A little girl, Ahina aka Akku, is readying up for school, grumpily muttering to herself about her mom’s partiality towards her brother. After exams, she has to attend tuitions. Carrying her school bag and water bottle, Akku leaves for school in her bicycle. That’s how the short film ‘K-nowledge’, directed by Kumbalangi Nights-fame actor Grace Antony, begins.
Akku’s day turns interesting as the story unfurls. At the poorly-written exam, she learns a new word – ‘knowledge’. En route tuition class, Akku picks up a raw mango; at the class, she meets her friend Malu to whom she delivers her newly-learnt English words and ridicules for lacking her ‘k-nowledge’. The girls’ conversation – in Kochi’s trademark dialect – has an innocent hilarity only children can attribute. In a brief nostalgic trip down the memory lane, the classroom shows kids – sleeping, disinterested, fighting, doodling, having food and playing games.
Malu, meanwhile, asks Akku to let her ride on her bicycle one time, which is met with disdain. However, post snack break, Akku feels unwell and looks worried throughout the class. As they return home, she lets Malu ride, saying ‘she may not be there the next day’. On reaching home, the duo finds Akku’s skirt blood-stained, indicating that the girl has had her first period and the uneasiness shown so far. In a funny turn of events, a petrified Akku screams and ‘reveals’ to Malu that she has ‘cancer’ which is why she is bleeding, while Malu thinks that she might be wounded. The film winds up with a grownup Akku, played by Grace herself, giggling and sharing the anecdote with her friend, and thinking aloud about the effects of lack of ‘k-nowledge’ on menstruation among children.
In hardly 15 minutes, ‘K-nowledge’ effectively points out the ignorance among adolescents and the taboos surrounding conversations on menstruation. A mind-blowing performance by Ahina Andrews and Anahira Maria and the ease with which they delivered a message through a seemingly-funny incident but very grave issue shows that Grace has a lot more to her than just acting talent. Directed, scripted and co-produced by Grace herself, the film has on board Aby Tom Cyriac and the background score composer and co-producer, and Ajay Kunjumon as the cinematographer.
Asked what prompted her to come up with a subject that needs spotlight on it, Grace says, “This is something most of the girls, including I, have faced. Parents or teachers haven’t told us about menstruation. Without much awareness on physical changes or puberty, many girls suddenly one day find themselves bleeding. Imagine the shock and terror! I was in class VII when I had my first periods. I was terrified and almost had a heart attack. Till my mom explained to me about it later, I thought I was dying.”
It was during her graduation days that she came to know that hers wasn’t a unique case. “There for shocking stories. Girls who mistook menstruation for cancer, the ones who thought a part of their vagina had torn off, the ones who attempted suicide by trying to cut the wrist using a sharp branch… Some stuffed folder newspapers between their legs, some wore multiple undergarments and skirts to stop the blood…. What seems funny now on looking back now was a trauma then. The stress the girls faced is not simple or funny as it seems.”
The script of ‘K-nowledge’ was one among the many Grace has been penning since college days. When she narrated it to Aby, he suggested that she direct it, as a good narrator can be a good director. Aby’s hunch was right, as proven by the film’s narrative. The shooting happened at Grace’s hometown in Kochi and the lead roles were played by her cousins Ahina and Anahira, based on whom the story was written. Their pet names are the same as the characters’ in the film. “Though I was writing based on their mannerisms and dialogues, I had no idea that they could act. We conducted auditions for many kids and were surprised that they pulled it off well. The rest of cast too are relatives and kids in the neighbourhood. We held a two-week acting workshop for them.”
During the workshop, Grace held a menstruation awareness class for the boys and girls in the crew. “If the actors themselves aren’t aware, what’s the point in creating a film on the subject,” asks Grace. The shoot which began before lockdown was completed amidst the relaxation period following proper safety guidelines. “The dubbing, which was supposed to take a couple of days, was wrapped up in less than half a day. The kids were amazing,” says Grace, who is glad that her directorial debut has crossed one million views in 10 days.
Asked if there would be more directorials from her, Grace says, “Not now. I have been writing scripts for some time, but not with the intention of making films. Scripting, to me, is a process of evolving as an actor. It let’s me explore beyond my character, think beyond the shot and setting of my role and delve deep into her past and the people around her.” Grace has two projects coming up – Zakariya’s Halal Love Story and Abhilash S. Kumar’s Simply Soumya.
Spellbound by the reactions to the shortfilm, Grace says, “I didn’t expect ‘K-nowledge’ to earn such a great response. Every day since the release, I have been getting messages from men and women, who tell about their period experience, their decision to educate the kids and how well they could relate to Akku. I am so happy that a little film could make such a huge impact.”
