Thoovana Thumbikal: A Movie that reciprocates your ecstasy

What makes a movie your favorite?
The subject, narrative style, your favorite star’s presence, commercial values or is it something else which cannot be expressed by words?

I’m not talking about why a movie is being treated as a classic or a masterpiece. Neither I’m referring to the academic value of a movie. I’m referring only to those movies which are close to our hearts, because it has the ability to reciprocate your thoughts and its premises.

Like any one of you, I too can pick up many movies – each could be entirely different from each other, but has the ability to reciprocate myself depending on my mood.

My favorite screen writer – no second thoughts to take Padmarajan’s name (I’m conveniently forgetting Pasolini, Giuseppe Tornatore, Quentin Tarantino, Makhmalbaf, Adoor and many others here). My wife always wonders why I repeatedly watch Thoovanathumpikal? She has never liked the movie. Sometimes even I use to wonder why I love this movie so much.

I’m a fan of no star. So Mohanlal’s presence – may be his acting - is not the reason. It is obviously the characters what attracted me so much. Jayakrishnan and Clara are unforgettably romantic. Each time I watch the movie I wonder what sort of a relation they have in between. It has to be an invisible communication which was inevitable for their initial circumstances. It is a relationship – unethical, unwelcomed by any society and unbelievable to a common audient - which any film maker will think twice before filming. Padmarajan relied on the romantic side of that relationship. His unimaginably gifted pen had the ability to conceive that relationship and reproduce that in poetic language and visuals.

If Jayakrishnan’s character amazes us with his duality, Clara baffles us with mystery all around her. She is neither willing to detach or attach with Jayakrishnan. Even in the last scene where she willingly gives Jayakrishnan to Radha, the vibrants of her strong love for the protagonist can be felt.

Even though I got somewhat satisfying answers for queries regarding other characters and their inter-woven relationships, what kept me wondering was the practicability of the relation between Clara and Moni Joseph (M G Soman). Clara who has been leading a ‘wrong’ life has told Moni everything about her and her relationship with Jayakrishnan. The decision may be Clara’s but it is evident that Moni willingly allows Clara to see Jayakrishnan for their so called last acquaintance. That talks a lot about this brief, unnoticed and untalked character. Very recently I met another 2 characters of Padmarajan who clarified my doubts to an extent.

The characters are from his movie ‘Kochu Kochu Thettukal’. Sukumaran, Sathyakala, Shubha and Ummer are starred in this 1979 movie directed by Mohan. The characters played by Shubha and Ummer (Mrs & Mr. Panicker) are distantly similar to those of Clara and Moni – difference being Mrs. Panicker is not the wife of Mr. Panicker – she is only a ‘keep’. Panicker wants the lady in his protection but cannot marry her due to his social circumstances. But there is always a breeze of understanding, care and love present between them. They both need the partner to be with them and are not reluctant to make their relationship public. No matter what route their relationship take at the end, the earlier hours of the movie diminutively portrays the silent but vibrant affection between them – analogous to what Clara and Jayakrishnan had made us feel.

Anyways these movies are incomparable, by all means ThoovanaThumbikal being far ahead of the other. Like many of you, I too love to watch Thoovana Thumbikal in my solitude – it reciprocates my mood of ecstasy!!! And now another Padmarajan movie has given me a different dimension to the relationship of Clara and Moni, which makes ThoovanaThumbikal an entirely different watch...!

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Moods are many and so are movies. Many movies match with other moods like Depression, Disappointment, Frustration, Affection, Anger, Boredom, Happiness and Love.
Let me know which all are your favorite movies which gave you a feeling of reciprocating your different moods … I’ll also let you know mine….

Labels: തൂവാനത്തുമ്പികള്‍, പത്മരാജന്‍, മോഹന്‍ലാല്‍, ThoovanaThumbikal, P Padmarajan, Drishyan