When it comes to Christian characters, Malayalam cinema has largely fallen back on characters who are Roman Catholics. Sources from the industry say that one reason is that most church scenes are shot inside the Catholic churches in cinema, as the other sects have stricter rules. It therfore seems logical that this became the popular choice. Though other subsections of the religion have also been explored, we're settling on the most popular characterisation of Christian men in Malayalam cinema—the Christian planter/achayan.
It was KG George who set the pattern for the archetypal rich, corrupt Christian planter/achayan family model with Irakal’s Mamachan and family: The rich fathers, the spoilt purposeless sons, and their bored homebound wives. This was later picked up by other filmmakers and writers - it was glorified by Renji Panicker, Ranjith, T Damodaran and Joshiy in various films.
Here goes a few of the much-feted celluloid achayan characters and how they evolved from character to hero to a trope in Malayalam cinema.
How Mammootty redefined the achayan on screen
One of Mammootty's earliest niche achayan characters were in Kanamarayathu and Koodevide. While Captain Thomas was a more unpolished version of an entitled traditional achayan who, blinded by possessiveness towards his fiancée, kills her student and later ends up in jail, Royichan is rich, introverted, sophisticated and has been modelled after a typical Mills and Boon hero.
The first (or perhaps the most popular) exalted edition of an achayan was in Joshiy’s Sangham. The angry, raffish, impulsive Kottayam achayan who is intrinsically lovable. He is not the archetypal hero—he gets sloshed, hurls abuses, mentors a rowdy nephew and his disruptive bunch of pals, cares two hoots about the law and order, steals from his own dad, and used to be a stud during his college days. Kuttappayi’s days of yore get a reality check when he realises that he tried to pimp his own daughter. He was rooted in soil, packed a punch, and had this refreshing nativity that busted all the existing heroic stereotypes in Malayalam cinema.
Kuttappayi was the trailblazer, resulting in the emergence of a new range of achayan characters in Malayalam cinema. It is also a fact that Mammootty was one of the first actors who brought such ingenuity and nativity to the achayan characters, with his pitch perfect rendering of the Kottayam Christian dialect, which was later picked up by other actors while attempting such characters.
While Kunjachan (Kottayam Kunjachan) is perhaps a more fun and less aggressive version of Kuttappayi, Kunjachan is an orphan, but a lovable rogue who finds himself falling in love with his landlord’s daughter and is taken aback when she uses that against him. But then, Kunjachan comes with all the trappings of a typical celluloid achayan (remodelled by Renji Panicker later)—he is temperamental, boozes, is misogynistic and is very alpha male.
But even when he has stepped out of these glorified achayan garbs, Mammootty has spun magic around the ordinary achayan characters, and made it look nuanced. Be it the gullible Cherammal Eenasu Francis aka Pranchiyettan (Pranchiyettan and the Saint), the rich unschooled Christian businessman from Thrissur who suffers from a lack of self-esteem despite his immense wealth, the somber Mathukutty who is irresponsible and naïve in Kadal Kadannoru Mathukutty, the farmer, Monichan, who migrates to a city for better prospects in Blessy’s Palunku, Daniel from Fort Kochi who strums the guitar during funerals and suffers from a displaced sense of self in TV Chandran’s Dany and the affable but roguish Chandy who passes sermons on a woman’s place in the family in Lal Jose’s Oru Maravathoor Kanavu.
The Renji Panicker achayan heroes and the women in the house
With formidable names, that echo legacy, power and wealth, Renji Panicker’s achayan characters are all predominantly alpha males who are proud of their ancestry, are egoistic, patriarchal, volatile, and righteous—take, for instance, the fiery Thevalliparampil Joseph Alex from The King, Anakattil Chakochi and his father Eappachan in Lelam.
The women in the family are largely domesticated, with mothers/wives cooking up a storm and spending the rest of the day worrying over the safety of their husbands and sons. And of course, sisters and lovers are waiting to be hitched.
Mohanlal and his namesake achayan characters
Mohanlal’s achayan characters have always been designed differently. They were not the characteristic testosterone pumping alpha males (though he has successfully pulled it off as the upper caste Hindu alpha males in Shaji Kailas-Ranjith films). Be it the spoilt rich brat Tony Kurishingal (No. 20 Madras Mail) who is tipsy, flirty and seems to be the prodigal son at home or the witty Dr Sunny Joseph in Manichithrathazhu, who makes us aware of his religion only when he proposes to Sreedevi (Vinaya Prasad). But then, his fearless approach towards the paranormal encounter with Nagavalli can come from his religion too. But otherwise, religion does not define the nuances of the achayan characters he has played.
