Both Thappad and Kettyolaan Ente Malakha are highly relevant films: Lijo Jose Pellissery

Ever since the release of ‘Thappad’ in OTT platfrom Amazon Prime, social media forums have been witnessing several discussions about the film and its politics. Like always, cinema-based groups in Kerala are also abuzz with active discussions about the film. Most Malayali cinephiles have been heaping praise on the makers of ‘Thappad’ for the hard-hitting message conveyed in the film. Some have also pointed out how the Malayalam film ‘Kettyolaan Ente Malakha’ (KEM) is problematic when compared to a film like ‘Thappad’.

The film directed by Nissam Basheer was about Sleevachan, a farmer from a rural backdrop, who unintentionally rapes his wife. Asif Ali and Veena Nadakumar played the lead roles in it. The film addressed the taboo topic of marital life and also stressed the importance of proper sex education. Though it emerged as a box office hit, many believe that the message conveyed in the film was regressive and problematic. Critics have pointed out about how the film doesn’t give much importance to the woman, who is the victim here and how marital rape has been normalized.

Following the OTT release of ‘Thappad’, ‘Kettyolaan Ente Malakha’ has once again become the topic of discussions. Several write-ups comparing the two films are being posted online. Director Lijo Jose Pellissery, who is quite active in social medias, seems to have noticed these ongoing discussions. According to him, ‘Thappad’ is a film that exposes male chauvinism and ‘KEM’ discusses the need for sex education. He believes that both the films are highly relevant in today’s times. Lijo also praised director Nissam Basheer and Asif Ali in his Facebook post.