John Abraham (1937-87)

Malayalam director born in Changanacherry, Kuttanad Dist., Kerala; studied economics at a college near Kottayam. Educated by grandfather who gave him his first camera. Worked as insurance salesman in Bellary; went to the FTII and studied under Ghatak?. Assisted Mani Kaul on Uski Roti (1969) and worked on unreleased Hindi feature shot in Kerala, Trisandhya (1972). First films: Vidyarthikale Ithile Ithile, made in Madras as group co- operative effort, and his internationally acclaimed Agraharathil Kazhuthai in Tamil. Lived a nomadic existence in the 70s, depending on support from friends and colleagues in Kerala, later the basis of the Odessa Collective (Est: 1984 in Calicut) launched with street play Nayakali staged in Fort Cochin (1984). Odessa funded Amma Ariyan through screening 16mm prints of e.g. Chaplin’s The Kid (1921) and Anand Patwardhan’s Hamara Shaher (1985) in towns and villages throughout Kerala in return for small donations. After his accidental death, he is often portrayed as an example of the romantic artist who by-passed the tyranny of the market-place through a direct relationship with his people, raising money by travelling from village to village beating a drum and asking for contributions to a genuine ‘people’s cinema’. Others point to the probably Christian theme of infantile innocence in his work and place his marginal lifestyle in the cultural context of Kerala and the contentious history of authorial identity he inherited and lived out, exploring its alternatives. Suffered from alcoholism. Also wrote his own films.

This is a tribute that Abraham wrote about Ghatak

A tribute to Ritwik Ghatak John Abraham

Ritwik Ghatak,in partition, not physically of willingness-the country departed Out of his outer consciousness - cosmic consciousness none of his mistakes, Reactions - natural reactions - reflections Ritwik Ghatak,refugee, unborn, unwanted, unbearablepenetrative towards the Victorian hang overof the Tagorian corruption of thinking Life was more important to him than the words in praise of god, the god of Victorian Tagorian thinking. Hence, he was rejected from the Bengalian thinking Ritwik Ghatak - the name doesn't suit the hierarchic thinking of the Raynian Zamidarian thinking Perhaps, the long echo of the forgotten factorsthat becomes reminiscence of the 'death of the salesman' or otherwisethe long columns and no more Chhabi Biswas,Cardiac arrest is common. The death of Ghatak is uncommon. Nay, Ritwik Ghatak I remember, a tall manhis hands moving around my shoulders, catching me with the feeling of nearness, rather than imperialism -the man who stands before mequestioning my manliness loosing his hands to shake my handsin appreciation of manliness recognizing each other -abiding in each other kicking on my an's and telling me"Get up, awake shoot "I remember, not with sentimentswith awakening proud, Ritwik Ghatak Ritwik Daa, let me call you Ritwik Daa, I know that you are no more. But I am, alive for youBelieve me. When the seventh seal is openedI will use my camera as my gunand I am sure the echo of the sound will reverberate in your bones, and feed back to me for my inspiration. Thank you Ritwik Daa, I am thanking younot with impotency and insipidity Ritwik Daa, I remember you, when the words fails to criticize you, Ritwik Daa, eternally you are in my brainin my spirit and in my Holy Ghost Amen

Filmography

Documentaries

1967: Koyna Nagar - Director (in English) - Unreleased 1969: Priya - Director (in Hindi) - (John's Diploma film at FTII, Pune) 1969: Hides and Strings - Director (in English)

Feature films

1972: Vidyarthikale Ithile Ithile (This Way, Students) - Director (in Malayalam)

Screenplay: M Azad - Cast: Madhu, Adoor Bhasi, Manorama, S. V. Ranga Rao, Jayabharathi, S. P. Pillai - Cinematography: Ramachandra Babu - Music: M. B. Sreenivasan

1977: Agraharathil Kazhuthai (Donkey in the Elite Colony) - Director and Screenwriter (in Tamil

Screenplay: Venkat Saminathan - Cast: M. B. Sreenivasan, |Swathi, Savitri, Raman Veeraraghavan - Cinematography: Ramachandra Babu - Art Director: Jeevan Thomas - Music: M. B. Sreenivasan

1979: Cheriyachante Kroorakrithyangal (Cruelties of Cheriyachan) - Director and Screenwriter (in Malayalam)

Cast: Adoor Bhasi, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Poornima Jayaram, Abraham Joseph, Venu - Cinematography: Madhu Ambat - Music: Johnson

1986: Amma Ariyan (Report to Mother) - Director and Screenwriter (in Malayalam)

Cast: Joy Mathew, Maji Venkitesh, Nilambur Balan, Harinarayanan, Sara Thomas - Cinematography: Venu - Music: Sunitha

Director