Appuram (The Other Side), Indu Lakshmi’s second feature film in Malayalam, examines a teenage girl’s relationship with her psychologically disturbed mother and concerned father. By showing sympathy and tenderness for the main characters, the filmmaker delves into a regressive aspect of a society steeped in patriarchal values, moth-eaten customs and a stifling grip of superstition.

At the 29th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), Appuram won the award for Best Debut Director and received a Special Jury Mention for Anagha Ravi’s lead performance. In this interview, Lakshmi discusses her childhood experiences, Shakespeare’s influence on her work and the treatment of women in patriarchal societies.

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Dipankar Sarkar: The events depicted in Appuram are filled with details that are personal and close to life. Tell me about your filmmaking journey.

Indu  Lakshmi: As you mentioned in the question, the experiences are personal and are close to life. It is a story that I always wanted to talk about, and after my first film Nila (2023) was released, I felt it was time to tell this story. The government of Kerala produced Nila after it won a state-level competition. A body called KSFDC (Kerala State Film Development Corporation) was in charge of the production and they made the journey of Nila and all the other films produced under their banner a very tormentous and torturous experience. The chairman of KSFDC, who is also a renowned yesteryear filmmaker, made it a platform for severe organizational abuse and harassment. What started as a program for women’s empowerment ended up as a threat to womanhood and a very tormenting chapter for each of the filmmakers. We all wrote to the government and the concerned bodies. But the chairman’s influence in the party is so strong that he got away without any enquiry. The petitions are still pending and an enquiry [has] yet to be made. However, because we complained and spoke openly about the corruption and malpractices in KSFDC, the chairman openly challenged that he would not allow any of us to do another film in the industry. He actively worked against my first film by doing everything possible to hinder its success and prevent its participation in film festivals. Since the rights to the film were with KSFDC, there was nothing I could do. 

That is when I felt the need to make a film to heal from all the bruises. So, I took a very personal story and funded it myself. Until the announcement of Appuram’s selection at the International Film Festival of Kerala, it was kept a secret to prevent the interference of people from KSFDC from damaging the film. Even the title of the film was not disclosed to the people in the team to maintain the secrecy. 

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DS: Daayam (2023), which you contributed to as a writer, explores themes of parental loss and cultural dogmas and centers around a teenage girl. What draws you to such narratives?

IL: I lost my mother at a young age, and I know the gravity of such a loss. I know the different dimensions of such a loss for a young girl. It is the emotions that I have gone through that help me paint my characters. I can breathe life into them without any artificiality right from scripting.

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DS: Twice in Appuram, Janaki rehearses the famous “to be or not to be” soliloquy from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. What is the significance in the film?

IL: I don’t think it needs any explanation. The significance is evident in the narrative. It was used twice, and in both situations, it portrays something important and different. 

I studied in an ICSE school, and I was lucky to get the opportunity to study the original texts of many Shakespearean plays right from a very young age. It was part of our curriculum. Hamlet is a play I studied in my 11th and 12th standard (ISC), and I have always felt that the play is a profound depiction of a teenager’s inner conflict. Be it for Janaki or for Chithra, the portions that I used in the film resonate with their situations. These lines came to me during the stage of scripting, and I used it where I wanted to depict the mental state of both the characters. These lines are relevant to both Janaki and Chithra.

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DS: Throughout Appuram, Chitra suffers from episodes of attempted suicide. We never learn the exact reason behind these attempts. Why did you choose to maintain this obscurity?

IL: First of all, suicidal tendencies do not come from any particular reason. It is a clinical condition. One of the greatest mistakes is in trying to understand the whys of depression. When people are depressed, there is a tendency for everyone to analyze the reasons for their conditions. Clinically, a solid, identifiable reason is not always necessary for someone to experience depression or have suicidal tendencies. There could be many factors including genetics for depression and suicidal tendencies. However, in the case of Chithra, there are pointers leading to her childhood trauma and the ambience of her ancestral house. I did not want to make it more explicit than that. 

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DS: As the narrative shifts into Chitra’s ancestral home, we observe various superstitious beliefs, amongst which Janaki’s menstruation highlights the stigma associated with such customs and practices. Through this socio-cultural critique, what did you intend to convey?

IL: I did not intend to convey anything as such. I just wanted it to be a mirror of the reality around me. None of those elements are deliberately placed to convey any particular message. This is how society is and this is how women are treated in this society. Discrimination is highly normalized and even a basic biological process like menstruation is considered taboo even in this era. This film is only a reflection of reality, and I have only tried to be honest with the storytelling. I have tried not to underline anything in particular. Even in the last part of the film, the act of putting the cloth in the pyre, there are no close shots to highlight it. I only meant it as a simple statement of act and nothing more. When we place a mirror in front of reality, we may be inclined to draw conclusions about it. If the film appears to convey any meaning, it is likely only due to that reflection. It is a reality which most people deny even today. But in many of the houses, it is being practiced in various intensities. It is an unwritten rule of patriarchy. 

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DS: How did you prepare Anagha Ravi for the role of Janaki? Did you conduct workshops with her and the other cast members?

IL: Performance was very important for me right from the scripting phase. Much is conveyed without the use of dialogue, and the subtle elements of performance are what drive the story forward. From the very beginning of the scripting process, I envisioned these nuanced performance details in the film. After bringing the actors on board, I provided them with detailed character briefings. I knew exactly how each of the characters should behave. I was acutely aware of their inner lives and how intensely they would react at every turn. I insisted on the utmost precision in their emotional portrayals.

There was no time for a detailed workshop. However, I spent a few days preparing the actors. I brought Anagha to Trivandrum for location rehearsals before the shoot, allowing her to immerse herself in the environment and better understand her character. We also conducted rehearsals for some key scenes with Anagha and Mini IG before the commencement of the shooting. 

For the other actors who came in the second part of the film, there were a few days of rehearsals and preparations before the shoot. 

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DS: Appuram was shot with a simplistic, almost bare-bones style. What visual aesthetics did you and your cinematographer, Rakesh Dharan, envision before shooting the film?

IL: The visual language was in alignment with the storytelling. We wanted it to blend with the story. We wanted to keep things realistic in terms of lighting and camera movements. We decided to shoot the film in a 2:1 aspect ratio to minimize negative space within the frame, thus enhancing the claustrophobic atmosphere experienced by the characters. Every shot serves a specific purpose within the narrative. It was a conscious decision we made during the pre-production. We chose static shots and used movements only in the most vital situations. Rakesh Dharan is a very sensible cinematographer who understands the pulse of the script. He also worked with me on my first film, Nila. 

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DS: Winning two major awards at the International Film Festival of Kerala is a significant achievement. Will this success lead to a theatrical release of Appuram, or will it be distributed through OTT platforms? 

IL: The awards are very reassuring, but even more overwhelming was the response of the audience at IFFK. Given the current unpredictability of the theatrical market, it does not guarantee any theatrical success. We are certainly exploring the possibilities of OTT to take the film to a wider audience.

Dipankar Sarkar (@Dipankar_Tezpur) is a graduate in film editing from the Film and Television Institute of India and currently based in Mumbai. As a freelancer, he frequently contributes to various Indian publications on cinema-related topics.

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