TVM techie's stinging tale of abuse wins second prize at NHRC shortfilm contest
The short film Meanwhile She, by a Kerala team, earned second prize at the 11th annual National Human Rights Commission competition for its powerful depiction of how women's rights are subtly violated in their daily lives, often by those closest to them, as highlighted by director Amal Sreekoyil who emphasized that the greatest human rights violation occurs when victims are unaware of their rights being infringed. The 10-minute film compresses one hour of a protagonist's life, showcasing her exhaustion while juggling roles as an employee, mother, wife, and daughter, and illustrating how everyday situations like denying her peace of mind during menstruation or justifying corporal punishment can constitute human rights violations, a concept scriptwriter Vishnulal Sudha found surprising during research, noting that societal conditioning often prevents victims from recognizing abuse. The film culminates with the protagonist experiencing physical abuse from her husband and then choosing to break a cycle of trauma by embracing her daughter instead of striking her, a narrative that has deeply resonated with audiences, as actor Poombatta shared that many women relate to the experiences depicted, underscoring the continued regression women face despite claims of progress, and the film was produced under challenging time and budget constraints, with the team overjoyed by the recognition among 526 entries.
The short film Meanwhile She, by a Kerala team, earned second prize at the 11th annual National Human Rights Commission competition for its powerful depiction of how women's rights are subtly violated in their daily lives, often by those closest to them, as highlighted by director Amal Sreekoyil who emphasized that the greatest human rights violation occurs when victims are unaware of their rights being infringed. The 10-minute film compresses one hour of a protagonist's life, showcasing her exhaustion while juggling roles as an employee, mother, wife, and daughter, and illustrating how everyday situations like denying her peace of mind during menstruation or justifying corporal punishment can constitute human rights violations, a concept scriptwriter Vishnulal Sudha found surprising during research, noting that societal conditioning often prevents victims from recognizing abuse. The film culminates with the protagonist experiencing physical abuse from her husband and then choosing to break a cycle of trauma by embracing her daughter instead of striking her, a narrative that has deeply resonated with audiences, as actor Poombatta shared that many women relate to the experiences depicted, underscoring the continued regression women face despite claims of progress, and the film was produced under challenging time and budget constraints, with the team overjoyed by the recognition among 526 entries.
The short film Meanwhile She, by a Kerala team, earned second prize at the 11th annual National Human Rights Commission competition for its powerful depiction of how women's rights are subtly violated in their daily lives, often by those closest to them, as highlighted by director Amal Sreekoyil who emphasized that the greatest human rights violation occurs when victims are unaware of their rights being infringed. The 10-minute film compresses one hour of a protagonist's life, showcasing her exhaustion while juggling roles as an employee, mother, wife, and daughter, and illustrating how everyday situations like denying her peace of mind during menstruation or justifying corporal punishment can constitute human rights violations, a concept scriptwriter Vishnulal Sudha found surprising during research, noting that societal conditioning often prevents victims from recognizing abuse. The film culminates with the protagonist experiencing physical abuse from her husband and then choosing to break a cycle of trauma by embracing her daughter instead of striking her, a narrative that has deeply resonated with audiences, as actor Poombatta shared that many women relate to the experiences depicted, underscoring the continued regression women face despite claims of progress, and the film was produced under challenging time and budget constraints, with the team overjoyed by the recognition among 526 entries.
An ordinary hour in a woman's life unfolds into a searing account of invisible struggles in 'Meanwhile She', the short film by a Kerala team which has won second prize at the 11th annual competition organised by the National Human Rights Commission. The film reveals how a woman's rights are often quietly compromised by those closest to her.
"The greatest human rights violation is when a victim is not even aware that their rights are being violated. That is the premise of the film 'Meanwhile She'," said director Amal Sreekovil, a native of Thiruvananthapuram and lead designer at Technopark.
The 10-minute film opens with a Malayali woman holding a sanitary napkin, visibly exhausted, while speaking to her boss over the phone. It then takes the viewer through one hour of her life, compressing it into a tight narrative. Played by actor Poombatta, the protagonist is seen juggling multiple roles, an employee working on a Sunday, a mother preparing her daughter for a test paper, a wife responding to her husband's constant demands, and a dutiful daughter.
Scriptwriter Vishnulal Sudha said the film attempts to capture how multiple forms of human rights violations can unfold within a single hour of a woman's daily life. "When people think of human rights violations, they imagine extreme acts like starvation or physical confinement. But many do not realise that even denying a woman her peace of mind while she is menstruating can amount to a violation," he said.
Recalling the making of the film, Vishnulal said the idea had been on his mind when Amal approached him for the competition. "Amal Sreekovil, my co-writer Arun Rajan and I have worked on multiple projects before. So when Amal mentioned the short film competition, we decided to make the theme women-centric. But during our research, even I was shocked at the extent of human rights violations women face in their everyday lives," he said.
He added that societal conditioning often prevents victims from recognising abuse. "People often ask why victims don't speak up. But how can they, if they believe this is normal? For instance, if you grow up being caned by parents or teachers saying 'it's for your own good', you may normalise violence. Later, when a partner becomes abusive, you may not resist because that is what you have been conditioned to accept," he said.
At the end of the film, the protagonist is slapped by her husband for not answering his calls while she is in a meeting with her boss, who brushes off her explanation as an excuse. Later, she finds her child, whom she had asked to study, playing on her iPad. She raises her hand to strike the girl, but pauses when the child asks why she stopped. In that moment, she chooses to break the cycle of trauma, drawing her child into an embrace instead.
Actor Poombatta said the film has resonated deeply with audiences. "When we screened the film at a fest in Technopark, many women either related to it in their present lives, recalled their past, or knew someone going through similar experiences. Several came up to me and shared their stories," she said. "Despite conversations around gender equality and claims of progress, women continue to face regression. There are broadly two responses; some question whether such experiences still exist, while many women come forward to say, 'This is me,'" she added.
Highlighting a key sequence in the film, Poombatta said it draws connections between childhood conditioning and adult experiences. "There are lines where her father says he disciplined her through constant caning, her mother tells her to prioritise her husband's needs, and her teacher justifies corporal punishment by pointing to her 'successful' life. These culminate in a scene where her husband slaps her for not responding to him while she is in an important work meeting," she said.
She stressed the importance of parental support. "If a daughter comes forward to say she is being mistreated, her parents must give her the confidence to stand on her own feet," she said.
The film was shot on a tight schedule, from 8 am to 3 am the next day. "We were racing against the deadline when we began filming. It was a low-budget project, with most of the resources going into the technical aspects," Amal said. Apart from Poombatta and her eight-year-old daughter Lasya, who played the child, most of the cast and crew were friends or long-time collaborators. The crew included cinematographer Dev M, actor Visakh Soman as the husband, Biju Jaimes as the teacher, and Raveendran Nair as the protagonist's father. "The protagonist's mother was played by Vishnu's mother, V Sudha," Amal said.
"We submitted the film without expecting to win. There were 526 entries across 24 languages and three rounds of evaluation," Amal said. "The team is overjoyed that our work has been recognised. We will be travelling to Delhi in April for the award ceremony."