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Setting a tinsel world
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Ever wondered where those swords and pompous costumes in some period films came from? N. J. NAIR meets Kunnukuzhi Anto, who supplies movie folks these props.
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THE NAME, Kunnukuzhi Antony, is very popular among the film folk ranging from production boys to top directors. Antony is always ready to meet their demands. Be it the set of a prison, forest, court or hospital, he has all the paraphernalia to create a make-believe world ranging from costumes to the most innocuous set properties.
His `armoury' is replete with revolvers, rifles, pistols, swords and spears and wardrobe full of costumes to suit both male and female characters of all genres. Perhaps, Antony's house is a one-stop shop where a production executive can have all that he wants without running around.
Antony, 68, who is popularly known as Kunnukuzhi Anto, has rented out set properties and costumes for more than 500 films starting from the noted director, Adoor Gopalakrishnan's `Mukhamukhom'.
"It was the late Aziz (police officer-turned actor) who motivated me to start the business. I started providing police uniforms and once my collection of articles grew, I decided to become more active," he says. The room attached to his house at Barton Hill in the city resembles a museum. The room has almost everything one may come across in the world.
"To be in the business, one should be ready to supply anything under the sun on demand. He should have a collector's mind and must try to procure anything and everything he comes across. A sound knowledge of different professions, their uniform and working environment too is imperative. I have the costume and insignia of the police in different States, including that in the pre-independent India. Guns are all made at a foundry in Tamil Nadu. All the rest I have collected from various sources," he says.
Supplying set properties for a period film is the most difficult task. The director may only give a list of archaic items, which can never be procured from the market. Then Antony would start hunting in his friends' houses and provide them on time. "Supplying set properties for the Rajiv Anchal film `Guru' was a challenge. Still, I made it without giving room for any complaints," he says.
Before starting the business, Antony had a professional music and drama troupe. He had acted in relatively important roles in about 400 films in Malayalam and Tamil films. He had toured the State with his ganamela troupe and has directed 60 plays.
"My film career started in Merryland with the late P. Subramaniam in 1952 and I had associated with many prominent artistes including Prem Nazir, Bahadur, M. G. Ramachandran and M. N. Nambiar. Now, I have nothing except a few photographs and sweet memories," he smiles.
Antony claims that many prominent music directors including M. G. Radhakrishnan and Ravindran were members of his troupe. "I had about 20 musical instruments including veena, sitar, tabla, bulbul, violin and guitar. I used to rent them, but gradually lost everything as those who take these instruments do not return it on time," he says.
According to Antony, most of the production executives fail to keep their word and are often erratic in making the payments. "Most of them do not give the promised amount and even fail to return the properties. Still, I continue to run the business as there are no other options, he says.
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