K G George’s films left critics, audience in awe: Adoor

Award-winning Malayalam filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan shared a close friendship with pathbreaking director K G George, who passed away on Sunday. “George was a filmmaker whose work I admired and we were also personally close,” says Adoor.

“George was among the most talented directors to have made films in Malayalam. In addition to his inborn genius, George acquired the craftsmanship of cinema by earning degrees and post graduation with distinction in scriptwriting and direction from the Pune Film Institute,” says Adoor.

In ‘Swapnadanam’, his debut movie as director, George displayed a unique craft that left critics as well as the audience spellbound. “Before ‘Swapnadanam’, George worked with legendary director Ramu Kariat in ‘Nellu’ and he probably learnt the intricacies of filmmaking at that time,” says Adoor.

“That was also the period when we met for the first time,” informs Adoor. “The meeting took place at Madras (currently Chennai) and we became friends,” he adds.

The success of ‘Swapnadanam’ led George to the pinnacle of Malayalam film industry. “However, even though George could avoid making compromises and resisted all external pressures while making ‘Swapanadanam’, he was gradually influenced by some old traditions in the film sector. I feel that only a few friends of George were perturbed by this change in him,” says Adoor.

Even then, George’s subsequent films were a revelation. “Both viewers and producers witnessed the work of a genius. Each of his films was different and noteworthy. George displayed an exceptional ability in choosing themes, selection of artists and utilizing various visual and musical elements,” says Adoor.

Adoor cites the actor Mammootty as an example to stress his statement. “Even though a talented actor, Mammootty had appeared only in a few movies till George cast him in the 1980 film ‘Mela’’. It was Mammootty’s role of a rough motorcycle rider performing stunts in a well of death in ‘Mela’ that gave Mammootty the recognition as a leading actor,” says Adoor.

Adoor also points out George’s faults. “George, who created 19 films, made a big blunder in his career. It was ‘Elavankode Desam (1998) which he scripted and directed. Everything related to this film went wrong. Those mistakes cannot ever be corrected. The film was not only a complete disaster at the box office but also had no cinematic merit,” says Adoor.

“George could never make another film again. His life and career took a downward spiral afterwards. His promises to film lovers were never fulfilled,” observes Adoor.

“Malayalam cinema has suffered an insurmountable loss with the demise of George,” he says.