Director Anand Ekarshi's chamber suspense drama explores human behaviour

Anand Ekarshi, director of Aattam, is excited about the reception his film received at the International venue of Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles last month. "I watched it alongside a non-Malayalam-speaking crowd, and I was anxious because it is a dialogue-heavy film. But it was received well," he says.

The film went on to win the Grand Jury Award for Best Film at the fest and will be the opening film in the Indian Panorama section at the 54th International Film Festival of India, later this month. Aattam revolves around a theatre group consisting of 13 artistes, 12 male and one female. A crime happens after a theatre performance - the female artist is assaulted by someone. The rest of the film covers the internal investigation that follows.

"It is a chamber suspense drama that, after a point, becomes a procedural drama with an internal investigation. It's also a study of human behaviour and psychology. There are many layers to it," says Anand.
Aattam will feature Vinay Forrt, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Zarin Shihab, Nandan Unni and nine newcomers. The film's cinematography is by Anurudh Aneesh.

Aattam, the director says, started as a project with friends. "Excluding Shajohn chettan and the actress, all of us have worked together in theatre earlier. They are all really good actors who haven't done a film before. We went on an one-day trip some time back, and Vinay and another friend suggested a project with all of them. The story was formed around the cast. In the end, people tell me that it's worked out very well," he says.
Anand says it was very difficult to give important roles to all the 13 leads. "When we write 13 people, we need to give them continuity , character wise, which is difficult. I always had to go back to the arc and ensure that all their dialogues follow their personality. The film happens in a week's period of time while the investigation happens in a day," he says.

It is also an exploration of human nature, according to Anand. "We approached the film truthfully. A crime happened and how will people react in real life to it. For people, justice is clear when it doesn't involve them. They know what should and could have been done. However when our personal stakes are involved, things get blurry. Our film is an exploration of people who are involved in the investigation, and is not just about the investigation in itself," he says.
The lone female character in the film, played by Zarin Shihab, Anand says, is a complex character. "She is an architect and a theatre artiste by passion. She is in a complicated relationship, which she cannot reveal to people she interacts with in her life. She has her own vulnerabilities and is very grey when the film starts. We see how a person becomes a protagonist when she stands up for a certain value. She is as complex as the men. She is someone real, like many people I know," says Anand.
"Making a character flawless to empower them is problematic. There is a gender study in the film, but the female character is not kept on a pedestal; if it's done that way, it's lazy writing. We need to keep people as flawed and as real as possible. Situations make people heroes and villains. Till then, we are all human beings. I have looked at the female character the same way," he adds.

The film will also be screened at the International Film Festival of Kerala, in December.