IFFK 2024: ‘Angammal’, a rustic tale relevant to the modern times

A piece of cloth is the bone of contention in Vipin Radhakrishnan’s Tamil film, Angammal. The protagonist Angammal does not wear a blouse with her sari. The feisty, free-spirited widow, who flaunts her tattoo, drives around the village on her moped, smokes beedi, is a monster of a mother-in-law to her elder son’s wife and has a soft spot for a widower in her village. When her younger son, a doctor, insists that she wear a blouse when his city-bred girlfriend and parents visit their home, Angammal refuses thus changing the dynamic in the family.

The evocative screenplay by Vipin sans moralising is complemented by powerful performances, stunning cinematography and a soothing soundscape. Screened to a rousing reception at the ongoing International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), Angammal is the cinematic adaptation of celebrated writer Perumal Murugan’s short story, Kodithuni. Vipin says, “I have been a fan of his works and came across his short story collection during the lockdown. I found the theme interesting. The writer also welcomed my idea and told us that it was based on a real incident in his neighbourhood.”

At the core of Angammal’ is the mother-son conflict. Her son, Pavalam (Sharan Shakthi) disapproves of not just her attire but also her stained teeth and the way she speaks. At the same time, the elder one, Sudalai (Bharani Thirumugam) is subdued, nursing the grief of having sacrificed his dreams for his younger brother. But he understands Angammal better.

Vipin explains that even though the short story did not delve into the characters, who did not have names, he added nuances and layers to each character. “This was done keeping in mind the possible theatrical release of the film. We wanted cinematic elements in the plot,” he adds.

That was why there has been no compromise on the technical aspect , he says. Shot in sync sound, the film has a seamless soundscape by composer Mohammed Maqbool Mansoor, sound designer Lenin Valappad and sound mixer PK Krishnanunni. “The producers, Firosh Rahim and Anjoy Samuel, also the cinematographer of the film, were on the same page as us.”

The filmmaker points out that besides exploring the mother-son relationship, the larger picture is about having the freedom to live the life one wants, without conforming to societal norms. “Since it is about a woman, you can possibly attach a feminist angle to the theme. But the narrative is more about not judging someone and accepting or loving that person for who he or she is,” he says.

Vipin Radhakrishnan
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Vipin, who debuted as a director with Ave Maria, which was premiered at the IFFK in 2018, observes that not being fluent in Tamil was never a challenge while making the film. “I didn’t look at it that way because the film can be placed only in the Tamil culture. It helped that I had a lot of people in the crew who were familiar with the milieu. Anjoy, the cinematographer, has worked predominantly in Tamil cinema. Sudahar Das, who co-wrote the dialogues and has played a character, and Gopi Karunanithi, our art director, are from Tamil Nadu.”

Vipin adds that the actors also made his job easy. “The screenplay was flexible and therefore the actors could tweak and improvise. They understood the tone and so I got what I wanted from their performance. Their confidence was the biggest asset,” he says.

Geetha Kailasam, noted for her roles in Sarpatta Parambarai, Navarasa, Natchathiram Nagargiradhu and the recent Lubber Panthu and Amaran, among others essays the imposing Angammal with elan. She shines through the scenes when she is waging an inner battle while being forced to succumb to her family’s wishes thereby sacrificing her hard-earned freedom.

“She has the gravitas to carry that role and that is why we approached her. We chose Sharan after we saw his performance in Vada Chennai. Bharani, who impressed with his character in Nadodigal, was Anjoy’s suggestion.”

Still from Angammal
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The remote village of Angammal, which has a stunning landscape with the fields, mountains, vegetation and people, is set in Padmaneri, some 40-odd kilometres from Thirunelveli. “It took time for us to find the location. The original house was modified a little. The crew and the cast stayed there to adapt to the milieu,” Vipin says.

The film was premiered at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival in October. “That was a momentous occasion. Shabana Azmi was at one of the shows and was highly appreciative of Geetha ma’am’s character.”

An engineering graduate from College of Engineering Trivandrum, Vipin says that the IFFK has been a learning ground for him. “The festival has shaped my journey as a filmmaker. This is a time when Malayalam cinema is being widely recognised. The IFFK too has been reaching out to cineastes all over.”

Angammal will be screened at Kalabhavan on December 18, 3.15pm.