as a Malayalam film Ullozhukku The debut director of this box office blockbuster, Christo Tomy, is enjoying the success of this film. Two women bound and separated by secrets are the theme of this film. UllozhukkuA story of resistance, repentance and reconciliation.
Christo Tomy with Urvashi on the sets of Ullozhukku.
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Brilliantly performed by the cast led by Urvashi (Leelamma) and Parvathy Thiruvothu (Anju), the serial doesn’t shy away from intense themes as the characters go through troubles during a physically and emotionally harrowing period in their lives.
The script of Christo’s film begins with the grief he felt when he lost his grandfather. Due to floods in Muttar in the Kuttanad region of Kerala, where Christo’s ancestral home is located, the family had to wait for nine days for the waters to subside before planning the burial.
In the film, when Thomas dies, his mother Leelamma and his wife Anju are torn apart by suspicion. Meanwhile, the burial is postponed due to floods. The generation gap is evident when the two women view the same situation from different perspectives. The subtle nuances that Christo brings to his story give his characters depth and heaviness.
“I decided there shouldn’t be any black and white characters. They should all have shades of grey, just like in real life,” says Christo, who began writing the script in 2016.
Ullozhukku It was part of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) co-production market – Film Bazaar (2018) and NFDC Screenwriters Lab (2017).
“The script won the first prize in Cinestaan India’s Storyteller Contest, the biggest feature film script contest in India,” he says. In 2019, he attended the Global Media Maker’s event in Los Angeles. The opportunity to meet and interact with many creative minds helped him as he tried to weave together feedback.
Developing roles
Though the characters – particularly Anju and Leelamma – remained the same, the roles evolved naturally. “For instance, Prashanth’s (Prashanth Murali) character (Thomas) didn’t get much space initially. But as I worked on the script, his character gained importance and the dynamic between the two women also evolved.”
Urvashi and Parvati Thiruvothu in a scene UllozhukkuDirected by Christo Tomei. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Christo explains that the characters of Anju and Leelamma were difficult to write. “I took from my surroundings, background and surroundings to add new layers to their personalities. I added traits from people I have seen or heard to make the characters even better; these were not people I made up out of nowhere.”
A graduate from the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Christo made his mark as a director with two National Award-winning short films. Kanyaka And sex. His Netflix true-crime documentary Curry and Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case It received very positive reviews.
a still picture UllozhukkuDirected by Christo Tomei. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Rather than glorify suffering and patience, Christo’s characters Ullozhukku It depicts the changes in the attitudes of different generations. While Lilamma puts her family first, Anju, a woman of today, is not willing to sacrifice herself for the family.
“I have seen how my mother and aunts deal with a problem and what their perspective is. For them, family comes first and they put up with a lot to uphold the values they consider important to keep the family together. I have seen how they react and what sacrifices they feel are necessary to protect the family.”
However, as Christo elaborates, a woman today might not understand the same situation in the same way. “My experiences helped me mold the characters.”
Diverse Viewpoints
Once the script was ready, Parvati was the only name he could think of for the role of Anju. His director of photography Shahnad Jalal suggested Urvashi’s name. Christo went to Chennai to meet Urvashi. “During our conversation, Urvashi told us that she is a good actress. Chechi They shared with me their experiences and their opinions about the characters,” he says.
He added that the generation difference was also evident in the actors’ attitude towards the characters as Urvashi and Parvati are actors from different generations. Chechi’s Her perspective was very similar to that of Leelamma. Parvathy’s perspective was quite different. If the older generation had no problem putting family ahead of one’s own happiness, today’s generation doesn’t think so… This led to some interesting situations in the film.”
Since they were shooting in rural Kuttanad, the actors were put up in a houseboat. During the initial phase of the shoot, Parvathy had a lot of questions as the character and the environment were unfamiliar to her.” Urvashi Chechi She is a spontaneous actor, but there were times when she would speak her dialogues out loud to get the right tone and pronunciation. The two never took more than one or two takes for their scenes. They were that good!”
Christo knew that finding producers would be difficult because he was dealing with a subject that was so extreme in terms of conventional morality and values. Some producers warned him that audiences might not accept the characters and the film.
As the film’s release drew closer, he began to worry about how the film would perform at the box office. But the positive reviews the film received boosted his morale.
Location matters
Talking about choosing his ancestral house as the main location, he says: “My grandfather’s death laid the foundation and basis of the film. Whenever I imagined the story, my house would come to my mind. I could have adapted the story to any other building. But when Shahnad and I were preparing for the shoot, we couldn’t find a better house than my house for the story.”
Parvati and Urvashi in a painting by Christo Tomy Ullozhukku.
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Also, the story had to be set in a place that could accommodate floodwaters and also had a huge backyard with trees and plants. “Keeping all these things in mind, we felt my house was the best option. My Ammachi (The grandmother) stays at home. She stayed in a rented house for about a year and a half while we finished shooting.”
Christo recalls having fun as a child by wading into the water during the annual floods. In those days, the annual floods were seen as an advantage as the sediment left behind made the soil fertile and ideal for farming.
“Now, because of climate change, the situation has changed. The number of floods has increased, and the amount of water has also increased. Many families are moving away from the area. Even in the case of our house, after the shoot was over, a dam was built around it to prevent water from coming in.”
Women-centric stories
All of her works so far have centered on female protagonists, so we ask if she finds it more interesting to work with female characters at the center of her stories.
“When writing sex And UllozhukkuI asked myself if the journey of the characters would be more difficult for a man or a woman. The answer was clearly women. So, there was no debate in my mind that the film would revolve around a woman.”
He stressed that he wants to direct films of different genres. “Now I know the business of cinema and know what is needed to increase the chances of a film at the box office. Discussions are on for a series. It is too early to talk about it.”
Then he laughs and says he is keen to direct scripts written by other writers. “Writing is a lonely and tough job. If I get a good script to direct, I will be happy.”
