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A tribute to M K Kamalam, who passed away recently…

Let me begin with apologies to my colleague Usha, who used to remind me, when I started writing for this site, that I am writing mostly about movies. Well Usha, this is my second movie-related post in a week’s time. But I can’t help it. I have to do this. Or rather, I owe it, being someone who has always loved films. In fact we all owe it, since I am going to write about someone whom we should never forget, though ironically we rarely remember her.

It’s with the deepest of regret that I now remember how I had missed or rather lost for ever a golden opportunity of meeting M.K.Kamalam and interacting with her. Of course I have met, and interviewed most of the popular stars of Malayalam Cinema.  But the interviews that I cherish having done are of course different ones.

I feel proud of myself when I think I had the chance to meet and interview someone like P.N.Menon, not just once, but thrice. (Filmmaker P.N.Menon, who passed away about a year back, had changed the face of Malayalam Cinema itself). I had enjoyed walking kilometres around the famous Udaya Studios, searching people who were associated with Udaya in the early days and had also liked talking to Sharangapaani, the man who scripted many of Udaya’s hit movies.

I was amazed when I found  P.Bhaskaran, eminent poet-lyricist-filmmaker (the maker of the landmark film ‘Neelakuyil’), who was suffering from memory loss  (he is no more now)  singing, out of a book that I handed him, to perfection a song that he had penned years back for ‘Neelakuyil’, that too when he was hardly remembering what all was going on around him.

I had found myself enriched interacting with people like Sreekumaran Thampy, Sukumari, Jagathy Sreekumar, Bharat Gopi, Murali etc. These are people who utter words that are no less than pearls of wisdom. Some of these are people who made Malayalam Cinema what it is today.

It is in this context that I remember the golden opportunity that I had missed. That happened a few years back. I was scripting a television series based on the history of Malayalam Cinema. We were interviewing M.K.Kamalam that day for the show, which was anchored by veteran actress Sukumari.  The whole team was travelling to Kottayam, to seek her out and interview her. But unfortunately, I couldn’t make it. I had to go scouting the Udaya Studio neighbourhoods as part of my research for the same show. The director of the show, a friend of mine, later related how they had sought out the actress, who was leading a rather miserable life. I felt sorry I missed the chance to go meet the actress, who was part of a film that’s for ever etched in history. I told myself I will go meet her later and write on her. But sadly enough, that didn’t happen, and would never ever happen. For M.K.Kamalam breathed her last more than a week ago and bid adieu to this world, which didn’t give her the recognition that she deserved.

M.K.Kamalam, who began with acting and singing on the stage and doing Kathaprasangam (a folk art of Kerala wherein the exponent presents a story, interspersed with verses, references from current life and politics etc), was chosen to be the lead actress in ‘Balan’, the first talkie in Malayalam, released in 1938. It should be remembered that Kamalam had taken to the stage at a time when women didn’t usually act in plays. Hence, when the invitation to act in ‘Balan’ came, her mother was at first reluctant. She was in fact shocked out of her wits when it was told that her daughter was to act in a film that will be made at the Modern Theatres, Salem (another landmark in the history of Cinema in South India). But later she yeilded and it was thus that Kamalam acted and even sang in ‘Balan’. It won’t be proper to say that ‘Balan’ did her no good. Her career on the stage took a new turn and she was a sought after actress, being popular as the actress who had done ‘Balan’. But films didn’t come her way at that time; and when film offers started coming up, she couldn’t act as she was busy with her plays. Of course she later did one more film, ‘Bhootharayar’, which remained unreleased.

After retiring from acting, Kamalam had led a rather miserable life, struggling to make both ends meet. There were instances when she was helped out, but there was nothing considerable that was done. Even AMMA (the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists) paid her 2500 rupees per month. It should be remembered that this amount, which is in fact a pittance, comes from an institution that owes it existence to an extent to a film of which M.K.Kamalam too was a part. The actress had to struggle a lot and at a time when our actors and actresses are getting paid in Lakhs and Crores (Kamalam was paid Rs 350 for her work in ‘Balan’), the heroine of our first talkie was leading a life of penury and sufferings.

But when we take into account the fact that even J.C.Daniel (known as the Father of Malayalam Cinema) had to lead a miserable existence in his late years and that prints of landmark films like ‘Vigathakumaran’ (the first movie made in Kerala) and ‘Balan’ no longer even exist, it was but natural for M.K.Kamalam to be neglected, forgotten and even left unmourned by many who should have been there to pay her their last respects.

Adieu, M.K.Kamalam! Whether they recognise or not, you are one of those people who made Malayalam Cinema. We, at Karmakerala pray that your soul may rest in peace.