Rima Kallingal Interview: It's frustrating to be reduced to labels like 'bold and beautiful'
In this interview, Rima elaborates on these themes, why the ripples of the Hema Committee report haven't died down, exploring different platforms to share stories, the importance of creating inclusive spaces for art, and more…
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New Indian Express
4 days ago
- New Indian Express
‘Being the good girl doesn't really help': Director Anjali Menon
Political correctness in films is now much-discussed… It's a confusing space for me. As a filmmaker, you want to show the real thing. I think we should avoid glorifying certain negative things. That's where I would draw the line. We are a society in which movies have a major influence. In such a society, glorifying negative things is not good, particularly when it's a movie for family consumption… movies that will be watched by children. I think you need to be careful. On the other hand, there are movies which try to portray certain realistic truths. At times, such movies could be disturbing and shouldn't be kept for family consumption. Pushing everything under the 'U' certificate... glorifying things by saying that it happens in our country... is problematic. What's the relevance of the censor board? There's a perspective that censorship is unnecessary… In an ideal world, there's no need for censorship. But the way content is consumed in our country, I don't know whether we are mature enough to have no certification at all. You are a filmmaker who works with your own scripts. Is that because you feel it is tough to direct other people's scripts? I don't know. Only now am I working with another writer. I loved the writing, and both our sensibilities are aligned. I'm excited as I'm interpreting another person's writing. It seems easy, but I can say so only after directing it. Currently, another director is writing for me and I'm writing for another. There have been reports about disputes within WCC. Are Manju Warrier and Vidhu Vincent still part of the collective? Vidhu Vincent has officially resigned from WCC. Manju Warrier is an active member of the collective and regularly takes part in our meetings. Many people who stepped forward with sexual harassment allegations in the light of the Hema Committee report have withdrawn complaints. Won't these torpedo WCC initiatives? If there is a system to handle this, such a crisis can be averted. If there is a system, I can work with anyone. Our fight is to build a system. If there is a system, the producer will benefit the most. People should be aware of what to do and what not to. Now, people are aware to some extent, but that wasn't the case seven years ago. The MeToo movement came at a time when a lot of women were taking up behind-the-camera roles. There now seems to be a tendency to keep them away to avoid 'risk'… If you have a system, you don't have to worry about any of this. If unnecessary activities are prohibited, if there's a POSH clause in employees' contracts, they will report if required. There's a mechanism to look into false allegations too. As a filmmaker, what's your vision? I just tell stories. I don't have any long-term vision. I want to live... storytelling is part of my life. There may come a time when I don't make cinema, I may move to another medium. Who knows? Storytelling is something I know I'll be doing all the time... in which medium, I don't know. Cinema is currently my favourite medium. I share stories that have touched me. It's building connections... I'd love to connect with an audience. When someone, unknown, and from a faraway, unseen country writes to you after watching your movie, it's such a beautiful feeling. There's a thread that connects all of us. Many young women want to enter cinema, especially behind the camera. What would you say to them? Don't listen to anyone, just follow your instinct. In our social context, the hardest part is getting permission from everyone to enter the industry. You have to come into this medium for the right reasons. People who are more passionate about it are the ones who will stay here. You need to have a voice. More than anything, believe in yourself. Don't listen to anyone who says you can't do it. Be well-defined. Otherwise, even if you're a very good girl, it's going to be very difficult. Also, I don't think being the good girl really helps (laughs out). TNIE team: Cithara Paul, Anil S, Aparna Nair, Unnikrishnan S, Parvana K B, Varsha Somaraj B P Deepu (photos)
The Hindu
5 days ago
- The Hindu
Ctrl+Alt+Cinema: Takopi's Original Sin and April