Another reason might be his inability to pull off the Kottayam Christian dialect as well as Mammootty; be it Nettoor Stephen (Lal Salaam) Joji (Kilukkam), the kind and patient psychiatrist Dr Sunny (Ulladakkam) or the elderly Mathews who uses a wheelchair (Pranayam).
In Lucifer, Mohanlal's Stephen Nedumpally is introduced inside a church, in conversation with a priest, whom he considers as his mentor. Always dressed in whites, Nedumpally, at least initially comes across as a staunch Christian who runs an orphanage and is well-versed with the Bible. It's an interestingly written character and Mohanlal underplays it. Murali Gopy puts a clever spin on the good old achayan role.
The popular elderly characters
Thirumuttachu Kochuthomma in Sathyan Anthikad’s Veendum Chila Veetukaryangal is an endearing elderly achayan, and is in fact a subversion, considering the relationship he shares with his son is friendly and warm, unlike the one between typical achayan father and sons (think Chacko Master and Aadu Thoma or Chackochi and his father). Or even the recent Ayyappanum Koshiyum, the father-son bond is clinical and feudal. It is only when he realises he needs to be stern to make him responsible that Thoma changes. Otherwise, he is a regular friendly pragmatic family man who shares an old-fashioned love for his wife and children.
KPAC Lalitha has cleverly played various forms of the quintessential mother and wife of several achayan characters. She was the loose tongued orthodox dominating Eliyamma, wife, mother, and sister to five gunda brothers in Kottayam Kunjachan, the motherly Marypennu (Veendum Chila Veetukaryangal), Kunju Mariya (Manassinakkare), Annamma (Bhagyadevatha), Reethamma (Snehaveedu) in many Sathyan Anthikad films where she often resourcefully runs the family by selling tins of homemade achappams and kozhalappams.
The flighty young generation of achayans
If Prithviraj tried hard to measure up to the stereotypical angry achayan image futilely with Avan Chandiyude Makan and Thanthonni, he somehow struck gold with the mild, flawed achayan heroes—the gentle Joshua who battles a problematic past in Koode, Dr Ravi Tharakan in Ayalum Njanum Thammil, the fun womanising Kunjoonu in Swapnakoodu, the unpleasantly temperamental Antony Moses in Mumbai Police and the cop and widower in Memories.
While Koshy in Ayyappanum Koshiyum lives up to the image of the typical angry hot-blooded achayan, that the character comes with his own insecurities and conditioned patriarchal upbringing makes it easier to empathise with him.
In the last decade, the achayan has digressed into a caricature in Malayalam cinema (which was evident in Ayyappanum Koshiyum), and instead we see writers and directors keen on exploring the idiosyncrasies of the traditions and mores implemented in a religion and how it plays out within the families.
When alpha male superstar heroes started declining such roles, the achayan heroes took a backseat. So, we see a George (Nivin Pauly) who is uncertain, cocky, playful, falls in and out of love, cries during heartbreak and is as keen to fall in love all over again in Premam. Yet on reflection, he is privileged, with an alpha male of a dad (ironically Renji Panicker paying a tribute to his own characters) who coolly suggests that he has the freedom to drink at home.
Kurien (Nivin Pauly) in Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela is a goofy, dreamy young man and takes after his father who is chicken-hearted. again, a subversion of a typical achayan father and allows his wife to oversee the house.
In Kettyolu Aanu Ende Malakha, Asif Ali’s Sleevachan hails from a middle-class Catholic family in Idukki, he is a rubber planter, runs an internet café and lives with his elderly mother. Wary around women, he agrees to marry so that his mother will have a companion. Sleevachan is an entitled male born into patriarchy and ignorance, lack of exposure and false advice which shockingly leads him to rape his wife one night. While there are differences in opinion about the treatment of the aftermath of marital rape as the narrative is more from the point of view of Sleevachan, one can perhaps take heart in the fact that it is not glorified (perhaps trivialised) in the film. That, he finally understands consent probably brings some cheer.
As heroes became flawed and regular, the overwhelmingly masculine tropes and visualisations seem best as a throwback hashtag.
Neelima Menon has worked in the newspaper industry for more than a decade. She has covered Hindi and Malayalam cinema for The New Indian Express and has worked briefly with Silverscreen.in. She now writes exclusively about Malayalam cinema, contributing to Fullpicture.in and thenewsminute.com. She is known for her detailed and insightful features on misogyny and the lack of representation of women in Malayalam cinema.