Shyju Khalid: The Cinematographer

I have been watching Malyalam movies for some time now. It started with Varathan; which I watched in a flight. The change of the main character Aby from a simple man not bothering about anyone else’s business to turning into a force to reckon with, who not only successfully defends his house for his wife Priya but also manages to protect a village lady and her son, is remarkable. The characteristics which caught my attention was the attention to detail and the relatable simplicity with which everyday life is portrayed. The circumstances that leads to the change brought in Aby from being a simple man to transforming into a person, who can take on the village goons; and still having an end, which puts life at the core of the narrative with Aby seen having Coeffe with Priya on the veranda of the house, is a remarkable thought. The acting of Aby stayed with me. The name of the movie was forgotten in the mean time but the impression remained. Search for getting to know the name of the main character led to Fahadh Fassil and the next movie on the list Maheshinte Pratikaaram; with which I fell head over heels in love with the acting of Fahad Fassil. I have already written about the movie.

The simplicity of Mahesh and his equanimity towards life won me over. His exchange of glance with Jimsy at the bus stand brought in the thought of falling in love again. Learning about work from Mahesh’s father is something I took forward from the movie and I followed it with watching Fahadh Fassil up in North 24 Kaatham, Carbon, Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum, Njan Prakashan, Kumbalangi nights, Iyobinte Pushthakam, Annayum Rasoolum, Bangalore Days, Money Ratnam till now. Slowly, I plan to watch all of them.

But there was someone else I discovered along the way; Soubin Shahir. One more name kept coming up; Amal Neerad. These were the people who were seen again and again and somehow there was a thread which was being spun. One day, I sat and watched Sudani from Nigeria; gem of a movie. I loved Soubin Saahir as Majeed and the other name which came up; Shyju Khalid. Oh! Does it go back to Maheshinte Pratikaaram! Yes! It did. He is the cinematographer. It stayed casually inside my mind; floating here and there. In the mean time, watched Jallikattu; I had this question! Do I know myself! What do I harbour in my heart! How far will I go! Who could have captured the scenes like that? Am I really human, I mean in the real sense…

But all three movies; Maheshinte Pratikaaram, Sudani from Nigeria and Jallikattu, had a common thread; was not able to pinpoint; three different directors; Dileesh Pothan; Zakariya Mohammad; Lijo Jose Pellissery respectively. There is something running through them; every movie is relatable to me as an everyday human being; but that is director’s vision. Slowly after watching Ee Ma Yau; I understood that there is a strong anthropological perspective with which the movie is shot. It talks about a place and time and stays true to the place and time. The eye is the same; its the same eye which has planned the shots; which had captured them; which has understood; which is behind the camera and that is Shyju Khalid. I know its director’s vision; but its the eyes behind the camera which has understood that vision; which had seen the visualization of the narrative structure. Its not an accident; it has been repeated from one to the other. Its not glossing over; its simple; but detailed out to the last light; it captures the twinkle of the eyes of Mahesh and Jimsy; its the mother’s love for Majeed and Majeed’s pain in the heart; its the village’s rage to capture the animal and the thoughts towards each other; its the angle of the camera capturing the tree in front of Mahesh’s shop, letting the viewers know the space; the wastage of water as an issue for people of Nigeria vs. people of Kerala; its the Kuttachan and Antony and their individual differences superseding over capturing the bull in the nick of the moment. At the end of day, its Shyju Khalid in all three. It’s him sitting behind and seeing through his mind’s eye which is limitless and capturing it through the lenses of the camera, which has a frame. It’s him, who manages to open our hearts, sometimes warming it up with love or creating a chill running through the spine looking at the haplessness of the bull; it’s that police officer who can’t handle the conflict inside his home trying to handle the conflict of the village; it’s the Nigerian player wanting to go home and people coming together to comfort him with whatever little everyone had to offer; it’s Mahesh who goes and asks for Jimsy’s hand from his brother and the mother saying “best” in a manner that it compelled me to hear that word ten times over and can’t say enough still.

It’s Shyju Khalid all the way. Hats off to you.