Malayalam film B 32 Muthal 44 Vare is on body shaming says debutant director Shruthi Sharanyam

Ramya Nambeeshan in a still from B 32 Muthal 44 Vare, directed by Shruthi Sharanyam
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Five women and a transman in urban Kochi. What they have in common are insecurities about their body. Shruthi Sharanyam’s debut feature film B 32 Muthal 44 Vare, releasing on April 6, is about how these characters deal with their emotional, physical and psychological issues.

Explains the director: “The title of the film refers to the bust sizes of women’s innerwear. The movie is a satire and emotional drama that discusses how the mammary glands of women are the subject of fascination, voyeurism, symbolism and the male gaze, and how women react to it. Moreover, women get harassed and physically violated on account of their gender. How do they deal with it?”

Anarkali Marikar in B 32 Muthal 44 Vare, directed by Shruthi Sharanyam
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A well-known lyricist and short filmmaker, Shruthi says the story is a summary of the collective experience of women. “I doubt if there is a single woman who has not been subjected to some kind of body shaming or the other. It could be her weight, her features, her complexion, her anatomy… I have experienced it and have also heard a lot of stories from my friends, family and colleagues. That became the theme of my narrative.”

The narrative focuses on the complex and intriguing relationship the characters have with their breasts. Malini (Ramya Nambeeshan), a woman from an upper-middle-class family, has had a mastectomy. As a result, she feels inadequate and upset as she senses her husband withdrawing from her. Nidhi (Raina Radhakrishnan) has had a teenage pregnancy. A school student, she has to deal with the aftermath of being a teenage mother. Iman (Zarina Shibad) feels being flat chested might stand in the way of a coveted job while the transman Ziya (Anarkali Marikar) has breast dysphoria. Jaya (Aswathy), a domestic help, undergoes a significant transformation due to a series of events connected to body shaming while Rachel (Krishna Kurup) is an aspiring film actor who is violated.

Raina Radhakrishnan as Nidhi in B 32 Muthal 44 Vare, directed by Shruthi Sharanyam
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Shruthi had the thread of the story in mind since 2018. When she shared it with “close friends” actor Ramya Nambeeshan and music director Sudeep Palanad, and later with cinematographer Sudeep Elamon, they encouraged her to develop it into a full-fledged script. Nevertheless, Shruthi was aware that getting a producer for such a film would be difficult. “There is the discrimination one faces as a woman telling a woman-centric story. I did not bother trying to find a producer and left it there,” recalls the director.  

Film director Shruthi Sharanyam
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In 2021, she learnt about the decision of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation to fund two films by women directors to encourage more women to tell their stories. She applied for it and got selected. “I was elated because I had the story I wanted to make,” she says.

Sajitha Madathi, Neena Cheriyan, Harish Uthman, Sajin Cherukayail and Gibin Gopinath are some of the actors in the cast in addition to the six key roles.

Zarin Shihab as Iman in a still from B 32 Muthal 44 Vare, directed by Shruthi Sharanyam
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The story is located in Kerala, believed to be one of the progressive states in India. However, headlines and reality expose the toxic patriarchy in the state. “Women are conditioned by a patriarchal society to believe that because they are female, they should fit into a societal structure and frame that have been designed by patriarchy.”

Without being preachy, Shruthi wanted to discuss body shaming and social conditioning that makes women feel uncomfortable about their body. “The characters in my film are people we know. They have an emotional arc and a story to share with viewers. But their stories are interwoven, it is not an anthology,” adds the director.

She chose to work with a predominantly female cast and crew as she felt that the funding must help women working in different departments behind the camera as well. “Many of the women are people I know; I know their politics and where they stand on certain issues. They related to the script. So it was a dream to work with them.”

Aswathy as Jaya, a domestic help, in B 32 Muthal 44 Vare, directed by Shruthi Sharanyam
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Shruthi admits that she would have liked a transman to play the character essayed by Anarkali. “I failed to find a suitable person to work in the technical department. In the case of the character, we were talking about female anatomy. Hence, I felt a woman would suit the character better and empathise with the character as he becomes a transman.”

B 32 Muthal 44 Vare narrates the journey of the six characters and how they surmount their trauma and celebrate the sisterhood. “The narration and ending are on a celebratory note.”