Yearender 2015: It was the young who brought happiness and hope to ordinary people

Parvathy, the revelation: It was Parvathy all the way this year in showbiz. She awed people with her calibre and attitude besides showing the way as a responsible citizen. There are curious periodic absences in her career, but then Parvathy always comes back, just as you think maybe she's not going to this time. And this year, she's come back with R.S. Vimal's Ennu Ninte Moideen, becoming the heroine of a real life story that happened in Mukkam decades ago. Parvathy plays the Kanchanamala Malayalees loved ever since her life story with Moideen's got written about. Even as controversies cropped up about the film, critics loved the heroine.

The girl who grew from the teenage roles in Out of Syllabus and Notebook, maturing through Flash and City of God and establishing herself as one who can be trusted with deep and versatile characters such as in Maryan and Bangalore Days. The year has brought not just Moideen and the tag of a really able actor to Parvathy. It's also seen another side of hers, away from movies. We have seen her take part in the Women in the World' summit in New Delhi, attend the conference on gender equality in Kovalam and talk to college girls after a walkathon as part of the Orange Day campaign to mark the Day for the Elimination of Violence against women. This is what she has to say, about all that: Ennu Ninte Moideen has definitely added to my credibility and that makes it all the more difficult for me than before as I am very choosy with what movies I get associated with. I welcome the responsibility because as an artist I believe it is my job to provoke people to think and feel through story telling. I hope to be able to find powerful stories as I go.â€

However she hates to be tagged'. I do not like the tag social-activist' not because of what it means but because society is highly prejudiced when it comes to such terms and immediately judge you. I believe what I am doing with regards to gender equality and education in our state and eventually in our country is what a functional citizen must do. So I would say that I am simply being a responsible citizen.â€

However, she looks back at the year positively. 2015 has been a pretty overwhelmingly bittersweet year for me, both in terms of personal and professional spaces. There has been lot that I've learned the hard way that I am still processing. It is a good thing, though. I am taking my time. I am very happy with the year that has gone by. However, Onward is my mantra,†she signs off.

The master Story-teller:

In the history of Malayalam film industry, it is a rare case that a period film based on a real incident gets a warm welcome from the audience and critics equally. After a brief gap, again it has happened in M'town with Prithviraj-starrer Ennu Ninte Moideen (ENM), which featured the eternal love story of B.P. Moideen and Kanchanamala. A journalist-turned-filmmaker R.S. Vimal was behind the film that became a huge hit at the box office.

From his days as a journalist in a Malayalam newspaper, cinema was his passion and it was that factor which prompted him to bid adieu to the journalism career. It was through Moideen's brother B.P. Rasheed, in 2007, I came to know about the interesting love story of Moideen and Kanchanamala. That time, I was doing a series of documentary for a Malayalam channel. When I reached Mukkam in Kozhikode district where Kanchanamma lives, to film the documentary on her, I could feel an intense love story that we could not read from any so called classic love stories,†says Vimal, who made the documentary Jalam Kondu Murivettaval on their life. It was after that documentary production, with the permission from B.P. Rasheed, he decided to make a feature film on the Moideen - Kanchanamala love story.

For Vimal, it was a long process to convert the eternal love story into a film format. Initially Rasheed was supposed to produce that film. But when we started scripting, we understood that this film needed a huge budget and it was how we approached the current producers to produce the film. A total of seven years had dedicated for the pre-production and one year for the production of this film,†says the director about the birth of his debut directorial venture,which has Prithviraj and Parvathy in the lead.

But it was not an easy job to complete the production of the film. As the film was based on real incidents in her life, we used to narrate the script to Kanchanedathi during the writing stage itself. Around three times, she had heard the script from us. But when the filming was going on and it was almost completed, she came with certain demands. She sent a message to Prithviraj to stop acting in the film too. Still we don't know why she said so. It was in the last minute she said like that. At last, the matter reached court. We guess certain people were behind that move. In fact, there was nothing defamatory to her or her relatives as the film was not just copy of her life. It was scripted based on the matters that I got during the research,†says the director.

When ENM reached the theatres, after lot of struggles, it has become one of the top-grossers of the year. With the new year set to begin, Vimal is at Haridwar as part of research for his next period film which also has Prithviraj in the lead role.

