Photo: Rajesh Parambil
There was a time when the cock crowed aloud at Udaya, evidently happy that Malayalam Cinema was free from the clutches of the all-powerful Madras studios.
It was Kunchacko who started Udaya Studios at Alappuzha and dared to free Malayalam Cinema from the clutches of the Madras studios. Yes, Malayalam Cinema had drifted gradually from Modern Studios Salem and Pakshiraja Coimbatore to the studio floors in and around Kodambakkam in Madras (now Chennai) and the Marwari financiers in Madras too had a decisive and rather vicious role to play in the making of Malayalam Cinema. But then, Kunchacko took a big step and Malayalam cinema soon went ‘native’ as movies began to be filmed here, in Alappuzha.
Photo: Rajesh Parambil
Udaya Studios, which had as its logo a cock crowing atop a revolving globe, ushered in a new era in Malayalam Cinema. Merryland at Thiruvananthapuram followed suit and then Malayalam film-wallahs started shuttling mostly between Alappuzha and Thiruvananthauram.
The main gate of the Udaya Studio, situated beside the NH 47 near Alappuzha had the globe and the cock atop and once drew the attention of every passer-by.
But then, in the course of time, Malayalam cinema and cinema itself came out of the studios and things changed for Udaya and Merryland. Time ticked on, Kunchacko passed away. His mantle was taken over by his son, Boban Kunchacko.
However, Udaya, which produced many a blockbuster, went out of movie production. The bright lights dimmed and the once busy studio floors became dilapidated. The famous cock too vanished, one fine day.
Today, there is a buzz in the industry that the studio may be revived by Kunchacko Boban, Boban Kunchacko’s son and a successful actor. He, it seems, has plans to produce films under the Udaya banner, which he is proud to say, is his legacy.
So will the Udaya cock crow again? Only time can tell.
[...] This post was Twitted by hotelskerala [...]
[...] too like his looks. Chackochan, who is the grandson of Kunchacko, the man who started the famous Udaya Studios at Alappuzha, still retains that charm of his, which had made him the heartthrob of many a teenager [...]