P. A. Backer ( ml, പി.എ. ബക്കർ; 1940 – 22 November 1993) was one of the new-wave

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, ...

s of the 1970s and 1980s.

Life sketch

Backer was born in 1940 to Ahamed Musliar and Fathima of Kanippayyoor near Kunnamkulam in Trichur,

Kingdom of Cochin The Kingdom of Cochin, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It commenced at the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until 1949, when monarchy ...

(now part of

Kerala state Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Cana ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

). While still a student, Backer worked as a journalist for ''Kuttikal'' and ''Poomottukal''. He then worked as an assistant to director

Ramu Kariat Ramu Kariat (1 February 1927 – 10 February 1979) was an Indian film director for almost three decades from the 1950s to the 1970s, who directed many acclaimed films in the Malayalam cinema. His noted films include '' Neelakkuyil'' (1954), '' ...

(1960). He made his debut as a producer in 1970 with ''

Olavum Theeravum ''Olavum Theeravum'' () is a 1970 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by P. N. Menon, written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, and produced by P. A. Backer. It stars Madhu and Ushanandini, with Jose Prakash, Philomina, and Nilambur Balan in ...

'' which won the

state awards State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * '' State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our ...

for the best film and best cinematography. He turned director in 1975 with ''

Kabani Nadi Chuvannappol ''Kabani Nadi Chuvannappol'' (''When the River Kabani Turned Red'') is a 1975 Malayalam feature film directed by P. A. Backer, produced by Pavithran, and starring T. V. Chandran, Shalini, Raveendran and J. Siddiqui. This leftist political drama ...

'' which won for him the State award for best director. ''Kabani Nadi Chuvannappol'' (''When the River Kabani Turned Red''), a bold movie about a

leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soc ...

political activist, was released during the

Indian Emergency The Emergency in India was a 21-month period from 1975 to 1977 when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had a state of emergency declared across the country. Officially issued by President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed under Article 352 of the Constitution be ...

. Some other notable movies by Backer are ''

Manimuzhakkam ''Manimuzhakkam'' () is a 1976 Malayalam-language film directed by P. A. Backer and starring Harikeshan Thampi, Veeran, Johnson, Sankaradi, Saritha, Urmila, Vani, cyril P Jacob, Charulatha, Santhakumari, Sreenivasan and Meena Ganesh. This is t ...

'' (''Peal of Bells''), ''

Chuvanna Vithukal ''Chuvanna Vithukal'' ( en, Red Seedlings) is a 1978 Indian Malayalam socio-political film, directed by P. A. Backer and produced by Salam Karassery. The film stars Santhakumari (Malayalam actress), Nilambur Balan, Kunjava, Nilambur Ayisha and ...

'' (''Red Seeds''/''Seeds of revolution''), ''

Sree Narayana Guru Narayana Guru, , (20 August 1856 – 20 September 1928) was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer in India. He led a reform movement against the injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala in order to promote spiritual ...

'' and ''

Sanghaganam ''Sanghaganam'' () is a 1979 Indian Malayalam-language political drama film directed by P. A. Backer based on a story by M. Sukumaran and starring Sreenivasan, Ramu Karyat Ramu Kariat (1 February 1927 – 10 February 1979) was an Indian fil ...

'' (''Chorus''). ''Manimuzhakkam'', based on the novel ''Murippadukal'' by Sarah Thomas, won the National Film Award for Best Regional Film and the

Kerala State Film Award for Best Film The Kerala State Film Award for Best Film is an award presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India to the best film in Malayalam cinema. The awards are managed directly by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy under the Department ...

. ''Sree Narayana Guru'' won the

Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration The Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organization set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one o ...

. His last film as a director was '' Innaleyude Baaki'' (''The Balance of Yesterday''; 1988). He died on 22 November 1993, aged 53, at his residence in

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

. He was survived by his wife Anita Backer.

Filmography

Backer directed the following films: * '' Innalayude Baaki'' (1988) * ''

'' (1985) * ''

Premalekhanam ''Premalekhanam'' (The Love Letter) is Vaikom Muhammad Basheer's first work (1943) to be published as a book. The novel is a humorous story of love. Through the hilarious dialogs, Basheer attacks religious Conservatism and the dowry system. ...

'' (1985) - based on the novel ''

'' by

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (21 January 1908 – 5 July 1994), popularly referred to as Beypore Sulthan, was a writer of Malayalam literature. He was a writer, humanist, freedom fighter, novelist and short story writer, noted for his path-breaking ...

* '' Charam'' (1983) * '' Chappa'' (1982) * ''

Unarthupattu ''Unarthupattu'' ( en, The Awakening Song) is a 1980 Malayalam film directed by P. A. Backer P. A. Backer ( ml, പി.എ. ബക്കർ; 1940 – 22 November 1993) was one of the new-wave Malayalam film directors of the 1970s and 1980s. ...

'' (1980) * ''

Manninte Maril ''Manninte Maril'' (English: In the Bosom of the Earth) is a 1979 Indian Malayalam film, directed by P. A. Bakker, based on Cherukad's novel ''Manninte Maril''. The film stars P. J. Antony in a lead role. The film has musical score by G. Deva ...

'' (1979) * ''

'' (1978) * '' Mani Muzhakkam'' (1976) - based on the novel ''Murippadukal'' by Sarah Thomas * ''

'' (1976)

Awards

Kerala State Film Awards

* 1970 -

for ''

'' * 1976 -

for ''

'' * 1975 -

Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Film The Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Film is an award presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India to the second best film in Malayalam cinema. The awards are managed directly by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy under ...

for ''

'' * 1977 -

for ''

'' * 1975 -

Kerala State Film Award for Best Director The Kerala State Film Award for Best Director is an honour presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India since 1969. It is given to a film director who has exhibited outstanding direction while working in the Malayalam film industry ...

for ''

'' * 1976 -

Kerala State Film Award for Best Screenplay The Kerala State Film Award The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have be ...

for ''

National Film Awards

* 1976 -

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of seve ...

for ''

'' * 1982 -

for '' Chappa'' * 1985 - Best Film on National Integration for ''

References

External links

*
P. A. Backer
at Cinema of Malayalam 1940 births 1993 deaths Film directors from Thrissur Malayalam film directors 20th-century Indian film directors Directors who won the Best Film on National Integration National Film Award {{India-film-director-stub