Drugs, not new in Malayalam Cinema

With the arrest of actor Shine Tom Chacko for alleged possession and consumption of cocaine, the spotlight has turned to the use and portrayal of illegal drugs, both on and off screen in Malayalam cinema. A hullabaloo has been raised on the issue of Malayalam cinema glorifying drug use in the last few years, with some feeling that the youth are being influenced by such visuals.However, the fact remains that drugs are nothing new to Malayalam cinema.
The song Hridayathin Romanjam in the 1975 film Utharayanam apparently celebrates the high of psychedelic drugs while the lyrics of the song Marijuana Virinju Vannal from the film Vijayanum Veeranum (1979) starring Prem Nazir, blatantly speaks of the kick of weed, albeit in an unintentionally comic manner. From the 80s onwards, drug trade and use have found mention in films, the only difference being that it was mostly the bad guys who were involved, and it was always brown sugar, an adulterated form of heroin. We list out a few yesteryear films where drugs played a part.
Johny Walker (1992)
The 1992 film has Mammootty doing the title character, a 40 plus person who goes back to college and is faced with a drug gang whom he fights. The film depicted the drug scene in campuses of the age quite
realistically.
Pranamam (1986)
The film by Bharathan sees Suhasini as a journalist who writes a feature on drug abuse by college students. The students whose photos appear in the feature take revenge on her by kidnapping her and torturing her by injecting drugs into her body. The film, considered one of the director’s best, shows how the journalist manages to change the attitude of the youngsters towards drugs.
Season (1989)
Padmarajan’s film was far ahead of its times, and could very well be made in 2015, with ‘stuff’ being traded at ‘Kovalam beach’, sourced from ‘Goa’ and a European tourist as drug dealer. The film is said to have portrayed the drug trade of the age realistically, but also shows how such deals end up in betrayal and imprisonment of the parties involved.
Amritham Gamaya (1987)
T Hariharan’s film was written by MT Vasudevan Nair, and sees Mohanlal as a doctor who resorts to drugs in his adulthood to forget the memories of a crime (he unwittingly kills a student during a ragging session) he committed during his college days. He finally finds his own ways of making amends but scenes depicting his drug-induced high were quite memorable.
Irakal (1985)
KG George’s film was a cult art house film, and had Ganesh Kumar playing the protagonist, Baby, an engineering student and the son of a rich landlord. Baby returns home after being expelled from college for ragging and spends his days smoking opium at his father’s estate. The film delves deep into the psyche of the main character, and was considered one of the masterpieces of George.