Razor encounters over the years

As a child I watched in wonder my grand father stropping a straight razor on a belt like leather piece at my ancestral home  Sakaramangalam, Thamallackal in Kerala. He would then apply some water and the a coat of soap and deftly hold the razor in his hands and   shave  his daily growth on his chin. He did not keep a mustache and the whole daily ritual was performed on the verandah remains well etched in my mind.. These are the earliest memories of my grand father who was an ayurvedic vaidyar.

Straight Razor blade

Later on I had watched the barber using it deftly on lathered faces of men  whenever I go for a hair cut in the hair cutting Saloon at Maduranthakam where  we had settled. Before hair cutting the barber used to spray water from a green bottle fitted with a metal pump on to the thick growth of hair on my head. It was really a blissful experience as some  the water mist cooled by the swinging overhead  punkah falls on your face. Those were the days without electricity and the punkah was the only means of circulating air and served like a fan. It was a rectangular piece of fabric fixed on a framework and hung on the ceiling. It was swung back and forth to make the air move which was by means pulling it back and forth. There was an arrangement of rope and pulleys which ended outside the shop where sat a boy , the barber's son pulling the rope up and down rhythmically and often nodding in to sleep. The spray and the punkah were the star attraction which made my monthly visit to the Barber shop joyful even though I didn't like the way he cuts my hair, which was a crew cut ( as in the military armed forces)

Punkah Wallah

During my adolescent years I keenly watched my uncles and other relatives deftly working up lather  from a round white soap with a brush and applying it on their face. One of my uncles used one blade for one year, sharpening it on a curved glass sharpener. Another cousin  will shave without using a razor, just holding the blade in his fingers.

By the time I started shaving the stainless steel razors consisted of three parts, you just put the blade on the top part then the bottom one and screw the handle.

Three Part Safety Razor

 

 

 

 

 

The blade easily available at that time was  Ashoka Stainless steel which was a good one, Made in India and affordable though 7O'Clock was an expensive imported alternative, I remember buying a foreign NACET blade when the Burmese Refugees arrived and sold foreign goods on the roadside near Madras Park Railway station. later on it became Burmah Bazaar.Other blades like Gillette, Wilkinson, Topaz etc made their presence in the Indian Market. Some of the blades are so poor in quality they were only used for sharpening pencils etc. Bharat blade was much preferred in the Film editing rooms for scraping and joining film rolls.

Varieties of Blades

Meanwhile developments took place in razor design and a single piece twist and open  model came out in Stainless steel and Gold plated varieties. It was much easier and soon I acquired a Gillette Gold model.

In 1971 Gillette introduced Tarc II Twin blade shaving system which had a fixed  Twin blade that gave a smooth shave. Later by 1977 they introduced the Altra/Contour system, the first twin-blade shaving cartridge with a pivoting head, which allows the blades to  follow the contours of the face for a closer shave. I bought one Altra Razor in  the U.S, in 1978,  where I went  for the filming of Malayalam  film Ezham Kadalin Akkare ( Ore Vaanam Ore Bhoomi - Tamil Version ),

I am still using it even though 37 years had passed in spite of the fact that several triple, four or even five bladed cartridges were introduced, I still use Gillette Vector blades with my old sturdy Altra Razor. The heaviness of the handle and well balanced grip ensures a smooth shave.

Gillette razors over the years

 

 

 

 

 

And finally here is my old faithful Altra Razor with GilletteVector Blade...

VIPIN DAS - A man of contrasts in B&W

Vipin Das always remained a mysterious figure - Cinematographer, Director, Violinst, Sanyasi etc all rolled in one. His coming and going will be always dramatic and unexpected. For some time you will find him working in films and suddenly you will be missing him as he will wandering in the remote corners of the country in search of exotic spirituality. Like his Black and White photography he was a man full of contrasts, likable and unpredictable. The final curtain came down on his colourful career on 12, February 2011 at Vythiri at Wayanad in Northen Kerala, after a cardiac attack.

Vipin Das

(Photo - R. Gopalakrishnan)

In the seventies I met him in the company of our mutual friend P.A.Backer who at that time was a Film Producer. I was staying at Chennai along with K.G.George and Prabhakaran ( FTII - Acting) in a flat rented by P.A.Backer which was fondly called POONA HOME, because of us , the residents all hailing from the Poona Film Institute. When Backer started directing films Vipin Das was the natural choice and he extended his full support for his films. I still remember his excellent B&W work in MANIMUZHAKKAM which he had photographed using ordinary photo-flood bulbs.

Later on he did the debut film of I.V.Sasi and the team regularly brought out many small budget B&W films which became superhits, such as AVALUDE RAAVUGAL etc. When the colour era came I got associated with I.V.Sasi in his first colour feature film ITHA IVVIDE VAREY which was a path breaking film. While in 1979 I was going to the U.S. for the filming of I.V.Sasi's multilingual films EZHAM KADALIN AKKARE (Malayalam ) and OREY VAANAM OREY BHOOMI (Tamil) we thought of having a second unit. Editor Narayanan as Director and Vipin Das as cinematographer formed the second unit. Thus we had the opportunity to work side by side for about a fortnight. Below is a photograph taken at the Niagara Falls helipad.

