Films
Orma 2004 showcased the following films:
EMS
Directed by K.S. Ranjith. History and biography. Depicts the independence and anti-landlord movements in Kerala. While EMS challenged the Brahmin orthodoxy through the symbolic acts of burning sacred thread, C.J. Thomas, the playwright and one of the original thinkers in Malayalam upturned the Christian orthodoxy through tearing away the sacred dress.
Malayalathinte Priya CJ
Directed by A.V. Thampan. Portrays the life of an eminent genius of Malayalam, including an interview with his wife Mrs. Rosi Thomas.
K. Kelappan
A documentary directed by Satheesh Poduval. Depicts the independence movement through the biographical narrative of Kelappan.
Njeralath Rama Poduval – the Fakir
Directed by Satheesh Venganoor. Depicts the life and legacy of Njeralath Rama Poduval, Malayalam artist and ‘sopanam’ music maestro.
Ayyankali
Directed by Mr. Kannan. Documentary on the social revolutionary who fought against all forms of social oppression and envisioned the formation of secular modern Kerala.
Vaikkam Abdul Khader
Directed by Mr. K. Satheesh Biographical documentary on statesman for modern Kerala democracy.
Pattam Thanu Pillai
Directed by Mr. B.S. Ratheesh Biographical documentary on Pattom A. Thanu Pillai, statesman in Kerala. Depicts the political values of Kerala during the independence movement.
Aravindan
Directed by Mr. K.K. Chandran. Biographical documentary on the filmmaker, Aravindan.
Sahodaran Ayyappan
Directed by Mr. Majid Gulisthan. Narrative documentary recreates events in the life of Sahodaran Ayyappan – the great organizer of Sree Narayana Movement.
SK
Directed by Mr. K. Rajgopal. Depicts the life and times of S.K. Pottekkad, an eminent Malayalam travelogue writer.
Sri Narayana Guru
Directed by Mr. P. Baburaj, portrays the different facets of Sri Narayana Guru – spiritual reformer, renaissance intellectual and social organizer.
Goda Varma Raja
Directed by Ms. Indira and Mr. Ajith. Documentary biography.
Akkamma Cheriyan
Directed by Ms. Sreebala K. Menon. Documentary biography.
Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon
Directed by Mr. N.P. Gopinath. Documentary biography.
Vaidyaratnam P.S. Warrier
Directed by Mr. Krishnanunni. Documentary biography on the great ayurvedic physician of Kerala.
Arnoos Pathiri
Directed by Mr. Ravidran Depicts the polyphonic trends of cultural formation of modern Kerala, including the process of secularization through the contributions of non-Malayali writers and intellectuals.
Varna Bhedangal
Directed by Mr. Damodar Prasad. Depicts the intellectual and creative evolution of one of the greatest Malayalam painters, K.C.S. Panicker and his contribution to the emergence of modernist sensibility in art.
Narayana Guru, IPA: [n̪ɐːɾɐːjɐɳɐ guɾu], was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer in India. He led a reform movement against the injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala in order to promote spiritual enlightenment and social equality.
Panikkassery Keshavan Balakrishnan was an Indian novelist and critic. A doyen of Malayalam literature, he is best known for his novel, Ini Njan Urangatte, a novel based on Mahabharata as well as a number of critical studies which include Chandu Menon Oru Padanam, Novel - Siddhiyum Sadhanayum, Kavyakala Kumaranasaniloode and Ezhuthachante Kala : Chila Vyasabharatha Patanangalum. His work 'Jathivyavasthayum Kerala Charitravum is a work in social history. Kerala Sahitya Akademi awarded him their annual award for novel in 1974. He was also a recipient of the Vayalar Award and other honours.
Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan was a Malayalam devotional poet, translator and linguist from Kerala, south India.He was one of the members of the Pracheena Kavithrayam. He has been called the "Father of Modern Malayalam", or, alternatively, the "Father of Modern Malayalam Literature", or the "Primal Poet in Malayalam". He was one of the pioneers of a major shift in Kerala literary production. The number and circulation of his texts far outdo that of any other poet of premodern Kerala.
Vallathol Narayana Menon was a Malayalam poet and one of the triumvirate of modern Malayalam poetry, along with Asan and Ulloor. The honorific Mahākavi was applied to him in 1913 after the publication of his MahakavyaChitrayogam. He was a nationalist poet and wrote a series of poems on various aspects of the Indian freedom movement. He also wrote against the caste system, the tyranny of the British and Brahmanas and other social orthodoxies. He founded the Kerala Kalamandalam and is credited with revitalising the traditional Keralite dance form known as Kathakali.
Thekke Arangath Rajendran, popularly known as Nawab Rajendran, was a social activist and journalist from Kerala. He was the founder of Nawab, a local newspaper, and was a popular litigant who, through his prolific use of public interest litigation, helped bring many cases into public notice for nearly three decades, including a number of cases against late K. Karunakaran, former Union Minister of Commerce and Industries and Chief Minister of Kerala. Nawab Rajendran: Oru Manushyavakasa Porattathinte Charithram, a biography by Kamalram Sajeev, details Rajendran's social activism.
C. Kesavan was a politician, social reformer, statesman and the Chief Minister of Travancore-Cochin during 1950–1952. He led the Nivarthana agitation in Travancore to gain the democratic authority for the citizens to decide on the legislation and to attain opportunities regardless of caste or social and economical status.
Govindan Aravindan was an Indian film director, screenwriter, musician, cartoonist, and painter. He was one of the pioneers of parallel cinema in Malayalam. He was known for his unorthodox way of filmmaking; he changed his cinematic forms consistently and experimented in storytelling without regular narrative styles. He studied at University College, Trivandrum. Before venturing into the film field, he was an established cartoonist. He had also worked with documentaries and theatre. He also occasionally directed music for other filmmakers. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian award of Padma Shri in 1990.
