultural identities, upholding the secular spirit of this state.