What does the title of the new Dilip-Joshiy mega-hit film Twenty 20 signify? Most probably the racy fireworks format of the film. For, in its formulaic compulsions to rope in and pander to the fans and fanatics of all the super stars, the film tries to do an incredible balancing act in its narrative to provide equally important roles to all the big men of Malayalam cinema.

Obviously, it has succeeded in that. The formula seems to have worked well with the film audience (read male) in Kerala, who seem to be desperately clinging to a passing era of stardom, which they yearn to bring back in all its former glory. Twenty 20 once again places at the top the super stars who control everything in the narrative. They are the big brothers who look after, control and manage all the eventualities and take away all the spoils.

In the process, all the others are sidelined, made into younger brothers or pushed to the margins. The film is a celebration of their domination and omnipotence, and naturally, all the others are all ‘accompanists’. In this great super race of all times in Malayalam cinema, the upcoming actors are all sidekicks and ‘also-rans’ – many of the major young talents form the background of an item song. If the fate of the younger brothers and minions is a sorry one, in the case of female characters/ actresses, it is even more miserable. In this all male kingdom, they are either glossy item numbers (Nayantara), crafty small timers (Sukumari, Kavya, Kalpana), rape victims (Bhavana) or mere shadows in the background cowering in the presence of the macho, patriarchal figures who dominate the stage.

Look at the representations of the subaltern figures, those whose skin is not ‘fair’. They are thieves and crooks (Harisree Asokan, Kochin Haneefa etc), killers and goons (Mani) or corrupt, gullible police officers (Salim Kumar, Srinivasan). In this celebration of the ‘fair’ heroes where all the others are ‘unfair’, time seems to stand still for Malayalam cinema. Is it just an accident, or does it in a way sumup the age of super stars in our cinema?

If Twenty 20 is a big hit, it only proves that our filmgoers – even of the new generation – are caught in a time warp.