Kumbalathuparambu Ayyappan, better identified as Sahodaran Ayyappan, was a social reformer, thinker, rationalist, journalist, and politician from Kerala, India. A vocal follower of Sree Narayana Guru, he was associated with a number of events related to the Kerala reformation movement and was the organizer of Misra Bhojanam in Cherai in 1917. He founded Sahodara Sangam, and the journal Sahodaran and was the founder editor of the magazine Yukthivadhi.
Vellithuruthi Thazhathu Karutha Patteri Raman Bhattathiripad (1896–1982), also known as V. T. Bhattathiripad, was an Indian social reformer, dramatist and an Indian independence activist. He was best known for his contributions in the reformation of the casteism and conservatism that existed in the Namboothiri community. He wrote a number of books which include a play, Adukkalayail Ninnu Arangathekku and his autobiography, Kanneerum Kinavum and many critics consider them as notable works in Malayalam literature. Kerala Sahitya Akademi honoured him with distinguished fellowship in 1976.
C. V. Kunhiraman was an Indian social reformer, journalist and the founder of Kerala Kaumudi daily. A follower of Sree Narayana Guru, Kunhiraman was the author of a number of books covering the genres of novels, short story, poetry, biographies and essays. He was one of the leaders involved in the Vaikom Satyagraha of Reformation movement in Kerala which led to the Temple Entry Proclamation.
Vayaleri kunhikannan Gurukkal-(Vagbhatananda) was a Hindu religious leader and Social reformer in British India. He was the founder of the Atmavidya Sangham, which was fundamentally a group of professionals and intellectuals who sought change, and also the Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society.
M. K. Sanu is a Malayali writer, critic, retired professor, biographer, journalist, orator, social activist, and human rights activist. He has authored over thirty-six books. He is a permanent member of the International Body for Human Rights, as well as the founding member of the Mithram, a school for the mentally handicapped, in Mulanthuruthy, Ernakulam District, Kerala. He was a member of the award selection committee of the Vayalar Rama Varma Literary Award; however, he resigned in September 2019. In 2011, he won the Padmaprabha Literary Award.
Bodheswaran, , was an Indian independence activist, social reformer and a poet of Malayalam literature. He was known for his nationalistic poems such as Keralaganam and for his involvement in social movements like Vaikom Satyagraha and other related events which led to the Temple Entry Proclamation of 1936.
Thooval Kottaram is a 1996 Indian Malayalam drama film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by A. K. Lohithadas. It stars Jayaram, Sukanya, Dileep, Manju Warrier, Oduvil Unnikrishnan and Murali in the main roles. The music was composed by Johnson. The film won three Filmfare Awards South.
Plakkiyil Chacko Devassia, often known as Mahakavi P. C. Devassia, was a Sanskrit scholar and poet from Kerala, India. In 1980 he won the Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit for his Mahakavyam Kristubhagavatam. He has also received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for his overall contributions to Malayalam literature.
Makaramanju is a 2011 Malayalam language romantic drama film written and directed by Lenin Rajendran. The film is about celebrated painter Raja Ravi Varma's life at a certain stage in his life. It also narrates the story of epic character Pururavas. Cinematographer Santhosh Sivan and Karthika Nair appear in the lead roles, as it was also the latter' major Malayalam debut.
Prakash Bare is an Indian theater and film actor focusing on Malayalam, English and other south Indian language productions. Starting with the 2010 Malayalam film Sufi Paranja Katha, Prakash has acted in more than 30 films directed by some of the most eminent filmmakers. He is now a live presence in south Indian art house movies and theater scene. Prakash is also a technologist and entrepreneur focusing on VLSI, Software, media production etc. As a social activist, Prakash is involved in the Endosulfan struggle of Kasaragod and is the president of CERV Collectives which secured interim compensation of 5Lakhs for 6000 plus affected patients through a legal campaign
Sajitha Madathil is an Indian film and theatre actor. Her performance in Joy Mathew's feature film Shutter (2012) won her the State film award for second best actress. She is the head of the department of Acting at the K. R. Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts (KRNNIVSA), an autonomous institute established by the Government of Kerala. She had been the Deputy Secretary of the Sangeet Natak Akademi New Delhi(Academy of Music and Dance, India), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. She appeared in the feature films Shutter in 2012, in Adimadhyantham in 2011, and in Shalini Usha Nair's feature film Akam in 2011.
R. Narayana Panickar was an Indian essayist, playwright, translator, lexicographer, novelist and historian of Malayalam. He was credited with over 100 books but the best known among them are the six-volume work, Kerala Bhasha Sahithya Charthram, a comprehensive history of Malayalam literature up to 1954 and Navayuga Bhasha Nighantu, a lexicon. He also wrote a number of novels and translated several classics of Tamil literature including Purananuru, Akanaṉūṟu and Silappatikaram. Sahitya Akademi honoured him with their annual award in 1955.
P. K. Narayana Pillai, better identified as Sahitya Panchanan P. K. Narayana Pillai, was an Indian literary critic, essayist, scholar, grammarian and poet of Malayalam language. One of the pioneers of literary criticism in Malayalam, he wrote more than 25 books which include Panchananante Vimarssthrayam, a critique of the writings of Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan, Cherusseri Namboothiri and Kunchan Nambiar and two books on Malayalam grammar, Leghuvyakaranam and Vyakarana Pravesika. He was a judge of the High Court of Kerala, a member of the Sree Moolam Popular Assembly and the founder president of the Samastha Kerala Sahithya Parishad.
