Don Palathara's film 'Family' hit theatres on February 22. The film, featuring Vinay Forrt and Divya Prabha, addresses sexual abuse, while also holding a mirror to society. Don Palathara, in an interview with Onmanorama, said he wanted to approach the element of sexual abuse differently. With 'Family', he does exactly that.
“Sexual abuse is a beaten-to-death subject in our films. You can tell this story in several ways. Seeing it through the eyes of sympathy is a simplified approach. More than the crime, with 'Family', I wanted to address how the crime is treated and protected in society,” he said. According to Don, society is ruled by institutions, that try to suppress truths. “There are no individuals in our society. Only institutions, including religion. Here, religion is placed above everything. It is considered higher than our constitution, personal values, ethical consciousness. Religion, inevitably, is our decision maker,” he said.
The filmmaker who has helmed movies like 'Shavam', among others, says he does not consciously make movies that address relevant issues. “I never do films with a conscious effort of exposing society. I do films that are based on my personal experiences. I want to do such genuine films, such honest kind of cinema,” he said.
'Family' had its slew of challenges
Unlike, my other films, 'Family' was made on a bigger scale. Many locations have been featured in this movie, which was shot in Idukki. There were several disjointed scenes that had to be weaved together. In 'Shavam', the film revolved around only one house and its exteriors and interiors. The dialogues in the film were not goal oriented. There was a lot of dark humour too. In 'Vith', the world is calmer, but there is an underlying violence. Here, unlike my previous films, I have strictly used static camera during the filming process.
Working with Vinay Forrt
Vinay Forrt has been doing movies with a similar flavour for long. If you look at his filmography, he has done films with Shery Govind and Priyanandan, among others. In a way, Vinay's social image has a relevance to his character in the film. Vinay is perceived to be the friendly, neighbourhood guy because of the characters he has played in commercial movies. That image is good for the kind of character he plays in 'Family'.
Ultimate purpose of a movie
We can never determine the future of a movie. The ultimate goal is to ensure enough people get to see it. When we make a movie, we never conceive it as a film for the festivals or for theatres. We need to ensure if people are touched by the content we make. ‘Family’ received very good feedback at international film festivals. However, it was received best at the International Film Festival of Kerala. Though subtitles are available for other-language audience to enjoy the movie, people can connect better to a movie and its nuances when it is perceived in the mother tongue.
