KOCHI: They were interacting with an overwhelmed crowd, answering endless queries and sharing their experiences.
The accolades they won recently are yet to sink into their minds. Aryadan Shoukath and Priyanka, who won state film awards for best story writer and best actress for their work in ‘Vilapangalkkappuram’, were in the city for the preview of their film at Sangeetha theatre.
The film directed by T V Chandran, is yet another take on the Gujarat riots capturing the plight of a teenage girl Sahira, whose Keralite father is settled in Ahmedabad. During the riots her father is killed and she and her mother are raped. Sahira escapes the clutches of a set of hooligans and reaches Kozhikode only to fall victim to religious fundamentalists. The film traces her journey from an orphaned rape victim to a bold woman working for the cause of women with a similar fate.
“I knew from the beginning my character, Sahira, had great scope.
But for a beginner like me it posed great challenges too,” Priyanka says about her award winning character.
The actress also said that she was emotionally affected by the trauma her character goes through. “Living as Sahira was a painful experience.
Analysing the character in depth caused great personal grief for me.” Priyanka also added that she waswatching the film for the third time.
Aryadan Shoukath said before filming ‘Vilapangalkkappuram’ they visited the riot victims still living at refugee camps in Gujarat. He said that though the shooting started in Gujarat they had to shift location after the people there came to know about the subject of the film. “We shot some parts in Gujarat posing as a documentary film unit. But once they came to know what we were up to we had to pack up,” he says. He is all praise for Shabnam Hashmi, social worker and sister of Safdar Hashmi who helped him a lot in developing the story of ‘Vilapangalkkappuram’.
Shoukath said he was always concerned about the plight and exploitation of women within the Muslim community. “Being a Muslim I am familiar with the problems faced by Muslim women. I grew up watching their distress and suffering,” added Shoukath who has also penned films like Padom Onnu: Oru Vilapam’ and ‘Dhaivanamthil’.
kochi@epmltd.com