At Niagara falls - Editor Narayanan, Vipin Das and me

The last time I met him was while he was shooting the Malayalam film TATWAMASI on one of the floors of the Chitranjali Studios. At that time I was shooting the film KADAKSHAM on the main studio floor. He came down to our sets during the lunch break and spent some time there. He was looking very smart and active despite the passage of years. Though he had not done feature films for a number of years, he was quite up to date about the technology as he was a voracious reader.

Malayalam film industry will certainly miss the loss of Veteran Cinematographer Vipin Das who had contributed a lot especially during the Black and White era low budget films. I too miss him, but I hope that as per his nature, any moment he may reappear again at unexpected time and place.

He had done a large number of feature films and documentaries in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and other languages. Given below is a partial list of films as Cinematographer and as Director.

Filmography ( Cinematographer):

2010 Tatwamasi

1991 Adayalam

1990 Randam Varavu

1989 Jagratha

1989 Mounam Sammadham

1988 Oru CBI Diary Kurippu

1988 Moonnam Mura

1987 Aankiliyude Tharattu

1987 Oru Sindoora Pottinte Ormaykku

1986 Ee Kaikalil

1986 Adukkan Entheluppam

1986 Iniyum Kurukshethram

1985 Nirakkoottu

1985 Ente Kanakkuyil

1985 Azhiyatha Bandhangal

1985 Kaiyum Thalayum Purathidaruthu

1984 Piriyilla Naam

1983 Belt Mathai

1983 Changatham

1982 Chillu

1982 Ponmudy

1981 Oridathoru Phayalwan

1981 Parvathi

1977 Mani Muzhakkam

As Director :

1984 Oru Kochu Swapnam

1971 Prathidhawani

Thalattu ( Tamil)

Twin loss to Malayalam Film Journalism

Mannarkayam Baby

Mannarkayam Baby, well-known film critic and Founder General secretary of Kerala Film Critics Association, has died on 3 rd May 2010. He had single handedly built up the Kerala Film Critics Association, whose annual awards are considered a prestigious honour by film personalities in Malayalam. As a film journalist during the seventies onwards he had written for various film journals like Cinerama etc. In those days of Trunk booking of long distance telephone calls it often took many hours to get connected. At that time Baby was working in the Telephone exchange and he became the most sought after person by the film personalities to get their calls processed faster! Thus he became a very popular person among the film community.

He formed the Kerala Film Critics Association and aslo started the Film Critics Award which also became popular as it preceded the Kerala State Awards and influenced its selection as well. He always managed get good sponsorship to conduct the Award Nites in a grand manner including giving cash awards too. I was to have received the Film Critics Award for best Cinematography for my film KADAKSHAM this time, but his sudden demise had cast shadows on the future of the Awards itself. I happened to speak to him during his illness while he was resting at home and I never expected his parting to happen so soon.

Whenever I think of T.H.Kodampuzha who passed away recently on 25 th May 2010, the image that comes to my mind is that of his ever smiling face and infectious laughter and jovial nature. Hailing from Malabar area he had this habit of pronouncing the Malayalam letter "ZHA" as "YA". I met him way back in the Seventies, when Malayalam Film journals were very few and Film journalists were still rarer. We used to make fun of him by asking him to tell his name and he will humorously say "KOADAMPUYA"! He always took it light heartedly without taking any offence.

T.H.Kodampuzha in his usual mood

Dressed always in white shirt and Dhoti with a broad smile on his face, his presence on the sets was welcomed by the artistes as well as technicians. He used to mingle right from Prem Nazir at the top to the light boys at the bottom, with equal friendliness. Having come from Malabar area he was much closer to film makers like I.V.Sasi , M.T. Vasudevan Nair etc. I had been associated with M.T. as Cinematographer for the film "NIRMALYAM". M.T. considered me as a family member and called me "Thampy" ( meaning younger brother in Tamil). Likewise Kodampuzha too had started calling me "Thampy"!

When our unit returned from the United States of America after the film shooting of "EZHAM KADALIN AKKARE", perhaps the first malayalam feature film to be shot in foreign locations, Kodampuzha was there at the Madras Airport to receive us with garlands! Below is a photograph taken on that occassion.

Seema, T.H.Kodampuzha and myself at Madras Airport

With more film magazines coming out and many more film journalists competing to gather news by whatever means , he gradually shifted base from Chennai to Kozhikode. He used to visit sets occassionally if the shooting happens in northern Kerala. Sometime back on one of his rare visits he introduced me to his daughter who wanted to follow his footsteps as a film journalist. I do hope that she will take up from where her father had left.

Till his last days he looked healthy and young looking without much change in physical appearences. With his departure I really miss a selfless and jovial friend and his affectionate call - "Thampy".

I pray for the Two Stalwarts of Malayalam Film Journalism's souls to Rest in Peace and my condolences to their grieving family members.