The Cinematic Signature of Director Shyamaprasad

Abstract

Auteur theory which arose in France in the late 1940s considers the director of a film as a gifted creative individual who leaves his imprint, if not all, in most of his films. With his distinguishing film-making style and personal leitmotifs, the creator’s signature sweeps through his films and the director triumphs in articulating his personality through them. In Malayalam cinema, where auteurs are finite, the director Shyamaprasad has managed to be distinguished as one, with his recurring style and themes. A mise-en-scene analysis and content analysis of his films reveals that he can be appraised as a successful auteur based on the consistency with which the director expresses a uniquely personal point of view in his films through the use of recurring themes, characters and situations. His films transcend the individual and become universal with the distinctive imprint of the unconventional director.