Kaypa Kavala's tryst with celluloid fame

My friend and I, we love movies. Our conversations would invariably revolve around movies and the places we loved to go. It was during one such casual conversation that the name ‘Kaypa Kavala,’ the place, where a lot of important scenes in the Malayalam movie ‘Drishyam’ were shot, first popped up.  

‘You know,' he said as I looked on expectantly, ‘all three versions – Malayalam, Telugu, and Tamil -  were shot here and it really gave Kaypa Kavala a lot of fame.’ And, before long, we were zooming along the rain-drenched road to Kaypa Kavala near Thodupuzha in Idukki district. The rain added an extra tinge of green all around. On one side of the road were tall rubber trees and on the other, the reservoir of the Malankara Dam. Beyond the trees, you could see the mist-laden hills. 

The landmarks whizzed by - Government Engineering College, Muttom and then a small deviation which took us past the tail end of the Malankara Reservoir. We had arrived at Kaypa Kavala. 

'Kavala' in Malayalam means a junction. And I was not prepared for the sight that met my eye. In the movie, this place passes off as ‘Rajakad’- a small junction with a police station, a tiny teashop and a couple of other shops. The reality was far from it. Four roads met at this junction which just had two buildings, a makeshift wooden hut and a shop that was closed. 

"The movie makers had transformed this single storey shop, built in another floor to house the  'Cable TV Shop' which the hero owned in all the three versions," my friend went on. And the tea stall and the police station were a 'set.' The entire area just transformed into a small town full of activity for the movie and it happened overnight, he said. Not once, but three times. 

  

We walked a little way into the green to stand near the Malankara Reservoir. The final scenes for all the three versions were shot here. The misty hills beyond looked ethereal. A waterfall cascading down the hills looked like a streak of white drawn by a naughty child on a blackboard.  

It was around three in the afternoon and the only sounds we heard were the chirping of crickets and a couple of birds that sang into the thicket. The grass was green, and wet with the rain. There was no sound of any vehicle on the road. There was no human being in sight. It was so quiet that we did not even feel like talking to each other. 

We stood there, the movie scenes playing in an endless loop in my mind, my eyes relaxed in the silent green all around. And then it was time to leave. We saw just a van on our way back. Surprisingly, there were no inquisitive old men parked on the bench. Maybe it was siesta time for them.  

Would we go again? Of course, you guess!!

Reaching Kaypa Kavala

Kaypa Kavala is about 15 km away from Thodupuzha town. You need to have your own vehicle to reach Kaypa Kavala

Useful information

There are no shops here. It is just a small junction, picturesque and calm. You may need to pack at picnic hamper, but make sure you don't pollute the pristine neighborhood. 

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