“Njangal aa sthalam vittu poyi.” A simple statement, laden with unspoken emotions, and quiet curiosity. These were words that G. R. Indugopan’s friend once uttered, and they lingered in his mind. Overtime it took the form of Ponman, an unfiltered tale of a gripping hunt for gold, where humour and emotions intertwine, brought to life by stellar performances.
An Introduction to G.R. Indugopan
Hailing from the city of Eravipuram in Kollam, G. R. Indugopan, the writer of Ponman is a prominent post-modern writer in Malayalam. Indugopan, who has a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and an MA. PGD in Journalism, spent the initial years of his career as a journalist, columnist, novelist, and a writer of short stories and features. An accomplished author with 40 books to his name and 7 films in the works, he is said to have drawn inspiration for most of his creations from the city that he hails from; creating narratives deeply rooted in the lives and experiences of the people from the Kollam region.
Ponman, A Summary
Often hailed as the ‘Prince of the Arabian Sea’, the city of Kollam thrived as a hub of commerce and maritime riches. Like the city’s own history of trade, treasures and untold stories, the movie Ponman draws a gritty tale of a relentless hunt for gold. From meticulously portraying the everyday lives of Kollam’s coastal communities, to the explicit detailing of Latin Catholic wedding culture of coastal Kollam’s middle-class society, Indugopan’s vision of a raw, but engaging story is nothing short of a cinematic tapestry woven with unfiltered realism.
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Ponman is centred around PP Ajesh (Basil Jospeh) a jewellery specialist who lends gold to families for weddings expecting repayment from the cash gifts received during the ceremony. But the story takes a turn when Steffi’s (Lijomol Jose) family can only return half of the gold that was taken from Ajesh in loan. The movie further sets a tone of a tense pursuit where Ajesh embarks on a mission to reclaim the remaining gold from the groom’s hometown, Thalavettichira, a place considered to have a precarious and a challenging environment.
Directed by Jothish Shankar based on Indugopan’s novel Naalanchu Cheruppakkaar, the movie acts a poignant depiction of the social malaise of the dowry system and the coastal Christian community’s obsession with gold during marriages.
Adapting a Book into a Movie
In the blurb of Naalanchu Cheruppakkaar, Maneesh Narayanan describes Indugopan’s narrative skill as one that unfolds mysteries layer by layer, leading the story forward with precision. His writing style is marked by a controlled intensity, never surrendering characters or the course of the story to the reader’s judgments. Naalanchu Cheruppakkaar stands apart from his other works in its treatment of storytelling, drawing readers into an island of enigmas, where intrigue and unpredictability take centre stage. It is from this very novel, that Ponman emerges, bringing Indugopan’s narrative to the screen. In fact, the film upholds the same sense of mystery and intensity that Maneesh Narayanan has mentioned in the blurb. This has eventually instilled an atmosphere of tension, unpredictability and social malaise at the same time.
The book does invite the readers to an island of enigmas while the movie strives to remain faithful to its essence. But Indugopan is of the opinion that, “While reading a book, one becomes a director and has the freedom to imagine. But in cinema, this freedom is restricted, by the director’s vision, technological limitations and other aspects. Hence the audience is forced to experience the world in a predefined way, thereby making it harder for the ones who have read the book to be satisfied by the cinematic adaptation.” Indugopan also stated that unlike the movie where the protagonist triumphs over the
antagonist, the book tells a story where the protagonist is ultimately left powerless.
He acknowledges how Ponman stands apart from other adaptations of his works, because of how faithful it has been to the essence of the book. This he feels was achieved because of the immense commitment of the entire crew in preserving the authenticity of the book. “Only 75% of the storyline has been incorporated in the movie. The major changes made in the movie are with respect to where the protagonist is stabbed by the antagonist, followed by the climax scene where the protagonist succeeds over the antagonist.”
Ponman Through Indugopan’s Eyes
Ponman is set against the backdrop of Kollam’s coastal areas, the community considered to be deeply in Latin Catholic faith. From names, and traditions, to food, local slang and beyond, the movie has not missed on retaining the authenticity of the setting. Indugopan, who has closely known the lifestyles of people on both the sea and lakeside, has utilised several nuances within the movie. He says, “Because I’ve lived with them, I know their lifestyle and names to an extent, and hence I was able to take a note of the minute elements, for example the church or maybe even the boats shown in Mariyano’s locality.” In fact, a large extend of the shoot was done next to his own house.
