Because the Malayalam film Ullozhukku creates waves on the field workplace, its debutant director Christo Tomy is basking within the success of the movie. Two ladies sure and separated by secrets and techniques is the theme of Ullozhukku, a narrative of resistance, regret and reconciliation.

Christo Tomy with Urvashi on the set of Ullozhukku.
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Particular Association

Brilliantly anchored by the solid led by Urvashi (Leelamma) and Parvathy Thiruvothu (Anju), the extreme theme doesn’t falter because the characters navigate troubled waters throughout a bodily and emotionally making an attempt interval of their life.

Christo’s script for his movie started from a spot of grief when he misplaced his grandfather. Because of the flood at Muttar within the Kuttanad area of Kerala, the place Christo’s ancestral house is situated, the household needed to anticipate 9 days for the waters to subside earlier than planning the burial.

Within the film, when Thomas dies, his mom, Leelamma, and his spouse, Anju, are torn aside by suspicion. In the meantime, the burial is postponed because of the flood. The era hole turns into clear when the 2 ladies view the identical circumstances from totally different views. The delicate nuances that Christo brings to his narrative give depth and heft to his characters.

“I used to be decided that there ought to be no black and white characters. Like in actual life, there needed to be gray shades in all of them,” says Christo, who started writing the script in 2016.

Ullozhukku was a part of the Nationwide Movie Growth (NFDC) Co-Manufacturing Market – Movie Bazaar (2018) and the NFDC Screenwriter’s Lab (2017).

“The script bagged the primary prize at Cinestaan India’s Storyteller’s Contest, the most important characteristic movie script contest in India,” he says. In 2019, he attended the International Media Maker’s program in Los Angeles. The possibility to fulfill and work together with many inventive minds helped him as he tried to weave in suggestions.  

Growing roles

Though the characters — particularly Anju and Leelamma — remained the identical, the roles advanced organically. “For example, Prashant’s (Prashant Murali) character (Thomas) didn’t have a lot area initially. However as I reworked the script, his character gained significance and the dynamics between the 2 ladies too advanced.”

Urvashi and Parvathy Thiruvothu in a nonetheless from Ullozhukku, directed by Christo Tomy.
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Particular association

Christo explains that writing Anju’s and Leelamma’s characters was tough. “I borrowed from my environment, background and milieu so as to add layers to their character. Traits of individuals I’ve seen or heard have been added to flesh out the characters; these weren’t individuals I created out of the blue.”

Graduating from the Satyajit Ray Movie and Tv Institute, Christo made a mark as a director with two Nationwide Award-winning brief movies, Kanyaka and Kamuki. His Netflix true-crime documentary Curry and Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case received him rave opinions.

A nonetheless of Ullozhukku, directed by Christo Tomy.
| Photograph Credit score:
Particular Association

As a substitute of glorifying struggling and stoicism, Christo’s characters in Ullozhukku depict the modifications in outlook in numerous generations. Whereas Leelamma places her household first, Anju, a lady of in the present day, isn’t keen to sacrifice herself for the household.

“I’ve seen how my mom and aunts sort out an issue and their views. For them, the household comes first and they might put up with loads to uphold values thought of vital to carry the household collectively. I’ve seen how they react and the sacrifices they really feel are obligatory to guard the household.”

Nevertheless, as Christo elaborates, a lady of the current day might not understand the identical state of affairs in the identical manner. “My lived experiences helped me mould the characters.”

Different approaches

As soon as the script was prepared, the one particular person he might consider as Anju was Parvathy. His director of pictures Shehnad Jalal steered Urvashi. Christo went to Chennai to fulfill Urvashi. “Throughout our dialog, Urvashi chechi shared with me her experiences and her opinion of the characters,” he says.

He provides that the era hole was evident within the angle of the actors in direction of the characters as effectively as a result of Urvashi and Parvathy belong to totally different generations of actors. “Urvashi chechi’s standpoint was fairly in keeping with Leelamma’s. Parvathy’s outlook was fairly totally different. If the older era didn’t thoughts placing the household forward of their very own happiness, the present-day era doesn’t assume like that… That created some attention-grabbing conditions within the film.”

Since they have been taking pictures in rural Kuttanad, the actors have been accommodated in houseboats. Through the preliminary stage of the taking pictures, Parvathy was filled with questions because the character and the atmosphere have been alien to her. “Urvashi chechi is extra of a spontaneous actor however there have been instances when she spoke aloud her traces to get the appropriate tone and inflection. Each by no means went past a take or two for his or her scenes. They have been that good!”

Christo was conscious that since he was dealing with a topic that walked a tightrope concerning typical morals and values, it could be tough to search out producers. Some producers warned him that audiences won’t settle for the characters and the film.

As the discharge of the film obtained nearer, he was anxious about how the movie would fare on the field workplace. However the constructive opinions that began flowing in have been a morale booster.  

Location issues

Speaking about why he selected his ancestral home as the principle location, he says: “It was my grandfather’s passing that sketched the backdrop, and the premise of the movie. Each time I visualised the story, it was my home that got here to my thoughts. I might have transposed the story to a different constructing. However when Shehnad and I have been preparing for the shoot, we have been unable to discover a home higher than my very own for the story.”

Parvathy and Urvashi in a nonetheless from Christo Tomy’s  Ullozhukku .
| Photograph Credit score:
Particular Association

Other than that, the story needed to be situated the place water could possibly be stuffed to shoot the flood and now have an enormous yard with vegetation. “Contemplating all that, we felt my home was the most suitable choice. My ammachi (grandmother) stays in the home. For practically a yr and a half, they moved to a rented place whereas we accomplished the taking pictures.”

Christo remembers that as kids, they used to have enjoyable wading within the water through the annual flood. In these days, the annual flood was seen as a bonus because the sediments left behind after the flood made the soil fertile and perfect for cultivation.

“Now, as a result of local weather change, the state of affairs has modified. The variety of instances the flood happens has elevated, and so has the amount of water. Many households are shifting away from the world. Even within the case of our home, after the taking pictures was over, a bund was constructed round it to stop the water from getting into .”

Girls-centric tales

All his works thus far have centred on ladies characters, so we ask whether or not he finds it extra attention-grabbing to work with ladies characters on the coronary heart of his tales.

“Whereas writing Kamuki and Ullozhukku, I requested myself if the journey of the characters could be harder for a person or a lady. The reply was clearly ladies. So, there was no debate in my thoughts that the film would revolve round a lady.”

He emphasises that he needs to direct films that cowl totally different genres. “Now, I’m conscious of the enterprise of cinema and what’s wanted to boost a movie’s possibilities on the field workplace. Discussions are on for a sequence. It’s nonetheless untimely to speak about it.”

Then provides with fun that he’s trying ahead to direct scripts written by different writers. “Writing is a lonely and tough course of. I will probably be completely satisfied if I get good scripts to direct.”