Kottukkaali
Introduction
In a scene at about the halfway mark of the Tamil film Kottukkaali, the camera pans on the character of Meena, a quiet zombie-like young woman that hasn’t spoken a word since. Yet, the seemingly pleasant song that plays out is latched on by her wherein you see her mime a few words of it, almost while humming its tune. The very next minute, you see the character of Pandi, her maternal uncle beat her along with physically assaulting his relatives for tolerating her. His anger doesn’t stem from the fact that she was just humming a song but more related to the life choice of Meena that seemingly had an impact on the psyche. And while the drama outside this setting isn’t shown, you do get a fair picture of the reasons behind Meena’s current state. Yet, the drama is content is being in the moment even as it proceeds towards being a road movie with other stray incidents that seemingly have no drastic impact on the story but none of the details are unimportant. This, essentially is the core of Kottukkaali that literally translates into The Adamant Girl which is masterfully directed by PS Vinothraj.
Story & Screenplay
At its core, Kottukkaali is a road movie. The camera is content with allowing the viewers to spend time with a bunch of characters as they head towards a meeting, and a bunch of obstacles that they face along the way. The interest aspect of the drama lies in the characterization of Meena who is shown to be a stoic looking young woman who spends most of her time staring blankly at the walls. There is little to no revelation around her state at the beginning even while most of the journey takes place through the dusty lanes of a village that seemingly is in transition of being a town. The writers play superbly with the images, almost relying on the intellect of the viewers to decipher the burning questions that the drama addresses, even while touching upon some important social evils of patriarchy, the state of women in our society and superstitious beliefs that still rule the households, over its screenplay standing at just 90 odd minutes (a seemingly trimmed down version from the one that premiered at Berlinale).
The opening sequence is a 5 minute single take sequence that follows the path of a middle-aged woman as she makes her way from a temple back into her home to a seemingly quiet young woman Meena (Anna Ben), whose state remains both fascinating and mysterious in drastically contrasting but equal measures. In that little room, you are also acquainted with a rooster which is tied to a stone in order for it to not escape, a strange co-relation with the girl who isn’t in shackles physically but seemingly at a mental level with respect to the society. Soon, you are introduced to a few other characters including Paandi (Soori), Meena’s paternal uncle until they set off on a road trip that has no context yet. And along the way, the family meets with multiple obstructions that helps the viewers engage with them while gauging the character dynamics between characters.
The proceedings unfold at a leisurely pace but you need to keep an eye on the imageries along with the conversations that the characters share. There are layers to the writing here that touch upon different aspects of the society. A nice depiction of the circle of life is represented through a funeral along with the puberty ceremony procession which is underway. At this point the camera focuses on Paandi wherein you see his face drop a bit while witnessing the latter, and it spoke so many unsaid things about his past and his equation with Meena. Somewhere along the way, the progressive development of the land is equated to be inversely proportional to that of the society. You see two characters interacting at a certain point on how the land was barren wherein now there are houses on show, even as a character was stopped from purchasing one. This spoke so much about a character wanting to accept change but held back by the society. As a repercussion of it, you see plastic bags lying on the ground while a character unknowingly urinates on it, a searing commentary on the state of the society that refuses to accept change as a virtue. A parallel commentary is also more social of men urinating where they want but a woman, having an urgent need to change her sanitary pad has to do it very discreetly, a state of immediate patriarchy around us.
Along the way, this road movie is in a way a journey of reflection and milleu as well. In a brilliantly shot scene, the wide shot features the family travelling in an auto wherein Meena’s face is reflected on the side view mirror of the vehicle. Instantly, it is a comparison on how Meena aspires to be (read : happy) versus how she actually is. And the revelation of her state only takes place about an hour in the film but not before being ill-treated by people around her. The use of animals was also expertly showcased here – while the rooster and its ultimate sacrifice was representative of Meena and her sacrifice for her family, there is a shot of a bull standing on the road, a representation of patriarchy and machismo which is ultimately tamed by a little girl representing feminism. In a contrasting feature, you are also witness to a young boy, the youngest in the family who does show compassion towards Meena and the rooster (you see him feeding it). But only time would tell if he would grow up to become a family patriarch or not (a little hint is given by his mother citing that he is similar to his father but in a lighter context). This, even as a couple of characters talk ill about Meena and her fidelity given how she supposedly had an affair with a boy from the lower caste.
One of the most moving features of the drama has to be its hard-hitting finale that has a direct commentary on the superstitions and social evils with women at the center of it. In what seemed like a shrine of a seer, you see so many women buying into the idea of visiting it in order to be ‘cured’ for their sins. They are from all walks of life (and statuses) while visiting the shrine in cars or even rickshaws. But the focus oddly is on the character of Paandi who witnesses a woman being ‘cured’ for her sins. While it reeked of absurdity, the physical assault on the woman concerned was quite evident even as her family looked on, along with Paandi at a distance who could not take it. Here was a man who was taught to behave in a certain manner by the society, something that he bought into at an early age without questioning. And hence, its ending leaves you with a sense of hope and despair, even as Paandi who had previously walked away is called back for the curing process of Meena before the screen blacks out with a poignant message, ‘The end of the journey is in your hands’. The screenplay here might be niche but is masterful in every sense of the word.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are sparingly used with lines purposefully designed to be out of context but still not entirely unimportant. If you do manage to read between the lines, then the messaging is profound. Likewise for the BGM that uses silence as a virtue to communicate the rawness of the surroundings including the parched landscape that is symbolic of the society that we live in. The cinematography comprises of several wide frames that are excellent, and each frame holds a story to tell should you be able to read between the lines. The majestic landscapes incorporating shades of yellow and green with a dash of pink in the sky, all hold a meaning, each colour that represents the society. The dusty landscape is the society and virtues of patriarchy, the green is the role of women and how they have learnt to grow around the obstacles, and pink is that of hope that is representative of change. The editing allows the drama to unfold with minimal cuts. <span;>As Jean-Luc Godard had said, every edit is a lie, something that is followed accurately here without allowing lags to creep in. Director PS Vinothraj is a master of imageries, and he allows the viewers to decipher the underlying message without indulging in spoon-feeding. This was an interesting aspect of narration that allowed the viewers the liberty to piece together the context even while staying true to the theme of the film which was a road movie. The social messages incorporated was impressive wherein the direction was excellent.
Performances
The performances are stupendous by the ensemble cast. Sai Abinaya as Rani and Jawahar Sakthi as Kumar have their moments to shine. Mullaiyarasi as the girl being treated by the seer paints a haunting picture, and she was wonderful to witness in that sole screen. But the show does belong to two stupendous performers who are absolutely on top of their game – Anna Ben and Soori. Anna Ben as Meena is excellent in a character that is driven by body language and stoic expressions, both of which she uses to tell a story. This was such a complex character that needed her to bring her A-game to the fore, and this was an acting masterclass of the highest order wherein she used the virtue of minimalism really well. Soori as Paandi was another complex character which was conflicted in many ways. He was taught to behave in a certain way which wasn’t exactly his personality, the latter that was deeply buried within him. And this fine line was beautifully explored in a brilliant act that was subtly moving and absolutely out of the top drawer.
Conclusion
Despite being niche in many ways, Kottukkaali is a powerful social drama that uses silent but hard-hitting imageries to tell a story thereby making it a brilliant watch of the highest order. Available on Amazon Prime and Highly Recommended!