Since the birth of Indian cinema, cinema has been viewed as an art form with commercial value by many producers in Bollywood. Most of the producers who were there at that time were ready to spend any amount of money. It has not changed even today. There were similar ones in Telugu and Tamil, but most of them were anxious about getting back their money.
Similarly, early Malayalam producers such as Maryland Subramaniam, Udaya’s Kunchako and T.E.Vasudevan sir came into the field of production thinking that they could do an experiment with their interest in cinema. But PVG Gangadharan, the second son of PV Swamy, the driver of KTC Group, a large transport company in Kozhikode, did not become a producer because he had a passion for cinema or because he saw cinema as a source of money with commercial value. With his father’s blessings, PV Gangadharan ventured into filmmaking with the idea that there is no other art form where money, fame and recognition come together from the friendship of Hariharan and IV Shashi, who are his countrymen and director talents. That is how the film production company called Grihalakshmi Productions was formed.
There is a small flashback of the relationship between KTC and me before PVG came to the cinema.
I am doing Chitrapournami movie week. I am going to Kozhikode to buy an advertisement for KTC for the Ona edition of Chitrapournami in 1975. Although I have been to Coimbatore and Potthannur, this is my first time to Kozhikode. I heard that it is a place where you can get good halwa, but when the opportunity came to go there. It was past eleven o’clock when I reached Kozhikode by taking an early morning train from Ernakulam North Station. At first glance, I did not like Kozhikode station and its surroundings. It seemed like a dull town.
After exiting the station, he got into the first auto he saw and said that he wanted to go to the KTC office. What is the speed of all the auto drivers there. He bought a moderate rate without overcharging like the Ernakulam auto guys. KTC’s office was in a two-storey building. Seeing a man wearing khaki pants and khaki slacks standing below the office, I asked him for information. “PVG sir is in the room.”
I am hearing the name PVG for the first time. Our Chitrapournami is something that gives me the energy to go wherever I dare.
I quickly went to the second floor and knocked on the door of the room where PVG was sitting and entered. A cocky young man in very simple clothes, pants and slacks, with a small smile on his face. He looked at me closely. I introduced myself: ”I’m Kalur Dennis. Coming from Ernakulam. He is the editor of Chitrapournami.
His face brightened when he heard Chitrapournami. I took the new Chitrapournami and gave it away. With a quick glance at the front page, he said: “Sit down.”
I sat in the chair opposite him. After talking about Chitrapournami for a long time, he called Peon and asked him to bring tea. The ‘Ilaya Dalapati’ of the KTC Group, a large movement in Kozhikode, spoke to me very humbly without making any grand heroics or claims.
I announced my intention.
“I came to buy an advertisement of KTC for the Ona edition of Chitrapournami.”
I took the advertisement tariff.
He bought the tariff and marked a full page advertisement without stopping for bargaining. I thought they would ask for a reduction in the ad rate, but nothing was requested. I have bought advertisements from many filmmakers and businessmen but this is the first time I am signing the tariff without cutting and editing. After talking for a while, when I was about to leave, PVG said: “Dennis doesn’t want to come anymore because of the need for advertising. Just send the other staff in the office.”
He must not know that we have no other staff except the editor and a peon. Our Chitrapournami is not a big organization where you can put all the staff like the party’s KTC. PV Gangadharan’s humble behavior stayed in my mind as I got into the auto and went to Mithaitheru and bought two kilos of halwa and went to the railway station.
It may be because of his special nature that even after forty-eight years since our first meeting that day, that face still lingers in my mind. After that, every year on Onam and Vishu days, KTC’s advertisement started blooming like Onam flowers in the special edition of Chitrapournami. KTC entered the film industry for the first time in 1977. PVG was in charge of the movie. The first film was ‘Sujatha’ directed by Hariharan. Premnazir was the hero.
When the film was made, our friendship grew. At that time AJ Kuriakos of Thodupuzha Achayan and his son Joy Kuriakos of Mother India Movies came to IV Shashi to shoot the film ‘Ee Manoharatheeram’. The screenplay and dialogues were written by the famous writer Parapuram. The movie had a big star cast like Madhu, Jayan, Sukumaran, Jayabharathi, Vidhu Bala, KPAC Lalitha, Kochin Haneefa.
Because of my friendship with the producers of that film and my soulmate Kitho, I became an important part of its enthusiasm committee. When it came to the idea of who to distribute the film to, many people came forward, but Achayan and his son wanted to give it to a good distribution company that would be compatible with the producers.
A film production company named Grihalakshmi also started a distribution company named Kalpaka Films in Ernakulam. Its manager was a short, mild-mannered young man named James, with a distinct voice. As the client used to come to our Chitrapournami office in between, when he heard about the distribution of ‘Ee Manohara Thira’, he said to me: “Doesn’t Dennis know PVG sir?” Let’s ask him about the distribution.
So I called PVG and talked about it. After hearing all the details about the film, PVG also got interested. The next day he comes to Ernakulam. In my career the distribution issue is fixed by talking. There wasn’t much talking. So this Manoharatheeram is released by Kalpaka Films. Although the film was not a huge success, neither the producer nor the distributor lost money.
Later she started making films only under the banner of Grihalakshmi Productions without distributing any films of other producers. Then she took three more films Manasa Vacha Karmana, Angadi and Ahimsa with IV Shashi. Angadi was a film written in tangli script in the history of Malayalam cinema. With Jayan’s English dialogue and some special moments in the life of porters that were not seen in Malayalam cinema till then, Angadi rocked the exhibition halls. So was this country. This country was a film that tells the history of an era.
Grihalakshmi went on to become the biggest banner in Malayalam cinema with films such as Balachandra Menon’s Chiriyo Chiri, Bharatan’s Katate Kilikoodu and Ithiripoove Aruhi Poove. With that, the attention of all the famous directors in Malayalam turned towards Kozhikode like a compass to the north. It was then that PVG came to know that MT Vasudevan Nair was going to prepare the script by giving a new positive face to Chatian Chanthu in Vadkan Pat. Knowing that it is a big film with crores of money, PVG immediately went and met MT to take up that huge project. That film is ‘Oru Vadkan Veeragatha’ directed by Hariharan. That image was not limited to the north and the south, and the entire Kerala waved like an unsearchable sea.
While all the films taken were huge successes, Thuvalkotaram by Sathyan Anthikad, Some Home Affairs again, Achu’s Amma, Shaji Kailas’s Ekalavyan, Prayadarshan’s Advaitam, CB Malayalam’s Kanakinaav, Jayaraj’s Santhvanam and Roshan Andrews’ Notebook were also released under Grihalakshmi’s banner. In the meantime, when PVG entered the new business field, the film production was not taken forward for some time. Most of the films produced by Grihalakshmi have won awards including national and state film awards.
Starting from KTC, PVS Hospital, PVG Apartment, KTC Offset Printers and more than twenty business establishments are now owned by them. PVG is also the director of Mathrubhumi. PVG’s daughters Sherga, Shenuga and Shegna have followed their father’s footsteps and entered the film industry. She has produced films Uore and Janaki Jaane with new generation directors. Saiju Kurup and Navya Nair are the heroines of Janaki Jaane.
(to be continued)