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He also recalls the different approaches that helped him in finding suitable names for each of his characters, primarily the ones belonging to the Latin Catholic belief system. Though the names might seem unique to a certain audience, they do remain authentic to the setting and the culture being represented. That said, Indugopan also noted that for a movie to be widely relatable for an audience from different walks of life, its emotions must be universal even if the surroundings or culture are not.
The plot’s conflict is made interesting because of the protagonist Ajesh’s principles/value system. An everyman protagonist who the audience roots for unanimously – this is not easy to pull off – the last one to probably do this was Maheshinte Pratikaram.
Indugopan believes that the protagonist’s philosophy is the effect of the injustice that happened to him. This fuels Ajesh’s relentless pursuit, to an extend where he willingly ventures to Thalavettichira, a perilous surrounding. As a matter of fact, such characterisations can be considered as a redeeming quality. Indugopan’s character development technique, notably in Ponman is the result of meticulous thought and effort. He opens the narrative with Bruno, a character whose surroundings, in contrast to Ajesh’s, are known to the viewer. But through Bruno’s point of view, the story progressively moves to Ajesh’s world, arousing a stronger sense of sympathy. He goes on to discuss how this strategy helped the movie have an open ending rather than the book’s more conclusive ending. While the book offers a more definitive resolution, the open ending leaves room for the audience to understand the story beyond its last scene.
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Advice to Budding Screenwriters…
Indugopan’s expertise has played a key role in shaping his career, from his early days as a journalist, columnist, and feature writer to becoming a novelist and now, a screenplay writer. Ponman is a perfect example of this. As the mind behind films like Wolf, Oru Thekkan Thallu Case, Kaapa, Ponman, and the upcoming Vilayath Buddha, he possesses a deep understanding of the industry and its dynamics.
When asked about how in today’s day and age, one can start the process of being a screenplay writer, he said: “It is not easy at all. The basic need is to have an exceptional ‘content’. The listener should be able to feel the content. The story progression and the narrative flow, adds to it. The newer the content is, the more relatable it will be.” He emphasised how crucial elements like the fight sequences, the number of songs, and the level of excitement in the narrative must be carefully evaluated when it comes to a big investment like a movie, as opposed to books.
Indugopan considers himself as an upcoming scriptwriter and believes that screenplay isn’t his focused domain when compared to literature. When asked about the most common mistakes aspiring screenwriters make, how can they avoid it, he emphasised the importance of a thread in any story. According to him, the writer should maintain a base for a story and one should have the potential to bring the thread back to the base at ease. He spoke about how audiences between the ages of 18 and 25 are the most likely to watch films nowadays and why, despite the story’s central theme, any story must be appropriate or relatable to this demographic.
Additionally, he believes that a formal screenwriting education isn’t that important right now. However, he pointed out that it is crucial to locate a life, link it to the thread, expand it, and instil curiosity in it. In essence, there must always be an element of unpredictability.
Speaking on the Mollywood industry and how a writer pitches a script to a director or producer, Indugopan said that: “Each writer would have a specific method to pitch his story. Somebody else might pitch in a different way when compared to me. As for my case, I consider myself as a bad storyteller with respect to pitching my story to someone. So, I usually pitch a thread, and if the person listening finds it to have potential worth developing, then I will go forward with my story.” Additionally, he thinks that networking can help a newcomer to the industry pitch a script and bring it to life.
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One can say that the true visionary behind Ponman is only beginning to soar in the film industry. With the upcoming release of Vilayath Budha, we’ll get to see another one of his books turned into a movie. If you’re interested in reading G. R. Indugopan’s works, Vilayath Budha is one that you must check out. The reader is left with a sense of raw depth by Indugopan’s writing, and if his previous works are any indication, his upcoming stories will be equally, if not more, evocative. Cheers to more compelling stories and provocative excerpts from him.
