Anon : A film by Shruthi Namboodiri

Anon is the first film venture by Shruthi Namboodiri. The film is an adaptation of Russian writer Ivan Bunin's story titled Sunstroke.

Art, Script, Direction : Shruthi S. Namboodiri
Cinematography : Pradeep Menon
Lyrics : Nandakumar
Music : Viswajith
Editing : Sasi Menon
Executive-Production : Aneez Mohammed
Associates-Direction : Hima Sankar, Vimal
Stills : Aswin Alex

The Hindu on Anon

Breaking barriers SANGEETA

Shruthi Namboodiri’s debut movie, ‘Anon,’ wins her a place in the small group of women in Kerala who have ventured into film direction.

Right direction: Still from ‘Anon’ (top); Shruthi Namboodiri says ‘Anon’ is an investment for her future and career.

Shruthi Namboodiri is the newest member of a rare group of women who have made it into film making. Finding a space in the male-dominated world of film direction is quite a task; add to that the pressure and bias of ‘making a feminist statement through the film.’ But Shruthi has not given up. Unlike her predecessors she takes a peg on the male point of view.

“Ranging from the subject to treatment to publicity, you are forced to add a feminist tag to it. But why is that? If a male director can effectively handle female-oriented subjects, why can’t we do that? I think women can understand men better. We are more sensitive; we can, in fact, see through them, their passions, confusions and insecurities,” says Shruthi, who debuts this season with the English film ‘Anon.’ The film produced under the banner of Saayah Creations revolves around the story of a photographer and his muse.

Based on ‘Sunstroke’

“The basic thread is adapted from ‘Sunstroke,’ a short story by Ivan Bunin. But the characterisation and plot are different from the original. The protagonist is worked out as a photographer so that we could integrate the aesthetics of photography into the film. The leading lady is portrayed as having varied interests, ranging from nature to Sylvia Plath to Hindustani music. Some creative liberties have been taken to enhance the audio visual possibilities.”

Shruthi herself has handled the art direction of the film. The camera is cranked by Pradeep Kumar, a graduate of Film and Television Institute of India; editing is by Mahesh and music by Bishwajit. Lead roles are played by Murali Menon and Shelley Kumar.

“I wanted actors who can get into the skin of characters. Especially the leading lady. She is beautiful, intelligent and artistic. But at the same time, she is independent, careless and whacky. The story portrays the photographer’s efforts to understand and reach out to her.”

Shruthi adds that many of the mainstream female artistes had declined to do the lead since it had instances of smoking, substance abuse and casual sex.

“I think they all failed to comprehend the inner beauty of the character. She does not even have a name in the film. But she is so prominent that her presence and absence affects the very composition of the photographer’s life and frames. The vacuum caused by her absence is one of the main components of the film.”

The Thrissur-born communications graduate decided to pursue her passion after a stint in television and advertisement industries.

“Having worked in both mediums helped me understand the technology and logistics. Moreover, I had an idea that could be developed into a film script. With some help from director friends like Shyamaprasad and V. K. Prakash, I wrote the screenplay. I had approached some people for funding, but then they had their commercial and business considerations. So I decided to produce it myself.”

She feels that if she had had to convince a production house to fund the film, the energy and vigour to make the film would have probably died.

According to Shruti, producing the film has been an investment for her future and career. “I am not out to make profits from this film. I value the learning I have had from this. And that would equip me better in my profession. I am not aiming at a commercial release and would prefer to have my film screened at film festivals. And believe me, I haven’t burnt my fingers during this exercise.”

Anon : A film by Shruthi Namboodiri

Anon

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