KOCHI: During her school days, Indu Lakshmi fell in love with the beauty of Malayalam through the words of M T Vasudevan Nair and movies by Padmarajan. And she started dreaming of writing her own scripts. On International Women’s Day, Indu accomplished her dream and previewed her directorial debut Nila in the capital city. Produced by Kerala State Film Development Corporation Ltd (KSFDC) as part of women empowerment project, Nila features actors Shanthi Krishna and Vineet in lead roles.
Indu’s film traverses a friendship between a 75-year-old doctor Malathi and Mahi. “Nila materialised when KSFDC invited scripts from women filmmakers. In 2021, I submitted the thread of my film, and it got approved. During the selection process, we attended a workshop by scriptwriter Anjum Rajabali, which was very helpful as I did not undergo any formal training on filmmaking,” says Indu when asked how Nila came about.
Indu has been making short films since 2017. Her works like Alikhitham, Utharakadalasu and Mareechika, received several accolades. Indu says KSFDC’s funding gives women an opportunity to etch a space for themselves in the Malayalam movie industry. “For beginners, especially women, it’s hard to find a producer. The project was a learning experience for me, a driving force to create more films and inspire and ensure more female participation”.
Nila was inspired by an audio message of the late writer Sugathakumari broadcasted on a channel debate show. “Sugathakumari teacher was sharing her view on a channel debate a few years ago. Despite her weak voice, I was inspired by her strong words. When I brainstormed for a thread, her words came to mind. Also, I felt there are very few films in Malayalam featuring elderly women.
So I created the film on 75-year-old Dr Malathi. The character is inspired by someone I knew for years, doctor Rema Venugopal. Shanthi Krishna was always in my mind for the movie. I was smitten after watching her film Chakoram on television,” adds Indu.
The leadership roles she took up in the IT industry for more than a decade came in handy for Indu to coordinate all behind-the-camera departments. “Even if I worked in the IT industry, my passion was movies. I read the scripts of Padmarajan and M T to indulge in the process of film writing. I have also scripted another film, Daayam, directed by Prasanth Vijay in 2021,” says Indu, who is also an author.