There was a time when a Malayalam film headlined by A-listers was produced on a budget of just ₹1.5 lakh including the male lead’s remuneration of
₹ 5,000 and the female lead’s ₹3,500.
While the Malayalam film industry has produced several legendary directors over the decades who have played key roles in shaping Indian cinema as we see it today, few can match the fruitfulness of
J.Sasi Kumar.
One of the most successful filmmakers in the history of the industry, Sasikumar was instrumental in Malayalam cinema’s box-office rise in the 1960s and ’70s, earning him the sobriquet “Hitmaker,” and establishing the careers of many actors.
Initially, Sasi Kumar embarked on his cinematic journey with the ambition to act.
It was from his theatre background, that he made his way to the legendary Udaya Studios owned by
Veteran filmmaker Kunchacko.
However, in a small industry that had enough heroes by then, and with Sathyan, Prem Nazir and Madhu already soaring, the future looked bleak for Sasikumar. Although he appeared in a few movies, including Vishappinte Vili, Thiramala, and Oral Koodi Kallanayi, it soon became apparent to him that he might never make it as an actor.
But that was only the beginning of the Sasikumar era, and he soon transitioned to film direction. However, he initially didn’t receive credit in that domain either. His life, nevertheless, changed when he met ace filmmaker PA Thomas. Along with him, Sasikumar co-directed the Prem Nazir-Sheela starrer Kudumbini (1964), which emerged as a massive hit. He worked with Thomas in Porter Kunjali (1965), too, before making his debut as an independent director with Jeevithayaathra. With his Thommante Makkal also turning out to be a big success, a new era had dawned upon Malayalam cinema.
In a career spanning over three decades, J Sasikumar helmed a record 141 movies, reportedly the second most by an Indian director after Dasari Narayana Rao (151). Interestingly, 84 of them featured Prem Nazir, Malayalam’s biggest superstar. He also created a total of 67 movies featuring the Prem Nazir-Sheela lead duo. He also holds the record for directing the most films in a single year — 15 movies in 1977 — thus positioning himself as a force to be reckoned with.
As per reports Sasikumar’s life also features a remarkable instance in which he developed a story and screenplay in a single night and began production the next day. One Saturday, a producer visited him with Nazir’s dates and asked him to put together a movie and start shooting by Monday. That’s how the superhit Post Mortem (1982), featuring Prem Nazir, Mammootty, and Sukumaran, was born.
News Edit KV Raman
