Malayalam short film ‘Kovarty' explores romance between a typewriter and the typist
What happens when a typewriter falls in love with the typist? Kovarty, the Malayalam short film, explores this strange relationship.
The short, with Rajisha Vijayan in the lead and directed by Rohin Raveendran Nair, is among the four short films selected for the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival's MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone programme. This is the second edition of the programme in collaboration with Apple that showcases short films shot entirely on iPhones. This year one film each was selected from Malayalam, Hindi, Marathi and Tamil and the filmmakers are mentored by established directors. In Rohin's case it was Lijo Jose Pellissery.
Premiered in Mumbai a few weeks ago, Kovarty is set in Thozhuthilmukku, a village of the 1980s. A typewriter arrives at the sub-registrar's office, much to the delight of the typist, also a new employee, Daisy (Rajisha), the office staff and the public. She names it Qwerty [stands for the usual layout on English-language typewriter], which eventually becomes Kovarty for others.
Daisy comes to realise that the typewriter is in love with her, a secret that is known only to the wall-mounted pendulum clock. Daisy, who is heart-broken after her lover abandons her, finds happiness in her relationship with the machine. Chacko, the sexton of the village church, who secretly loves Daisy, happens to learn about this, which leads to some serious repercussions.
Kovarty, which beautifully blends love and magical realism, is written by Rohin and Vimal Gopalakrishnan, the co-writer of Mukundan Unni Associates. 'Vimal brought this idea and later we developed it into a script. We realised that the story has a great potential for romance and magic realism, especially because we both are huge fans of Marquez [writer Gabriel García Márquez].'
Rohin adds that Lijo has been like 'a big pillar of support. He told us that the script was so tight that he hardly had any changes to suggest.' Lijo has also given the voice for the clock.
It was on Lijo's suggestion that the film, just over 30 minutes long, was shot at Kavalam in Alappuzha district. 'We had scouted for locations in Kochi but could not find a spot that was untouched my any kind of construction work. Kavalam was perfect. The building was already there but we changed the interiors.'
Rohin says that Rajisha was their only choice to play Daisy. 'That is mainly because of her body of work. Also, we have not seen her in such a role. Both Vimal and me were confident about casting her as Daisy.'
The crew of Kovarty comprises names from Malayalam and other industries. Among the Malayalis are production designer Sreelekshmy Sreekumar, who has worked with Krishand, and costume designer Gayathri Kishore, whose recent work is Identity.
Seasoned technicians Swapnil S Sonawane and Sunil R Borkar are the directors of photography. Besides frames that celebrate the milieu, especially the landscape and the water, there are some unique shots from within the typewriter itself, making them the machine's POV. Using plumeria flowers in the narrative — Rajisha wears one every day on her braided hair, adds to the charm of storytelling.
Fact file Rohin started his career as a camera intern in the Marathi film, Chumbak. Among his short films is the critically-acclaimed The Booth, produced by Vikramaditya Motwane. As a cinematographer, Rohin has shot numerous commercials, non-fiction and fiction projects. He is the cinematographer of the documentary Testimony of Ana that won the National award for the Best Non-Feature Film (2022). He has also worked in the segment An Unsuitable Girl, which is part of the documentary series Love Storiyaan on Amazon Prime, and has worked in one episode of the Netflix series, Decoupled. This year there were 1200 entries for the MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone programme. Other short films selected are the Hindi film Tinctoria, directed by Amrita Bagchi, Marathi film Mangya directed by Chanakya Vyas, and Tamil film Seeing Red by Shalini Vijayakumar. Mentors for these filmmakers were Vikramaditya Motwane, Konkona Sen Sharma and Vetrimaaran respectively.
Rohin, currently based out of Mumbai, has roots in Kozhikode, Kerala. Born and brought up in Delhi, he studied cinematography at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. He has written and directed a couple of short films. His first major work was the web series Sacred Games in which he was second unit director and cinematographer for both seasons. His recent release is the Netflix series, Black Warrant, in which he directed the third episode.
Rohin, meanwhile, plans to direct a Malayalam feature film, a thriller set in Wayanad, in which he is also the co-writer. 'Even though I am comfortable in Hindi, in the current scenario it is difficult to make independent movies in that industry. And most of the good content there comes in the long form format. I think that the ecosystem in Malayalam is better for a filmmaker.'
Kovarty is streaming on YouTube.
