Wheels on Movie Reels That More Than Move

Among the various properties that movie-makers use to represent the public persona of their on-screen characters before the audience, personal vehicles that the characters use is perhaps the most visible one. Well, we all notice our hero’s Range Rover SUV well before his Rado wrist-watch, don’t we?

A protagonist who rides a 50 cc moped versus another who rules the road on a 250 cc motorcycle represent two distinctly different modes of on-screen characterization. In Malayalam cinema, we have seen our stars steering bicycles, mopes, scooters, motorcycles, cars, SUVs, trucks, auto-rikshaws and sometimes even buses. Let’s visit some of the dynamic man-on-wheels cases from the recent Malayalam movies in this photo-feature.

Mohanlal and his bicycle in Drishyam:

The phenomenal success of Drishyam had a lot to do with the “common-man” persona of its protagonist that Mohanlal played to perfection. Though he had a motorised vehicle (a Mahindra Jeep) in the movie, it was the bicycle that gave him the affability and the belongingness that the Malayali audience loved and related with. The bicycle-handbag properties combination proved immensely powerful in the characterization phase of the unforgettable man that Georgekutty was, in the family thriller. It was a pleasure to watch Georgekutty pedalling slowly and brilliantly to the unimaginable box office success!

Fahadh Faasil and the Army-styled Enfield Bullet in Iyobinte Pusthakam:

The military haircut, the ankle-high soldier boots, the close-fitting clothes, the stubble, and to top it all, the olive green-colored Enfield bullet – Aloshi of Iyobinte Pusthakam made his mature intensions and character very clear on his return from Navy. The man riding the brute motor wearing no head-gear, and taking the golden puff of his cigar before throwing it away was one of the many stylish and powerful shots of the periodical movie. Though it appeared in only a few scenes, the machine on wheels was indeed a star in the recent box office hit.

Mammootty with his Range Rover SUV in Gangster:

Before the man came the machine, in this Aashiq Abu vengeance drama. If you remember the intro scene of the megastar, it was the wheels of his motor that got the opportunity to open it. They rolled silently and savagely into the frame before the man who steered them stepped out to shoot his rivals down. The Range Rover SUV was in fact a separate character in the movie – rugged, raring-to-go and wounded – just like the gangster man who owned it!

Dulquar and his Enfield Bullet in Neelakasham Pachchakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi:

A road movie does require a whirring machine that can move wheels and men on road. In a journey that the character played by Dulquar Salman undertook to find his earthly love and unearthly life, the inanimate companion that he chose was his Enfield motorcycle that truly represented his own self – invincible and unquenchable.

Lal and the (Fiat) Premier Padmini in Salt ‘N Pepper:

Also called Fiat 1100 Delight, the Premier Padmini model car represented the middle class mentality. Orthodox, shy, introvert, slow, simple, deeply emotional, high reserve of unbridled passion – if that was the protagonist of the highly successful movie, the choice of his car was a clear pointer to his personality. The man and his motor was a perfect combination of the movie that opened up the way for Aashiq Abu to creative fame.

Nivin Pauly on his Royal Enfield motorcycle in Om Shanthi Oshana:

The man was the teenage girl’s infatuation at first. She fell in love with his rough personality rather than his cool looks. This was yet another movie that had made use of the masculine image that Royal Enfield bullet brand of motorcycles have been commanding since their inception in Indian markets. The ‘thud thud’ inside-firing sound of the machine reverberated in the girl’s love-sick ‘thud thud’ heartbeats!

Indrajit and his scavenging bicycle in Ee Adutha Kaalathu:

The scavenger protagonist of the movie was nothing like the conventional Malayalam movie hero. He was an assortment of many qualities and attributes that did not always carry the ‘likeable’ tag - just like his bicycle. The bicycle was modified to carry scavenging load that made it look repelling. When we struggle to pull on with our lives, looks hardly matter – was the idea that the poor man’s vehicle seemed to convey!

Mohanlal with his Mercedes-Benz SUV in Karmayodha:

The man was on a mission that had too many stakes, and which demanded strength, precision, penetration power and class. SUV carried him on the high-risk mission. The man was to stand out amongst the usual crowd of law-makers and law-breakers, and his taste and choice of the motor made it easier!

Nivin Pauly and his bicycle in 1983:

The movie triggered feelings of nostalgia in Malayali minds that loved sports and that had a rural upbringing, like never before. Those golden moments of countryside fun of games were re-lived by many. If the character Rameshan played by Nivin was easily identifiable by many, one of its compelling reasons was the bicycle that he chose to use!

Prithviraj and the Mahindra Jeep in 7th Day:

The man was playing a game of deceit not only with his on-screen rivals, but also with his off-screen spectators. The Mahindra Jeep that he was seen with, throughout the movie, helped him win it in no lesser degree.

Each vehicle carries a bagful of images and emotions to the imaginative eye. Great movie-makers use them to their advantage, creating memorable characters and moments on the silver screen.