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Janaky Sreedharan
Janaky is a writer, translator, blogger and teacher. She loves poetry, mythology,folktales and films, and has been a columnist on media issues
Alinganam: More Than Just a Sizzler of 70s
18/05/2017The 70s marked a period of sizzlers in popular Malayalam cinema, so the gossip went. This may sound a bit sacrilegious to cine bhakts who see the period as the…
Abhayam: A Lost Gem
15/04/2017Seen movies may be memorable, but unseen movies may leave you inquisitive and pining for ever. After a brief hiatus, when I sit down again to unlock…
Where Do We Go From Here?
06/04/2017There are times when words fail you totally, leaving you hurt, insulted, powerless, stunned and full of fear. But words are all that you have. It was such…
Kallan Pavithran: For Some Kafkaesque Thrill & Chill
03/02/2017
They aren’t so feted in actual life, but they’ve always played a vital role in our imaginary lives. Our fictional worlds in all genres…
Kakkothikkavile Appooppanthadikal: The Magic of Malayalee Folklore
30/12/2016It’s a film I enjoy with unmitigated glee every time I watch it. It’s a film I look forward to watching with a renewed…
Changatham: The Violent Tale of an Unsung Heroine
19/11/2016Does anyone remember Annie from our chequered history of female roles in Malayalam cinema? That pious, simple, charming Christian girl with bewitching eyes who…
Bhaumachaapam: An Intriguing Book on the History of India’s Maps
28/10/2016It’s not the first book to write the history of cartography in India or to chronicle the birth of those stupendous maps which mark the significant milestones…
Vasthuhara – a Lament & a Celebration
05/10/2016When Rita Hemrajani made her engaging documentary titled Train Within 24 Frames in 2013, garnering a fair share of praise from film lovers and train enthusiasts…
Utharam: The Curse of Remembrance
01/09/2016Every so often certain momentous events, social and personal, jog our cinematic memories, nudging us to revisit our favorite flicks with a sense of deja vu.…
Sankhupushpam: Deft Portrayal of Collapsing Mind
30/07/2016Shades of insanity have held a special fascination for Malayalam cinema. From the 60s on, we see in our films a distinct leaning toward scripts plumbing into…
Rugmini: A Stolen Childhood
21/06/2016She was a bard of stolen childhood, of orphaned toys and betrayed schools. Rugmini, the eponymous heroine of the film *Rugmini,* epitomizes Kamala Suraiyya's…
Panchavadipalam: A Lashing Footnote to Our Political Absurdity
18/05/2016Now that the heat and dust of the election campaign has settled and we begin the countdown to the next government, our funny bone waits to be tickled at the…
Warrior Woman to Wily Seductress: How Two Films Created & Killed An Icon
29/04/2016She was the icon of a generation. Our own warrior woman who became a household name, a symbol of cultural pride, dignity, courage and beauty -- thanks to the…
Piravi: A Film for Our Bewildering Times
27/03/2016It is a windswept countryside where the green fields and village waterways sway in the heady breeze bearing the touch of an impending storm. A typical decrepit…
Aaravam: Bharathan’s Eccentric Take on Raw Sensuality, Rustic Charm
25/02/2016Two bloodshot eyes glint in the darkness. Lone cries of night birds and occasional nocturnal growls plunge the screen into an eerie soundscape. A rifle shot…
Breaking the Male Bastion
26/01/2016It is not always that an actor rewrites the narrative of cinema by the sheer force of her talent. Kalpana almost did it by a rare energy, spunk and gaiety she…