A 16-foot long memorial of 3,000-odd film technicians, primarily actors, who have traversed the Malayalam film industry since the first Malayalam film, Vigathakumaran, in 1928, to the present, sounds like hyperbole which stretches the imagination. And then I see it at the Aluva home of former insurance employee-turned-artist Javan Chacko and his wife, Reena.
Resting on a few carved wood stands, a flickering lamp is placed in front of it as a mark of respect for the departed souls, the glass embossed work has hand-painted images and photographs of those who have passed away.
The wood-framed art work, crafted to resemble a film reel, is a stunning piece for the sheer amount of time (around 29,000 hours) which translates to 18-odd years.
The first place 67-year-old Javan takes me to is his studio/gallery to show me the photograph of his oldest brother, the late PC Kunjumon, who passed away in 1979. At the time of his death, he was working as a poster design artist in Chennai. Javan is the fourth brother and this work is Javan’s way of commemorating him. “Since he was a part of the film industry, I thought why not a memorial for all those who had gone before him and since!”
We see the work through Malayalam cinema’s first woman actor PK Rosie’s eyes, with two symbolic eyes painted alongside her portrait. There is JC Daniel, the father of Malayalam cinema too.
The art work was christened ‘Chitrasradhanjali’ (homage by pictures for films) by actor Mohanlal in 2007 (on the set of Chotta Mumbai).
Chitrashradhanjali is a 16 feet long mix media painting. |
| Photo Credit:
RK Nithin
Using a technique reminiscent of glass painting and stained glass, Javan painted (referencing old photographs) some images. He has also pasted photographs sourced from the Malayalam film magazine, Nana.
“Ponnamma aunty [the late actor Kaviyoor Ponnamma] helped us get many of the photographs. In fact, she was the one who encouraged me to go ahead, literally. She lit a lamp and symbolically painted the first image,” reminisces Javan as he shows me one of his last photographs with the actor a week before her death.
Ponnamma occupies a prominent place in the work. The late actor Oduvil Unnikrishnan’s wife gave him a dakshina (honorarium) of ₹101 as a token for his work. The ₹1 coin has also found a place on the painting.
What started out as a memorial for 53 people grew into this work. “There is no reason for choosing the figure. It just occurred to me,” says Javan. He has also painted anatomical planes of the skull — coronal, sagittal and horizontal — to acknowledge the anonymous and the unknown. “This is my answer to those looking for people who have not found representation here. I have painted and placed all the photographs that I could find,” Javan adds.
When you look at the faces on the painting you get a sense of the number of people we have lost.
“Some people like Ponnamma aunty and Innocent who have touched this work are now part of it,” says Javan, in a voice tinged with sadness. A former employee of a Kochi-based insurance company, Javan is a self taught artist who has painted mostly on glass.
Although he had painted before, Chitrashradhanjali is his most ambitious. He bought the glass from Bengaluru. “This is the kind of glass that is used to make walls. Shipping it to Kochi, without it shattering, was itself an achievement!” Once it reached the studio, it was placed on wooden tables for ease of painting.
The couple has been through many ups and downs, but one of the worst was the flood of 2018. “We did not expect anything to remain, fortunately nothing happened even though the house was inundated by close to a metre-and-a-half of water. Cleaning it took so much time!” says Reena.
Javan had not drawn until his brother’s passing. “I was to join the police, wear a uniform. Do that kind of job but here I am. Call it destiny or what you will!”
He has gifted his paintings to people as diverse as the late APJ Abdul Kalam, Atal Bihar Vajpayee and Amitabh Bachchan, Rajnikanth and others.
But the most memorable, and special, is the couple’s 2016 trip to the Vatican. The agenda of the trip was to give Pope Francis the Ocean of Consciousness, a painting he made over a period of 10 years. The work is Javan’s take on the movement of humans and human consciousness from the beginning of time until eternity, complete with a pictorial representation of the rise and fall of man.
“Over the decade or so, Javan spent painting it, he would always talk about gifting it to the Pope. I was sceptical about it ever happening however, it did happen. It was a miracle that we were not able to meet the Pope but also give him the painting and be blessed by him,” says Reena.
“There were so many people from across the world at the Vatican that day. Initially we were told that we could meet him in a couple of years but something happened and we were among the first to meet him,” she adds.
After holding the work close to his heart for almost two decades, Javan has already found a space for the 1,400 kilogram memorial. “Mohanlal has assured me that he will take it and place it in one of his private galleries. Lal [Mohanlal] has been a source of constant support and spiritual energy. It gives us joy that Chitrashradhanjali will find a home with him,” Javan signs off.
Published – March 01, 2025 11:01 am IST
