JOIN USBIFFes winner film calls for religious reform
It was deja vu for Malayalam filmmaker Sajin Baabu when he won a Special Jury award for his film ‘Biriyaani’ at the Bengaluru International Film Festival that concluded this week.
This is his second glory at the festival; his very first film ‘Asthamayam vare’ (Until the dusk) had picked up an award at the festival in 2014.
A soft-spoken man, Sajin’s film is a gut-wrenching critique of regressive practices within the Muslim community. He seemed concerned that his critique may be seen as coming from a regressive “Sanghi” point of view, but assures he hopes only for reform.
Excerpts from the interview:
Where did the idea for the film come from?
I am not good at speaking either Malayalam or English. I am someone who tries to tell what I have to through cinema. This film comes out of my investigation into the reality of news that you read in the papers. There are constant reports of people being recruited into ISIS. We only know what the media tells us, and they don’t go into much detail. The news about ISIS recruitments may or may not be true, but I wanted to look at what happens in the families of the men who leave. How does society and the community look at them? My film is about that reality.
Why do you use biriyani as a trope?
I used it because of how popular the food is among Muslims, whether it’s iftars or marriages. The politics of this may be misunderstood, especially in our times when the Muslim community faces a lot of discrimination. But I believe that there must be a modernisation of the harmful age-old practices in any community. For instance, sati was removed during Lord William Bentick’s time. There are many regressive practices that exist within the Muslim community, especially some that pertains to women. I believe that one way or the other, this is an issue that needs to be talked about. And these malpractices can be stopped only by having a discussion on the issue, nothing is going to come out of not talking about them.
Was there anyone who brought a negative interpretation to the film?
No, that has not happened, but that may be because the film has largely been shown in front of a festival audience — it has never been shown to the general public. And I don’t know how the public will take it.
Are you hesitant about showing it to the public?
No, of course not. If that was the case, I wouldn’t have made the film in the first place. My first film had won a prize at BIFFes. It had also been screened at festivals like the International Film Festival of Kerala and MAMI festival. I am someone who tries to bring a new visual language to my films. That film was non-linear. You wouldn’t grasp much in the first half; the revelations happen in the second. But for some people, it takes a second or a third watch. ‘Biriyaani’ may also be like that. People must watch it carefully; I had done my research before taking on the subject. As part of my research, I spoke to many women from the villages and conservative communities. Those are not liberated women, but they may be able to connect very deeply with the film. I have tried to talk about the social and the sexual lives of these women in ‘Biriyaani’.
Do you take a lot of time for research on your films?
My first film was made about five years ago, when I was only 26 years old. And in these five-six years, I have only made three films. These films have been on topics that have been on my mind for a long time, I have more such topics I want to speak about. So, these issues take form when I write and I develop them further as screenplays. I guess that’s the sort of films I make, those that don’t fit into the commercial mould. I did not turn to films to make money. Of course, some research happens too. One terrible custom, I found out, is practised in some Jamaats in Kerala. It is something called ‘mudikalachil’. Like there are Ossan men who do circumcision, Ossan women do this custom. While the term ‘mudikalachil’ only means shaving the hair off, the process involves cutting the clitoris off 40-day-old girl babies. Very often, even the men in the household don’t know
that this happens. I have video interviews that I made with these Ossan women. Even the women don’t know why it is done, but it is a systemic way of suppressing women’s sexual feelings. What logic can you use to justify such things?