Promoting visual culture

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Dec. 22. PROF. ALIYAR V. Kunju is not just another academic who strayed into the tinsel world to earn a fast buck. To him it is no short cut to fame either. Prof. Aliyar is committed to the cause of nurturing a good visual culture. As head of the Malayalam Department of the University College, he propagates good cinema and television culture among the students.

Media and Malayalam literature is one of the papers for Degree main students. Now, he is busy organising a national seminar on the subject for 50 select college teachers in January. In addition, there are many other responsibilities. He is one of the most sought-after dubbing artiste, actor and production designer.

Before becoming busy in cinema and television, Prof. Aliyar had keenly observed and studied the pulse of the visual media. He also had a stint in theatre along with thespians of Natyagraha such as Prof. Narendra Prasad, Nedumudi Venu and M.R. Gopakumar.

Prof. Aliyar had been active in the theatre movement and also helped promote campus theatre. Despite the meaningful attempts made by these people, experimental theatre could not gain ground in the State as they were ambiguous and could not synchronise with the rural theatre concept, he says.

Armed with the experience earned from theatre, Prof. Aliyar was at home when he shifted his area of activity to cinema and television. He had just returned after completing the shooting of the film, `Vakkalath Narayanankutty'. He plays a negative character, the typical khadi-clad service organisation leader who skips work and finds fault with everyone around.

Other than the achievements in the film world, he seems to be happy with the role of the production designer of the trend- setting serial, `Jwalayayi', aired on Doordarshan at present. ``With every passing episode, the serial is becoming more popular among the audience. Such is the response we get from the viewers. Recently when I went to Kozhikode with M.R. Gopakumar, a group of people gathered around us and curiously asked about the course of the story,'' he said.

Doordarshan was initially sceptical about the idea of opening an afternoon slot. After `Jwalayayi' went on air, there was a steady increase in viewership and private channels are even contemplating strengthening the afternoon slot which they earlier used to fill with a cinema, he said. Now he has been assigned to draw the production schedule of a serial for Kairali channel with Urvasi in the lead.

Though Prof. Aliyar has acted in 40-odd films, he has dubbed for more than 250 films. This includes artistes from other languages such as the Tamil actor, Nazar, Om Puri, Mansoor Ali Khan, Pradeep Shakti, Punit Issar and a host of others.

``In spite of instituting an award for the best dubbing artiste, the question still remains whether they are getting their due. The injustice is mainly in the remuneration, he says. When producers and directors promptly shell out lakhs for an artiste from Hindi or other languages who makes a guest appearance, they are reluctant to remunerate the dubbing artiste who lends sound and adds life to the character,'' he says.

Dubbing is much more than lending sound to a character. The dubbing artiste should sense even the slightest emotional shades of the characters and enliven it. Even a slight breath may give a new dimension which the dubbing artiste should not overlook. Still the industry tends to treat dubbing artistes as lesser beings, he says.

How does he meet all these commitments?

``It may sound a bit odd to you when I say that I seldom take leave. I never shirk responsibilities. Between 9.30 a.m. and 5 p.m., I clear official chores and the rest of the time for other pursuits,'' he says. Which means he works 26 hours a day to keep the schedule. Rather a quality worth emulating.

By N.J. Nair

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Final link in killer hooch case nabbed
Next     : Reading faces