Exploring the depths of human psyche which always undergoes many trials and tribulations forms the underlying premise of Moonamidam, a 17-minute short film released last week on YouTube.
With a realistic storyline loosely based on Freudian (Sigmund Freud) outlook, the short film portrays the conflict of human mind through the bold and beautiful Prabha and young and impulsive Abhi who find themselves tangled in the cobweb of love and lust.
“The outer storyline might seem to be discussing an extra marital affair but rather it is a conversation of two people who have only met in virtual space. And, they meet for the first time in an intimate space,” says RJ Shaan who has scripted and donned the role of Abhi in the film.
Prabha essayed by Rachana Narayankutty is married and mother to a 13-year-old daughter while Abhi is much younger to her and newly divorced. It discusses how both men and women treat love and lust.
“Our film doesn’t touch any big social issues nor does it question what is right and wrong or moral. It just delves in the deepest personal space of two people,” says director Antony Sony who assisted Rosshan Andrews in How Old Are You along with Shaan.
Moonamidam sheds light on a woman’s strength to say NO, against her own wishes and desires. The short film which has already crossed 60k views, is garnering rave reviews and leading to heated discussions in the social media platform.
RJ Shaan for whom the whole plot struck after hearing an anonymous person’s real life experience, says, “For every person, there will be a ‘Moonamidam’ or third space. For men that space is easier to find like in a bar, a trip but for women because of her bondages, she thinks a thousand times before exploring her third space. For her, even the kitchen might turn a third space and she doesn’t allows anyone to breach into that space,” says Shaan who has penned the powerful and thought provoking dialogues in the film. “We wanted the dialogues to have a poetic effect,” adds Shaan.
Many Facets
“There are three sides in the film political, emotional and epical. The political side is the woman’s freedom to say no through Prabha. She hasn’t said no to love and lust but on forceful love. On the emotional side, she wants him but there is a borderline time between being ready and really ready. That preparation time is what the film discusses. And, on the epical side, the story remotely resembles Ramayana incident where Lord Sri Rama chases the golden deer Maricha,” adds Shaan.
The cinematography by Abdul Rahim and music composed by Aby Tom Cyriac are worth mentioning.
“We didn’t wanted to compromise on anything. Thanks to our producer Jayasurya who gave us complete freedom. Live music was recorded and composed and we even hired a rain unit and lighting unit to bring all the originality,” explains Antony.
The film has already received 20 awards, including the best film award from the recently-concluded EKTA Short Film Festival held in Kozhikode. Other acclaims include best film, best direction, best actress and best cinematography in SCRIPT Film fest, IFIF and Bangalore Elephant Media Fest among many.