Thoppil Bhasi

Thoppil Bhasi regarded as one of the patriarchs of Malayalam Theater was born in 1925 in Vallikunnam in Alappuzha district. He was actively involved in the Communist movement, which had Kerala in its grip in the 1940s, and 50s.

The path breaking play ‘Ningalenne Communistakki,’ which broke away from the hitherto followed conventions in the Malayalam theater scene was penned by Thoppil Bhasi. He wrote it while in hiding, in the Shooranadu case. The play deals with the notorious feudal system, which was in vogue in those days. It strived to sweep away the decades old traditions in the relationship between the landlord and the bonded labourer and make way for a progressive change. Bhasi wrote this play under the pen name, Soman. It was staged on December 6, 1952 in Chavara in Kollam district under the banner of the well known drama troupe KPAC. With that, KPAC attained an undeniable position in the theater scene of Kerala.

Thoppil Bhasi played a prominent role in the strong winds of change that were sweeping across the Malayalam film industry in those days. Many of his plays including Ningalenne Communistakki were made into movies. Beginning with Mudiyanaaya Puthran in 1961, Bhasi wrote the script for around a hundred and ten films. Most of these went on to become super hits with evergreen songs.

This great artist who has made a significant contribution to the Malayalam cultural scene died in 1992.

Prepared by: Remitha Satheesh