THE WALLS and how it was made

What does the word "Timeless classic" refer to ? , like timeless classics are any works  that could last beyond time and generations right ? But in spite of all the modernisations and westernised culture do we really have time to turn up pages or look up films that are considered as "Timeless classics''. but if you wanna explore the works of some finest classics , Here is complete separate set of series "Revisiting Timeless classic" , where I'll try to suggest and recommend you the most handpicked greatest classics of all time, previously I've posted  Balu mahendra sir's Moondraam pirai as a post named 'revisiting timeless classics' btw I really had no idea whether to continue this series or not , but last week when i decided to  watch Adoor gopalakrishnan's vidheyan ...somewhat it reminded me to re watch Mathilugal (The Walls) which I've seen a couple of years ago when i came to know about this man Vaikkom Mohammed Basheer , to be more precise to the point ,Mohammed basheer was a writer who was an ardent critic of British rule in Pre independence of India, his writings and journals has  always been  a headache to British,so the government of British province  decided to send him to prison in name of "treason" . Okay I can hear that you are cursing me for telling you all these like your old history teacher , let me come to the point of how this Mathilugal movie connected to this Mohammed Basheer.

Once , K. Balakrishnan, editor of Kaumudi weekly, decided to publish a special issue for Onam. He decided to bring together all the prominent Malayalam writers and their new works in this issue. Most of the top writers of the time sent in their works on the promised dates. But there was no reply from Vaikom Muhammed Basheer who had also promised to send in his work.

Balakrishnan had already given advertisements in the previous issues about the special Onam edition and here he had mentioned Basheer’s name. So there was no way that he was going to print the issue without Basheer’s work.This inordinate delay worried Balakrishnan. He sent a couple of letters to Basheer reminding him of the story he had promised but there was no response from the writer.

All the other articles and stories were edited and ready for printing. Balakrishnan waited for Basheer’s story. The edition went to press but there was news from Basheer. Balakrishnan even left a few blank pages, which he hoped to fill as soon as he got the story.

When the wait became endless Balakrishnan decided to go meet Basheer who was then staying at Thalayolaparambu, near Vaikom. He reached there one evening and Basheer welcomed him very warmly. But whenever the talk veered towards the promised story Basheer cleverly strayed away from the subject.

Finally both of them decided to go to Ernakulam for the writing work. They stayed in a lodge that night. Balakrishnan woke up early the next morning and left for Trivandrum without waking up Basheer. When Basheer got up he realised that the manuscript was presumably taken away by Balakrishnan.

Basheer was forced to follow him to Trivandrum. He reached there and went straight to the Kaumudi office. He was stunned by what he saw there. The composing of his manuscript was almost complete and the proof readers were going through the copy. Basheer got wild and shouted at Balakrishanan. When things cooled down Balakrishnan put across a new condition. He said that he would return the manuscript only if Basheer gave him a new story. Basheer agreed to this .

The manuscript that Balakrishnan took away was the screenplay of the movie "Bhargavinilayam". Shooting of the film had not yet started and Basheer feared that if this script was published it would adversely affect the prospects of the film.

As per the agreement , Basheer started writing a special short story for the special isuuse of Onam,Basheer took four days to complete his writing as it was a compilations of his experiences in prison.

As soon as it was over it was taken to the press. The whole story came out in that edition.Paul Manalil, the biographer of Basheer, says that the writer told him that he had suggested two titles for the story - Sthreeyude Gandham and Penninte Manam. But he later changed it to Mathilukal. The female character, Narayani was modelled on a real character - a convict sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering her husband. She was just 22 years of age.

Basheer was in jail in 1942, Mathilukal was written sometime in 1962-63. Many believe that this was a short story but Basheer considered it a short novel that could be expanded to at least 1,000 pages.

Later Adoor Gopalakrishnan adapted this work into a film with the same title in which Mammootty played the role of Basheer. The film went on to win numerous national and international honours.