KOCHI: When the 70th National Film Awards were announced on Friday, Aattam became the 12th Malayalam film to win the best feature film award.
Reacting to the win, director Anand Ekarshi, who debuted with Aattam, says, “It feels surreal to even think that our film has won among 300 submissions from across the country. We were a bit disappointed with the snub at the State Awards last year, but to win three awards at the national level is quite overwhelming.”
Aattam, a chamber drama modelled on ‘12 Angry Men’, explores gender politics and human hypocrisies. The film revolves around a sexual harassment accusation made by the sole actress (Zarin Shihab) of a theatre group against a popular film star (Kalabhavan Shajohn) who joined their team recently.
Aattam also won in the best editing (Mahesh Bhuvanend) and best original screenplay (Anand) categories. The director feels it’s a huge validation to have won in a technical department like editing.
Anand dedicates the win to his producer Ajith Joy, without whom he feels this might not have ever happened. The director signs off by extending his gratitude to his parents for their support.
“My mother, especially, has been a strong influence in my life. She, along with my female friends, has helped me understand women.”