Until a year ago, you would have had a tough task putting together a list of established women filmmakers in Malayalam cinema. You had Anjali Menon, of course. And then, Vidhu Vincent, Roshni Dinaker... and then, you would have to really think. However, the heartwarming news is that number is set to rise. Many women are taking on newer responsibilities in Malayalam cinema. Among them are household names such as Manju Warrier and Parvathy Thiruvoth. While the former is turning producer with two films—Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s Kayattam and Madhu Warrier’s Lalitham Sundaram—the latter is prepping for her directorial debut.
Anjali Menon was the pioneer, having got the ball rolling with successful directorials. The success of her debut film, Bangalore Days, showed that women are no different when it comes to being able to deliver a blockbuster. This is important because typically women filmmakers are thought to exist in a more indie space.
Actor Gauthami Nair, who is turning director with the thriller Vrutham, is among those who have taken inspiration from Anjali. She agrees that things are really looking up for women filmmakers in Malayalam cinema.
“It’s also important to note the rising importance accorded to women technicians. When the first woman broke the wheel, everyone else believed, and found confidence,” says Gauthami, who began as an actor in Dulquer Salmaan’s debut, Second Show.
She hopes for more success for women filmmakers, as “the more women filmmakers prove that they can carry the responsibility of an entire film on their shoulders, the more they will be able to gain trust and consequently lead to more women entering the industry.”
Being an artiste in the industry for almost a decade, Gauthami found it easier to get the people she wanted, once she decided to turn filmmaker. “It’s all about networking and making the right contacts,” she says.
However, filmmaker VK Prakash’s daughter Kavya Prakash, who is making her directorial debut with a woman-centric film, Vaanku, found the going tough. She struggled to find financing, owing to her film’s subject being thought of as ‘sensitive’. It also didn’t help her cause that most of the main characters in her film are women. “Some leading production houses initially okayed it but then backed out. We struggled for close to a year till we managed to find the right producers, who not only loved the subject but also were okay with a first-timer directing it,” says a relieved Kavya.
Kavya is not alone. For a lot of relatively lesser-known women, the going can be tough. Cinematographer Uma Kumarapuram, who co-directed Across the Ocean with Nicole Donadio, is one such example. Her feature is a humorous Indo-American film about two women living on different continents who dream about getting rid of their monotonous routine.
Uma had trouble finding producers. Several factors stood in the way: her gender, inexperience as a director, and the project’s challenging subject. Eventually, she ended up paying for the film from her own pocket, with help from family members. But regardless of the challenges, these women are firm in their conviction to address gender imbalance on the sets. Gauthami’s film, for instance, has an all-women crew, barring writers and editors. Kavya’s film has several women crew members.
“For every work-environment to be the most productive, there has to be gender balance,” says Uma, who has ensured that her team comprises men and women in almost a 50-50 ratio. “Only a diverse cast and crew can understand and contribute to the project from every possible angle. This lack of contribution is a common problem ailing most of our film/TV projects.”So as women in the Malayalam film industry take the lead, here’s wishing that they find their audience.