Author Information
Ashik M E, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, IndiaMriganka Madhukaillya, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India
Imon Shyam, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India
Abstract
This paper examines the cinematic artistic styles of G. Aravindan, a celebrated Malayalam filmmaker and cartoonist, focusing on his unique storytelling approach that blends myth, folklore, and social realism. Through an analysis of key films such as Kummatty (1979), which uses a bogeyman tale to explore themes of freedom, Esthappan (1980), which keen into human perception through a mystic figure, and Kanchana Sita (1977), a humanized retelling of the “Ramayana” with nature as metaphor and Thampu (1978) is discussed for its symbolic use of a circus tent as a miniature of this world. Aravindan’s minimalist, visually driven narratives, marked by long takes, natural settings, the use of non-professional actors, and poetic silence, reveal his unique cinematic language and representation of existential and societal themes. This paper highlights his contribution to Malayalam cinema as a filmmaker who seamlessly merges myth and reality, creating works of philosophical and aesthetic depth.
Paper Information
Conference: MediAsia2025Stream: Film Direction and Production
This paper is part of the MediAsia2025 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
E A., Madhukaillya M., & Shyam I. (2026) G. Aravindan: Myth, Metaphor, and Malayalam Cinema ISSN: 2186-5906 – The Asian Conference on Media, Communication & Film 2025: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 65-75) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2186-5906.2025.6
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2186-5906.2025.6
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