Whether you're an old hand at arthouse or just dipping a toe into the rising otaku subculture of anime aficionados around the world, this column lists curated titles that challenge, comfort, and occasionally combust your expectations. This week's picks for Ctrl+Alt+Cinema couldn't be more different on the surface — one's a six-episode anime about a pink alien octopus trying to spread joy, the other is a stark Georgian drama about a rural doctor under scrutiny for her role in a botched delivery — but both are crushing portraits of what happens when the structures meant to care for people fail them. From the drawing board Takopi's Original Sin sounds like the kind of show you'd expect to cheer you up after a long day. It's got a smiling alien octopus from Happy Planet, here to help a little girl with magical gadgets and good intentions. But before the end of the first episode, it's quite clear that this isn't that kind of story. The show follows the titular tentacled alien, whose naivety and earnestness bump up against a world far more complicated than it can afford to understand. Shizuka, the girl he wants to help, lives with a sadness that no gadget can erase, and Takopi will not stop at trying to make her smile once more. Streaming now on Crunchyroll and already breaking viewing records, Takopi is the surprise anime triumph of 2025. Adapted from Taizan 5's manga and helmed by Made in Abyss director Shinya Iino, this six-episode gem weaponises its cute camouflage, only to peel it back towards something deeply, disturbingly human. Like Hirokazu Kore-eda's Monster (2023), Takopi explores the ways children are shaped and sometimes shattered by the choices of adults. Fans of Wonder Egg Priority, BoJack Horseman, or even Requiem for a Dream will also feel right at home (or rather, right on edge). What makes Takopi remarkable is how deftly it binds character, form, and feeling. The gorgeous art shifts from childlike sketches and chiaroscuro dread, while the writing threads together multiple perspectives into a tightly wound gut-punch. If you've ever loved something like A Silent Voice, or found yourself undone by the emotional honesty of Look Back, this is the anime to sit with. Foreign affairs While most films about abortion tend to frame the issue as a binary of choice and consequence, Dea Kulumbegashvili's April is after the emotional weather of female agency under siege. It also begins with one of the creepiest, most unsettling opening shots you're likely to see this year. Currently streaming on MUBI, the film follows Nina, an obstetrician-gynecologist in rural Georgia, who performs abortions in secret and who comes under malpractice investigation after a botched delivery. Dea, whose 2020-film Beginning announced her as a major voice in Georgian cinema, now returns with greater maturity and restraint. It's a slow, unsettling portrait of a woman pushed to the edges and Dea's direction is exacting and spare. What makes April especially important right now is when and where it arrived. The film openly portrays abortion and the desperation of women seeking it, which is a rarity in Georgian cinema. Even though abortion is still legal in Georgia, the film has been inexplicably banned there, likely because it dares to speak openly about a subject that the majorly orthodox population still wants to keep hidden. It also comes at a time when reproductive rights are under a global siege, and sits with the weight of what it means to be a woman trying to make choices in a world that keeps trying to restrict them. If you appreciated the slow, painful revelations of Eliza Hittman's Never Rarely Sometimes Always or the moral complexity of Cristian Mungiu's 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, April belongs on your list. It's not easy to watch, but in this moment, few films feel more necessary. Ctrl+Alt+Cinema is a fortnightly column that brings you handpicked gems from the boundless offerings of world cinema and anime
New Indian Express
6 days ago
- New Indian Express
Women face fresh hurdles in bids for leadership in Kerala film bodies; allege targeted moves, misogyny
KOCHI: Even after the Hema Committee report, the Film Policy Conclave, and countless panel discussions on women's empowerment, women in the Malayalam film industry continue to face formidable roadblocks when attempting to lead. The latest controversies surrounding the elections to the Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA) and the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) make it brutally clear — the industry's core remains resistant to female leadership. Several women candidates — including prominent names like Shwetha Menon, Sandra Thomas, Kukkoo Parameswaran, and Pushpavathy — continue to be at the receiving end of targeted allegations and procedural hurdles, just as they step up to contest for top positions. 'These developments show how male-dominant film bodies are,' said producer Sandra Thomas. 'The way these allegations and cases have been raised against women candidates in AMMA and KFPA is the same. These operations are controlled from the same place by the same people who are controlling the associations and the cinema industry.' On Monday, Sandra's nominations for both president and secretary of KFPA were rejected on the grounds that she had produced only two films under her current banner, Sandra Thomas Films, a technicality that many say is selectively applied. Meanwhile, actor Shwetha Menon, contesting for AMMA president post, is now facing a police case — a move her supporters describe as calculated. According to screenwriter and Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) member Deedi Damodaran, the intent to push women out is not new — but it is more visible than ever. 'Now, what has happened is these attempts have become more evident and visible to the public. We see how Sandra, Shwetha, Kukkoo, and Pushpavathy are struggling. Those men who try to stop women and dominate over them are exposed. They cannot hide their dominant nature.'