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'I wanted to wear this one dress for my birthday but I couldn't because I had posted it a few weeks before in my (Instagram) Stories. So I ordered four new ones because I had to post something on my birthday." INSTANT 'VIBES' Sumit Jasoria calls Gen Z 'Generation Instant". He is one of the four co-founders of NewMe, a three-year-old Gen Z-focused Bengaluru-based startup that offers new styles on its app and retail stores every week. Their clothes are produced in India as well as China. 'They want everything instantly. Instant trends, instant clothes, instant mileage, instant likes. Fashion has become instant as well. Open the phone, and there are always trending trends." He's not exaggerating. Want to take part in a collective 'moment"? Add a labubu or any other similar small stuffed toy to your bag or belt. Feel like channelling the 1990s since you didn't experience it the first time? Buy some butterfly jewellery that your favourite influencer wore the other day. Fancy looking rich? Go for neutral shades. NewMe, like most fast-fashion brands, wants to cash in on the relentless cycle of trends. Its online trial stores are carefully designed with a beautiful, well-lit backgrounds. The trick is to ensure that when a Gen Zer video-calls or shares a Snap with their friends for outfit approval, they get convinced easily. Low prices (the most expensive stuff on their platform is about ₹ 2,500) are the other obvious pull, plus marketing via content creators or through shout-outs by customers. Also read: That viscose shirt is harming the planet They deliver clothes in Delhi and Bengaluru in about 30 minutes, relying on a network of dark stores and zonal hubs. But it's not just delivery time they're cutting. They hope to shorten the production time from creating the design to production even further—from two months to two days. Jasoria is certain that's possible with artificial intelligence (AI). 'We've studied the fantastic models of Shein, Zara, H&M our learnings have come from how they operate. But my question is when we are making clothes for such big international companies here in India, why can't a company as big as Shein or bigger emerge from our own country—clothes made in India by an Indian company and sold across the world? That's what we are working towards." Arrsh Rehani, 19, doesn't care whether his clothes are made in India, Cambodia, China, Vietnam, Pakistan or Morocco. They just need to be trendy and fit his 6ft frame. His experimentation is rather limited compared to the rest of the people I spoke with for this story. 'I just got a (Ralph Lauren) Polo sweater with an embroidered teddy bear since a lot of my friends were talking about toycore (an aesthetic around toys, especially stuffed animals and mini-figures; the viral labubus are part of this) but that's the most experiment I will do," says Rehani, who recently moved to Australia from Noida for further studies. He's more interested in experimenting with footwear—he has over 20 pairs. So much so that he keeps searching for limited-edition Nikes, special collab adidas Sambas and latest Balenciagas on social media apps and resale websites. 'Most of my stuff comes from the brands I see on Instagram," says Rehani, who rarely posts photos on social media. 'I think I use it more as a place to get style ideas from." Also read: Young India's new therapist: The fortune-teller Social media shapes a much of Gen Z's style. 'You have to keep up with trends otherwise you'll get FOMO,' says Umar Shaikh, 19, who follows content creators like Wisdm and actor Shah Rukh Khan for style inspiration. So does Umar Shaikh, 19, who follows content creators like Wisdm and actor Shah Rukh Khan for style inspiration. Often when Shaikh and his friends at a Mumbai college meet, the first thing they discuss is whether their outfit looks like they have put in effort. 'We all exchange notes," says Shaikh, who describes his style as trendy streetwear—think baggy jeans, oversized hoodies, logo T-shirts. He sometimes borrows his elder sister Zee's clothes; the siblings are fans of the unisex style. 'You have to keep up with trends otherwise you'll get FOMO. Everybody wants to be different and also fit in; it doesn't matter whether you are posting on social media or not." THE GREAT PARADOX Various studies attest that Gen Z is more concerned about climate change, excessive consumption and over capitalism. But for every Licypriya Kangujam and Greta Thunberg, there are thousands chasing trends by stuffing their wardrobes with fast fashion. Studies show fast fashion is responsible for 10% of global CO2 emissions—more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. Gen Z is concerned about climate change, excessive consumption and over capitalism, but for Licypriya Kangujam and Greta Thunberg, there are thousands stuffing their wardrobes with fast fashion. 'I care about the environment... but if my polyester top comes within my budget and I like it, I will buy it,' says Esha Gambhir, 20, from Ghaziabad. Esha Gambhir, a 20-year-old philosophy student in Ghaziabad, doesn't care as much about the pollution as she does about whether the clothes will complement her. 'I care about the environment but it is the last thing on my list," she says. 'I don't have the money to buy a linen top, which I think is also not very environment-friendly (she's not wrong). If my polyester top comes within my budget and I like it, I will buy it." Zee, Shaikh's sister, on the other hand, would like to care more about the environment, but she 'also wants to look cool". Zee Shaikh says she would like to care more about the environment, but she 'also wants to look cool'. Gen Z is aware of the impact of fast fashion and that it is responsible for 10% of global CO2 emissions but they don't think their consumption patterns contribute to it.. Shaikh doesn't believe his fast-fashion shopping habit is big enough to hurt the environment. Rehani, on the other hand, has heard of how wasteful fast fashion is but he doesn't buy into the idea. 'That whole notion that Gen Z is much more mindful in terms of consumption is a lot of talk," clarifies Sanghi. 'If you talk to them, they will say, of course, we care about the environment, but they don't follow it in practice." Kathuria, too, would like to reduce her consumption, but not for now. 'Maybe once I am older? 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