movie review ---gurudakshina---or gift to the teacher

Let me start tangentially  (its become a habit :))  .

Whenever i eat sushi and enjoy it i think about most of my friends who have not had it  and many who feel repulsive at eating the "raw fish "  .  I have no comments about it  .  But whenever i see a malayalam movie from the "golden age of malayalam movies ---the 1980-90 period "  i wish all my friends saw them  . For  not for the entertainment value alone most of them had strong social messages which are true even in this age and even across cultures  . 

                         Today saw one movie called gurudakshina . The theme was interesting . A retired schoolteacher who was of poor economic background had a daughter to be married of . And as expected she fell in love with a rich boy  .  But the grooms father  had one condition for marriage .  That is the schoolteacher should pay 50000 rs (a big amount in those days )  as dowry .  The movie is about how this schoolteacher goes about and purposefully as well as accidentally meets many of his old students. One
has become a police officer , another a minister, another a big thief and another a prostitute .  The minister is played by Mohanlal and the big thief is played by Mammootty . I am yet to see a movie where a politicians facade is ripped so humorously in mohanlals role in which he washes his gurus feet and after he is sent for sleep commenting that he has to have a bath for touching the "dirty feet "  .  When his wife asks why you did all this drama he told that ,that was for publicity as all his ex-students will vote for him .(Of course a photograph was taken ) . 

                                                              T G  Ravi plays the role of the greedy prospective father-in -law whose only aim in life is money  .  Even after 20+years many of the characters in the film have real life examples    around us . And though indian law is very strongly against  dowry  it still exists .  Adoor basi who was always known as a comedian in the 1970s plays the role of the school teacher . I am amazed at the way comedians handle character roles with equal ease . And last but not the least even the pretty Unni Mary who is known more for her beauty than acting skill had a good role .  

                                                                          Gurudakshina is not one of the greatest movies i have seen in malayalam and there are (according to me ) many lacunae in its direction but its a different theme and i enjoyed it . So next time dont follow me and spend 1000 rs on raw fish at global fusion but rent out a malayalam dvd with subtitles and enjoy the movies from Gods own country ...(sorry Gods own state ... kerala is not a country :) )
haroonkerala@gmail.com