Her big translucent eyes are what first strike you. They had the same captivating effect 30 years ago, when she entered the film world as a child artiste in Onnu Muthal Poojyam Vare. She went on to act in 30 or so Malayalam and Tamil films. But she truly found her footing when she went behind the camera, shooting a short and two feature films. Her debut feature film, Liar’s Dice, won two national awards and was India’s official entry to the Oscars in 2015. She became the first Asian to win the global filmmaking award for it at the Sundance Film Festival.
Now she is back with another emotional potboiler, Moothon, starring Nivin Pauly. This will be her first film in Malayalam. “I am so excited to have made a film in my language,” she says. “It has indeed been a great experience.” The film, primarily shot in Mumbai and Lakshadweep, tells the story of a young boy in search of his elder brother. It opened the MAMI film festival on Thursday. “It is a thriller about human relationships and their underlying politics, but I don’t want to brand it,” she says. “Let the audience decide the genre.” The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this year, getting positive reviews. Anurag Kashyap is one of the producers and the brilliant Rajeev Ravi is the cinematographer. “Anurag’s interest [in the film] convinced me that I was on the right track,” says Mohandas.
Incidentally, Ravi, who has worked in many prominent Bollywood films like Gangs of Wasseypur, is her husband. “It is passion for cinema which connects the two of us,” she says. “Otherwise, we have nothing in common. While I was this NRI kid who never had to contend with the realities of life, Rajeev was always so rooted and so real.” She quips that discussing cinema is the only time they don’t quarrel with each other.
Perhaps what she enjoys the most is writing, which she calls the “most amazing thing in the world”. Not so enjoyable for her are her memories of her acting days, when she was the heroine of many a superhit film in Malayalam. “Playing those ‘glorified dolls’ was the worst period of my life,” she says. “I never miss those days as I never enjoyed a day of it.”
Mohandas has played an active role in the Women’s Cinema Collective, an initiative of women working mainly in Malayalam cinema to get gender parity in the industry. It opened a new chapter in the history of Malayalam cinema. “I am proud to have been part of the WCC,” says Mohandas. “It is one of the best things to have happened to Malayalam cinema… it gave the women a sense of belonging.” Aware that many of the supporters of WCC have been shunned by the big players in the industry, she says the WCC members are working out long-term plans to support themselves. “There is no going back,” she says assertively. She feels that even though they don’t live in a gender-neutral society and cinema is deeply patriarchal, it also does not favour any gender. “If you do your job, then your gender does not matter,” she says.
Does she have any role models in filmmaking? “I admire many, but I strongly believe that as a film maker one should find one's own voice.”
