Keralal*

I grew up adoring you,
In a tongue strange to the nation,
Most Sundays, except a boring few,
You adorned a telly station.
Be it Asianet or DD4,
Tragedy, comedy, never shoddy,
Left us begging for more,
Intoxicated by thespian toddy.
Though others cluttered the screen,
Mammooty, Jayaram, Siddique and Mukesh,
For this impressionable teen,
You epitomised owur Mallu Pradesh.
From the violence in Kireedam,
To the smiles in Naadodikaatu,
Via the tears in Ulladakkam,
And the hope in Thenmaavin Kombathu,
Each character, from achha to anna,
The script, you suffused with flesh and blood,
With Urvashi, Mohini and Shobhana,
Guaranteed never to be a cinematic dud.
Alas, now that you’re a superstar,
Exploited merely to please the masses,
Releasing movies that mercilessly scar
Brains while heating the arses.
A heroine young enough to be magal,
Classified as your lou interest,
Belated hridayam naranya onaashamsagal,
But Pa role trumps over cardiac arrest!
And now what do I hear, Lal etta?
Potential bid for an IPL team?
Sudden interest in faux cricket aa?
Bowled over by swing off the seam?
Appo Thiruvananthapuram Thamburaans aano?
Adho Boxers from Bhatinda?
Ende vaaku onnu kekuo?
Lal etta, inganthe kusruthi kaatinda!
*

*A bilingual request to Padma Shri Mohanlal