Malayalam documentary ‘Thespians of Aattam’ is a fascinating look at the unique cast of the film ‘Aattam’

Malayalam documentary ‘Thespians of Aattam’ is a fascinating look at the cast of Aattam film

Malayalam film Aattam has been making waves since its release. It was a story created for the cast, its director and writer Anand Ekarshi has stated clearly in several interviews. Even as the movie bagged laurels at all the fetes it was screened, it was the unusual cast that was the cynosure of all eyes.

Members of the Kochi-based theatre group Lokadharmi, the actors come from different walks of life and socio-economic backgrounds. What unites them is their passion for theatre and the art of acting.

Just after its Indian premiere at the MAMI (Mumbai Academy of Moving Images) fete in Mumbai and before the cast and crew left for Goa, where Aattam was the opening film of the 2023 International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Anand roped in Ananthakrishnan Gopinathan to shoot a documentary on the making of the film, its cast and their experience of working in the film. 

Ananthakrishnan explains, “Anand ettan wanted to do a documentary on the lives of the actors and how it led to Aattam. I know that all of them became part of Aattam through Lokadharmi. So, I wanted to get into their personal lives and their struggle to make a mark as actors. That is how the documentary happenned.”

Thespians of Aattam, a 65-minute documentary, uploaded on YouTube, takes viewers through the journey of the actors as they make their way from the stage to the screen. Candid takes during the shooting enhance the conversations as each actor explains what brought them to Lokadharmi and their organic growth as actors in theatre and Aattam.

It is also a deep dive into the craft of filmmaking and the dynamics of the cast and crew on a set. Watching how a frame is planned, the way a director visualises a scene written on paper and how the actors translate that into action is a captivating look at the teamwork behind a film.

Although there are many documentaries on the making of internationally renowned films, such works are rare in Indian cinema. For instance, The Shark Is Still Working is an interesting work on the making of Steven Spielberg ‘s iconic Jaws.