Overnight, a protagonist:

When the State awards were announced, there was one completely unfamiliar name- Sudev Nair who got it in the best actor category. Suddenly there was a mad scramble to gather information about the dark horse who played a gay in his debut Malayalam film My Life Partner(MLP). Soon this virtual unknown made his presence felt in his second film Anarkali which hit the bull's eye.

Mumbai-based FTII product Sudev has now become a familiar face in Mollywood and nothing pleases the actor more than his award and the acceptance. His entry to Mollywood was not an easy one. I wanted to get into Mollywood after my Institute days but I was told that I looked far too much like a North Indian. Since I had done action films in Bollywood I was advised that I was more suited for Bollywood than Mollywood. But I went back and forth between the two industries because I really wanted to act in Malayalam. The gay role in MLP was the result of three years of that single-minded focus.â€

So, was he apprehensive about playing a gay? I never ever thought the subject of the film was controversial nor do I morally judge the characters I play and to me it was like any other role. Even on a personal level, I do not find anything wrong in homosexuality. It was disappointing that MLP faced problems with its theatrical release and that too because of the subject and not because the film was bad. I would have liked it if the content reached the audience and then be judged; that opportunity was denied which was disheartening. But I took it in my stride and made peace with it.â€

The state award took him by surprise and earned him wide acceptance. The award was a vindication and I had no clue that I was even considered. The award has made me busier and people have been calling to narrate scripts. The main change is that I do not have to go looking for work and have the luxury to choose roles that I want to do. I appeared on TV channels so the audience could see for themselves that I was not some random actor but could perform. By the time Anarkali released, people knew me so I got a bigger reach.â€

Has the award increased his B'town prospects? No, says Sudev. My awards have not made much of a difference in Bollywood because people are not aware of State awards there but only National awards. The scale of Bollywood is much larger and so is the number of people you have to deal with. Directors are not directly approachable and you have to go through casting directors and there is a power structure there which is not there in Kerala which is helpful for newcomers. Eventually I would like to direct a filmâ€.

Going the experimental route:

Amongst the crowd watching Vineeth Sreenivasan's Thattathin Marayathu was young Neeraj Madhav, who fervently wished that he too be a part of some such hit film one day. Three years down, that dream came true and that he watched himself on screen in the hit Kunjiramayanam seated alongside Vineeth. To Neeraj, this was the culmination of years of hard work, where he started off with small roles that slowly graduated to prominent ones. Today he enjoys an enviable position in Mollywood with his brand of humour, laidback character portrayals, and his proven skills as a choreographer and dancer along with his new role of a scriptwriter. 2016 looks even brighter and better as he lets on.

In his words, My major break this year was Oru Vadakkan Selfie and that propelled me to the big league and also showcased my dancing and choreography skills. I have done eight movies this year and the interesting part is that for every festival right from 2013, I have had dual releases, including this Christmas. I had the privilege of speaking in different slangs of areas like Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur- Thalassery, Kollam and Kochi. Onam has always been a good time for me as Kunjiramayanam hit the bull's eye. I attended a lot of college functions where I could see my acceptance by youngsters. That makes me happy. Though I do get a lot of fan mail, I prefer to be the eligible bachelor for now!â€

Neeraj has big plans for the upcoming year. Cinema is my focus and though the characters I get to play are not very diverse, I try to infuse some novelty and create an identity and so that I do not become typecast and that includes changing my looks. From next year, I am planning to experiment a lot and try out aspects of film making that I have not tried out before. I am not ruling out playing a villain and you will definitely see me as a writer for a film where I will also be playing one of the heroes and I may also do a solo project next year. You will see me dance but you will not see me in the active role of a choreographer because these are my passions and not my professions. I may do these for friends but never as a career choice.â€

It hasn't been an easy journey for him though. Though I am having a good run now, I have faced my share of struggles and am a person who gets motivated easily or disappointed easily too. All of a sudden when things did not go favourably, I did get disappointed but my family and friends brought me back on track. Initially, my friendships did not help me clinch roles; I made it on my steam but later on, to be specific, this year, some of my projects are because of my friendship with the cast and crew which leads to better performances. I am looking forward to a great New Year.â€