Express News Service
Malayalam cinema is now 93 years old, yet the industry has only seen a handful of successful women filmmakers. From society’s inherent patriarchy to gender bias to a blatant lack of opportunities, the reasons are aplenty. In a bid to promote women filmmakers, the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) launched a project to fund films helmed by newcomers. Shruthi Sharanyam’s B 32 Muthal 44 Vare is one such film that was picked up by the KSFDC as part of this initiative.
The film, which hit screens on April 6, is an important and insightful commentary on body politics—a topic hitherto unexplored in Malayalam cinema. Shruthi is grateful that the government came forward with such an initiative. “It’s not easy for women filmmakers out there. Even if a project like this got funding from other sources, it would have vested interests. Independent producers might interfere in the casting and creative choices. But with the government’s backing, we didn’t have to face any such issues,” says Shruthi, while also pointing out a few areas of concern.
“The usual decision-making delays associated with government functionings impacted the film’s pre-release promotions. We would’ve loved to have a wider release with proper ground-level promotions, but on the positive side, I can see that they are trying to address the shortcomings. I’m sure things will be better for the upcoming set of filmmakers.”
Despite the limited release for B 32 Muthal 44 Vare, the response has been encouraging, feels Shruthi, who is currently on a social media promotional spree. “My job is not done with just releasing the film. I’ve been involved in the theatrical distribution and tracking the show counts. I wouldn’t have done all this if the film was backed by a private producer. I see it as a learning process and an opportunity to understand more about the trade.” Despite her efforts, Shruthi regrets the film hasn’t reached its target audience. “Our aim was the younger audience, but it was pleasantly surprising to observe that the 30+ crowd are turning up more.”
Shruthi believes that the low footfalls also have to do with the hate campaign plaguing the film. Ever since the release announcement, a section of social media users have been on a rampage against the film and its makers. “I’m frustrated and clueless on seeing such hatred. Ours is not a film like Romancham or a biggie eyed at the hundred crore clubs. There’s a niche audience for such films, but even they are kept away thanks to such campaigns. I guess the hatred stems from the fact that the film’s helmed by a woman. I’m sure they won’t dare to do it with a man.” While the ‘organised attack’ on social media is carried out mostly by fake accounts, Shruthi and team had to face similar bullying from sections of the media during pre-release promotions.
“Many had issues with why the government was backing only first-time women filmmakers and not men. The answer is right there before them. If I’m not wrong, around 12 films were released on the same weekend as B 32 Muthal 44 Vare and none of them had a woman filmmaker. It’s something to think about but people prefer turning a blind eye. I don’t think these people can ever be taught about how patriarchy and gender bias work,” says a dejected Shruthi.
However dejected she is, Shruthi’s film radiates hope. Through her six protagonists, the director attempts to discuss their insecurities about their bodies, and celebrate the spirit of sisterhood. While handling such pertinent subjects, filmmakers—more often than not—tend to preach and spread awareness rather than focussing on making the narrative engaging organically. Agreeing with the same, Shruthi adds, “It was a bit difficult to avoid the preachiness. I worked on the script carefully to avoid it, but even now, I feel certain scenes could’ve been mellowed down.” Shruthi also credits the mentorship she received from the jury members appointed by the KSFDC in helping her fine-tune the script.
“Initially, there were over 40 of us trying to get our projects greenlit. The selection process had four rounds; each time, the script would get tweaked under the guidance of the jury headed by John Paul Sir. It was a challenging process that lasted for nearly a year, but that grooming helped me immensely.”
A usual problem that filmmakers endure while helming films with multiple protagonists is finding the right depth and screen time for each character. Shruthi admits that she had to wade through a lot of such uncertainties.
“Yes, there were times when I had doubts on certain characters and what they had to contribute. I even asked the jury if any character had to be removed, but they were quite convinced.” When asked to point out one character she was most uncertain about, Shruthi picks Rachel. Played by Krisha Kurup, it is the role of a budding actor, who gets sexually assaulted by a director posing as a feminist. “Yes, that segment is a bit cliched.”
Despite being a film that has a progressive political stand, many found it strange why Anarkali Marikar, a straight actor, was chosen to play Ziya, a trans person in the film. Shruthi, who is open to constructive criticism, chooses to address the same by explaining the thought process behind that decision. “The character Ziya is a man but looks like a female to others. So we had to find a suitable person from the transman community who had breasts and could also act. We did try looking for options, but it was hard to find someone like that because most trans men undergo Mastectomy—a surgical procedure that removes the entire breast. We didn’t have many choices.”
Just as we end the conversation, Shruthi shares a new update on her Facebook page informing her followers about an added extra show for B 32 Muthal 44 Vare. Here’s a determined filmmaker who isn’t willing to be bogged down by all the hate campaigns.
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