It's a sign of changing times and attitudes when someone young and female, and with no godfathers in the Malayalam film industry, succeeds in making a feature film. Joining the ranks of the handful of women filmmakers active in Mollywood today is Shalini Usha Nair, who makes her debut with her well-crafted film, Akam . This psychological thriller, which has also been scripted by Shalini, is an adaptation of late Malayalam litterateur Malayatoor Ramakrishnan's seminal novel Yakshi .
“I first read Yaksh i four years ago, during a train journey from Mumbai to the city, after the novel was recommended to me by my friend Geethika Sudip [who later translated Shalini's script]. As someone who has lived outside the State for close to 10 years, the novel seemed to capture the oxymoron that is Kerala, where there is a tendency to demonise female sexuality. It was fascinating to note that any woman who becomes powerful, economically or politically, starts acquiring a ‘Yakshi' status, the underlying implication being that she had somehow used her sexuality to gain power,” says Shalini, a former media-person, who learnt filmmaking at the Prague Film School in The Czech Republic.
Myth of the Yakshi
Akam is an exploration of the myth of the Yakshi (female demon), especially its relevance in today's world, amplified through the tale of a relationship gone wrong. The film is essentially the story of a couple grappling with their inner demons; a couple who project their insecurities onto the relationship and bring their baggage into it – to its detriment.
The couple in question is an architect in his twenties named Srinivas (played by Fahadh Faasil, in what is easily a career-defining role) and his rather enigmatic wife, Ragini (enacted by debutant Anumol K.), of the flowing locks. “Srini never quite understands Ragini. In his world she always seems slightly out of context. Initially, to Srini, her difference is her charm. Later on, his inability to understand her becomes cause for alarm and fear, and her mystery becomes a threat to his very existence, a threat that he needs to overcome,” explains Shalini.
The film also appears to be about spaces. While Srini, the architect, is building his own little world, it is almost like he is butchering the landscape. “In a sense Ragini is a metaphor for nature; nature that eventually intimidates him, turns against him,” adds the director.
Interestingly, the entire movie has been shot in sync sound (sound recorded at the time of filming) – in itself a rare feat in Malayalam, something that filmmakers here are still experimenting with. And it was not without its share of challenges.
“Sync sound requires pin-drop silence – even on the12th floor of an apartment building, the location for Srini's home. But everywhere we went we were plagued by the sound of temple loudspeakers and the sounds of construction work! Nonetheless, sync sound did make the performances more natural,” recalls Shalini, who has shot Akam almost entirely in the city.
Thiruvananthapuram, a character
Each frame reflects her “love-hate relationship” with Thiruvananthapuram. “It is the small town that I alternately run towards and away from. The city is almost a character that is at once warm, sinister, and indifferent,” she muses.
Akam has been produced by Box Office Cinema. Actor Prakash Bare, theatre person Sajitha Madathil, and small-screen star Shelley also play major roles in the film. Christopher John Smith, Shalini's classmate from Prague, has cranked the camera.
Akam is currently in post-production, and will be released later on in the year.
