Anna Ben, who plays the titular character in The Adamant Girl (titled Kottukkaali in Tamil), thinks that the English title of her film does not carry a negative connotation as it usually would. “The Adamant Girl could also mean a strong woman,” she says. Having starred in ten films in the five years of her career, Kottukkaali is a milestone, as it made the rounds through the festival circuits and won awards. “As it is a very rooted film, I was curious about how it would relate to a foreign audience. Surprisingly, they were accepting of this film. The theme turned out to be a global subject, and it connected with them very well. We were so excited to interact with them because they noticed the minute details that mostly go unnoticed,” she recounts her film festival experience.
On how she approached a character like Meena in Kottukkaali, she says, “Meena is adamant about her decision and people are making noise about it while she rebels by making no noise. When a girl is put in a situation with everyone against her, she has very little power, but she uses that power to the best of her strength.” Further, she says that the character was interesting to explore, especially because there were no dialogues. “I had to learn how to show adamancy while being completely silent.” She also reveals how the most challenging part was to communicate everything non-verbally. “I had a lot of fun accepting the challenge, as I created a backstory for Meena and internalised her,” she says.
Kottukkaali revolves around a woman who is taken to a shaman to be ‘cleansed’ because she fell in love with a lower caste man. Anna reveals her initial reaction to the story. “When the story was told to me, it felt like fiction, because you only hear stories about these things. Vinothraj sir then told me that this practice takes place across cultures in different parts of India, not just in Madurai. While people know that honour killing is a horrific act, they are not too sure to label this practice as bad, because they don’t really think about what it does to the mental and physical well-being of a person. Kottukkaali portrays the practice for what it is, and the audience is given the liberty to decide whether it is a good or a bad thing,” says Anna.
As her expressions and body language had to do all the talking, Anna also had to learn how the people of Madurai behaved and lived. She says that it was a challenge to ensure she fit in, so she didn’t seem like an outsider on screen. “I spent some time with the cast before we started shooting. They were actually Vinoth sir’s family members, and I didn’t know that until he told me. They were so professional, although it was their first time acting. They had only six months to prepare for the film. They worked really hard, and when I first saw them perform, It blew my mind. I used to observe how they walked, sat, climbed onto an auto so that I could understand their body language and perform the same,” she narrates.
With just one film, Koozhangal, PS Vinothraj has turned heads with his distinct filmmaking style. According to Anna, he is distinct because he is extremely true to the story. “If he trusts you with a character, like he trusted me with Meena, he allows you to make certain changes to the way the character is written. I had the liberty to tell him, ‘I don’t think Meena will think like this,’ or ‘I don’t think Meena will speak this way,’ for which he would ask me why I thought that way and try to incorporate my suggestions,” she says.
Vinothraj was commended for his one-shot sequences in Koozhangal. Anna says Kottukkaali also has many such shots. “I found myself performing even after the director said cut. There is one particular shot in which I am praying at a temple. He told me Meena would go pray now and that I could pray for however long until he got what he wanted,” she recounts. While Vinothraj had previously mentioned in interviews that none of his characters are villains, Anna Ben begs to differ as she looks at Soori’s character Pandi as a clear antagonist.
“My perspective is totally different because I am Meena. For Meena, all the people around her are against her, and Pandi, in particular, is definitely against her. In her eyes, everybody is a villain, and she’s just trying to escape. In this film, there are many characters with grey shades, and from their perspective, they’re right,” says the actor.
Anna, who has been eagerly awaiting the release of Kottukkaali, is yet to sign a new film. Speaking of her dream role, Anna reveals, “I want to work with Mani Ratnam sir. I would love to work with him at some point in my life.”
Although she has acted in only ten films, Anna has tried to do something unconventional with every role, especially in films like Helen, Sara’s, or Kottukkaali. She says most of the films she does are the ones she has always wanted to see in theatres. “Maybe, growing up, I wanted to see a character doing something like what I did in Sara’s or Kalki 2898 AD. I am making my inner child happy by doing such characters. I also want my characters to connect with young girls,” she signs off.