When Koozhangal director PS Vinothraj narrated his second film to Malayalam actor Anna Ben, he began with a disclaimer. Ben wouldn’t have to speak in Tamil… because her character doesn’t speak at all.
Kottukkaali stars Ben as a woman who is bundled off to a shaman to get rid of the “curse” of falling for a man outside her caste. The sharp film follows Meena as she sets off with a motley group of family and villagers, including her hoarse-throated and deeply enraged fiance Pandi (played by Soori). It doesn’t matter that Meena says nothing – her rage spills out with every movement of her body and eyes.
Kottukkaali was released in cinemas on August 23. Ben spoke to Scroll about Kottukkaali, immersing herself into the North Madurai location, and being a woman in the film industry today. Here are edited excerpts.
Meena is unlike the bright, beaming characters you’ve played before. How did you get under her skin?
I was initially hesitant about playing a character that is so rooted in Madurai because I’m not culturally inclined to that space. But the positive surroundings organically pushed me into being Meena.
I went there a few days before the shoot. I spoke to a lot of people and they shared with me many stories about the strength of the women living there. All of this moulded Meena in my head.
When I was building this character with sir [Vinothraj], he gave me an idea as to who Meena was. She is a bright, outspoken girl who, when put in a corner, decides not to speak. The transformation happened when all of them started calling me Meena. This gave me validation.
How do you convey a character’s truth without uttering a word?
When the dialogue is taken off, there are limited things you can work with, but that's also the beauty of it because you become creative.
It couldn't look staged or obvious, so I had to figure out a sweet spot. We had so much support from nature. Most of the shots depended on the lighting, the wind, the animals involved. Sakthivel [the cinematographer] has done an incredible job in figuring out my movements and the best angle to convey my emotions.
Sometimes, I’d just start off doing something and Vinoth sir would find it interesting. Like in the scene where the sister is talking about how having a child would solve all their problems, Meena is visibly frustrated and starts fidgeting with her ring. We haven’t said this anywhere in the film, but the ring could be something the guy she loves had given her.
When the director lets you be creative, it is fantastic. You don’t come across such spaces often. Every single thing Meena does is intentional, from the way she touches her hair or pulls her dress. Every movement has meaning.
Why do you think Vinothraj cast you?
I asked him why he chose me when he could’ve cast anybody else. He thought Jessy from Kappela had that kind of innocence and resilience that he was looking for. There are a lot of silences in Kappela too. Maybe he thought I could expand on that. He trusted me completely.
I would talk to the director about how Meena was as a child, the questions she’d ask her mother, the first time she fought with her father, her relationship with Pandi and so on. I knew how each character behaved with her, so every time they would say something to her in the film, the way she reacted would depend on my homework.
Tell us about shooting with the rooster, which seems to have a connection with Meena.
The rooster is Meena’s only friend. Like Meena, the rooster doesn’t know its fate. They are both helpless. She is the only person who sees the rooster as a living creature. There’s this shot of her looking at the rooster, wheat on the floor when they stop to fill fuel [suggesting she arranged for the bird to be fed]. That’s how empathetic she is.
Animals really surprise you sometimes. And this rooster knew cut and action, and was used to our company.
Was filming the interval sequence as chaotic as it looked on screen?
It was technically challenging. There was a point where I wanted to scream at Pandi because he was abusing everybody, but that was me thinking in my head.
When it comes to Meena, the rage is like a rock. She’s like, ‘Come at me.’
We had to do the scene around six-seven times to get it right. This took a toll on everyone, especially Soori sir because he had to make sure no one was really hurt. He didn’t want to do it because he was worried about our safety. But we had conversations about our comfort levels.
Meena and Pandi are in rage, but the way they express it is very different. I drew a lot of energy from Soori sir’s character. The louder he gets, the quieter I get. Victims of abuse have to figure out a way to handle it in the best way possible. There’s no escape. It’s her situation so she’s trying to figure out a way to make this feel like nothing.
You have said that Kumbalangi Nights (2019) and Kottukkaali changed you as an actor. How does it feel to be part of such important films?
Unlike Kottukkaali, Kumbalangi Nights chose me. I wasn’t even thinking of getting into films at that point. I was bored after working for a year and wanted to do my Masters. This is when I went for a few auditions.
On the first day of the shoot, I was in front of the camera feeling like I was being part of something incredible and larger than myself. I have come to realise that it is a rare space where you get to experience magic.
After Kumbalangi, I felt the same emotion in Kottukkaali. We were just 40 people on an intimate set. Every single person, even though they weren’t actors, gave their best. My time in Madurai felt like a retreat because we all became good friends. Usually, a film has to be released for you to feel rewarded, but I felt rewarded even after the shoot.
You went from a small set-up to the mega-budget Kalki 2898 AD, in which you play the rebel Kyra. Is it a conscious choice to be in different kinds of films?
One was a hyperrealistic film and another was a sci-fi film that was 85 per cent CGI. Every kind of film is necessary. You cannot be in one particular space and expect growth. I keep that in mind every time I look for films.
As the daughter of screenwriter Benny P Nayarambalam, what was it like growing up in a film family?
We’d always have discussions about cinema. My mother is a bigger movie fan than any of us. My dad works with a lot of humour, so he’d see if we’d laugh for a dialogue.
When I was growing up, a lot of people would tell me I was going to do films because of my dad. And I’d be like, there’s no way that is going to happen.
I was a rebel without a cause. I somehow ended up here and I have no complaints.
The Justice Hema Committee report about women in the Malayalam film industry has sparked outrage and introspection. What do you feel about the report?
It is a bittersweet space right now. It gives me a lot of pain to know that all of these people I know or didn't know have gone through all of this in the same industry as me. And a lot of people that I know have done really horrible things.
But at the same time, I am glad that this cleansing is happening because it is high time that we have a safer environment for women. I am so grateful to the WCC [Women in Cinema Collective]. They have gone through so much ridicule and hate to successfully execute something like this.
The intention behind the report is for people in power to realise that we need a safer environment. There are good people in the industry trying to make a change. I have hope for the coming generation of artists.
