Chanthupottu (2005) : A Controversy

                           Chanthupottu is a Malayalam movie directed by Lal Jose and released in 2005. It tells the story of Radhakrishnan, a man who was brought up by his grandmother as a girl and the social stigma he faces due to his mannerisms and his transformation into the traditional masculine hero beating up a bunch of people at a go..

The movie has become  a matter of discussion in the recent times in the social media. A movie released 15 years ago invoking discussions and analysis right now by itself shows the influence and the success it had made in the industry at the time of its release. The discussions surrounding it show Malayali (local community of Kerala) audiences' drastic change in thought processes and evaluation of movies as a medium of entertainment and also as a medium for propagation of strong ideas which evidently reflects in the changed formula of success of movies. It is safe to say Malayalam film industry can be regarded at high standards when compared to the Bollywood industry in this aspect. Kudos to the demanding local audience of the state.

Lets get down to the discussion

                                  The criticizers of the movie emphasize on the negative impression it can make in a viewer's mind on their approach towards LGBT community and to an extent, it has. The name 'Chanthupottu' has entered into Malayalam colloquial dictionary and since then it had been used to refer (or rather tease) to men with a feminine character or transgenders in general.

                                 The movie was a huge commercial success in 2005 running for over 125 days. It shows how the mindset of the majority audience was back then, who viewed Cinema as a means of pure entertainment without considering their political implications in the society. This meant that the society itself didn't care much about the feelings (might have cared but had never been voiced out loud) and the social status of transgenders or LGBT community as a whole back then. 

                                The Director of the movie, Lal Jose, had responded to the negative comments saying he had not committed any  mistakes and would stand by his work. He also retaliated saying such comments are an intrusion into his right to freedom of expression.

                                On the same note, the scriptwriter, Benny P. Nayarambalam, in an interview stated that he was still sad about how some communities perceived the movie and its subject. He also noted he never meant to target or hurt the feelings of any community intentionally.

                               Though it was bold of the Director (and the actor too) to portray such a never-before-seen protagonist in a movie, he failed to address the real problems of the people the protagonist represents. Rather, he had drawn out a caricature out of them, which itself, is an art. The movie didn't catalyze a perception of transgenders as a joke as such, it probably just marketed on the already existing mindset of the people. The director being from the same society might have created the movie intentionally to capitalize at the sake of the above said mindset of the people or might have never really understood the political implications of the same (which is very unlikely with a Director of his caliber and knowledge). 

                               The protagonist of the movie Radhakrishnan played by versatile actor Dileep is biologically a man with feminine mannerisms. Opening act of the movie show his birth and childhood. Being brought up by a woman might have led to his feminine mannerisms and he not really a transgender. This fact, to some extend justifies the director's take on the character and the journey of his life in the movie. The final act in which the character caves into the society's expectation from him and transform into the 'masculine' hero does send a wrong message. Ultimately, the movie is a product of deep seated patriarch-ism and a social stigma towards the LGBT community. 

Are the filmmakers really the culprit here? Is it the audience they address? or the society they live in?

                             15 years later, Chanthupottu is still being discussed on social media based on feminist ideas and concerns of the LGBT community. The fact that a movie such as this might not be a commercial success right now is definitely an indicator of how the thought processes and perceptive of the audience and society as a whole has changed towards such controversial issues. The reflection of this can be seen in movies like Super Deluxe, Moothon etc. 

Hoping for even more such Indian movies focused on liberation and empowerment of LGBT community.

Cheers!!!

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