The fact that almost every member of the cast is a daily wage worker who supports themselves through various jobs and is passionate about theater adds to the breathtaking nature of the victory of Aattam movie at the 70th National Film Awards.
Aattam, a 2024 suspenseful chamber drama from Kerala directed by Anand Ekarshi, became the 13th Malayalam film to win the esteemed Best Feature Film title at the 70th National Film Awards. Films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) as features or non-features between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022, qualified for the 70th National Film Awards 2024.
Aattam took up the Best Feature Film title as well as awards for Best Screenplay (Anand Ekarshi) and Best Editing (Mahesh Bhuvanend). This is more than we could have imagined. Producer Ajith Joy of Aattam has my gratitude for his help.
Watch the Aattam trailer here:
We chose to screen the movie for a year at film festivals before releasing it in theaters since the subject matter was so ubiquitous. We won major prizes at these film festivals. We had a great reception when we debuted the movie in January of this year. The movie enthusiasts were happy with our performance, even though we didn’t win millions of dollars.
Aattam Movie Story
The Malayalam movie Aattam is about eleven men sitting around ‘talking about/looking into’ an incident in which one of their acting troupe members sexually assaulted a woman while escorting her. The film has a well-written screenplay with witty dialogue. At a slow, real-time pace, the video painstakingly examines male hypocrisy as well as the many facets and gray areas within each individual.
But instead of these men, Aattam actress Zarin Shihab’s superb portrayal of Anjali serves as the movie’s main character. This intriguing film is both technically and narratively compelling. Aattam consistently keeps her in the forefront, portraying her as a lady of unwavering resolve and crafting one of the most nuanced female characters in contemporary Malayalam films.
Cast of Aattam
One of the most fascinating things about Aattam is that, except for Kalabhavan Shajohn and Zarin Shihab, all 13 prominent actors in the movie had known director Anand for more than 18 years. This includes Vinay Forrt.
The fact that almost every member of the ensemble, aside from their roles in Lokadharmi, is a daily wage worker who supports themselves through a variety of jobs, adds to the film’s incredible success. Selvaraj Raghavan VR, the group’s most senior member, used to work as a headload worker.
Other members of the group include Jolly Antony, a tile layer; Aji Thiruvamkulam, a painter; Sudheer Babu, a drama teacher who prepares students for youth festivals and competitions; Santhosh Piravom, a vegetable shop owner and autorickshaw driver; Sijin Sijeesh, the owner of a motor winding workshop; Sanosh Murali, a temple percussionist; Prasanth Madhavan, a tour operator, and Madhan Babu K, a government official.
The on-screen relationship between actors Vinay, Nandan Unni, and Anand, who have previously worked with these artists, shows how close they are to each other. Although they all have dreams of becoming movie stars, theater is still their real love, and they want to keep going, as the performers in the documentary “Thespians of Aattam” have stated.
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