Be it a Suryanelli, Paravur or the most recent Soumya murder case, the atrocities against women have always been a burning issue in our society. Even after having strict laws, a healthy police force and women empowerment organisations, the untoward incidents against womenfolk are rising on a daily basis. And throwing light on these issues is the 10-minute long short film ‘Anamika- The Prey?’.
“The vulnerability of a woman makes her more prone to many unfortunate incidents. And many a time, these incidents could have been avoidable if women had reacted courageously to the situations,” says Siju Vijayan, co-director of the short film. The short film which was recently premiered in Lohithadas National Short Film Festival has also been shortlisted for a news channel’s short film festival ‘Sargavasantham’.
The film brings back the three real time situations to reel. “The character ‘Anamika’ relives the real time situations undergone by Soumya who was brutally raped and murdered by Govindachammy; the unfortunate Liji who was murdered by her relative and the experiences of Thasni Banu,” says Siju.
The film shows Anamika facing the same situations, but showing people how to react in these situations. “Through our character, we wanted to show what women are capable of doing and how powerful they can be,” adds Siju. Another interesting element of the film is that, Anamika is portrayed as a transgender. Ask Shiju the reason to pen her as a transgender, he says, “Our society is hostile to transgenders and they are often ridiculed as social outcasts. Though they are a minority, we want to raise our voice for them along with showing the problems faced by womenfolk,” adds Siju.
Along with Siju Vijayan, the film is directed by Geo Christi Eapen, who has co-written the story with Sreeja. While Shine Krishna has cranked the camera, music is by Kevin Mac Leod, and editing by Jobins Sebastian.