Realistic portrayal of the unorganised on silver screen

Activist P. Viji plays herself in the movie segment ‘Asanghatithar’

There is nothing unusual about a people’s movement being the topic of a documentary film. But ‘Asanghatithar’ is not a documentary. Neither is it fiction, though some characters may be fictional. It is a mainstream representation of a movement that made waves in the State a decade ago. And, the same people who were behind it starred in the movie makes it a one-of-its-kind genre.

The second segment of the much discussed Malayalam movie “Swathanthrya Samaram” (Freedom Fight), “Asanghatithar” (The Unorganised) is a realistic take on the iconic ‘Toilet Protests’ that took off from S.M. Street in Kozhikode in 2010. The protest led by P. Viji was to ensure the right of women employees to urinate in decent circumstances while working in shops on S.M.Street. The area designated for urinals in most buildings on the street at the time were used as godowns or trial rooms, while the women employees struggled to relieve themselves. As a result of the protest, many buildings now have toilets, and the Kozhikode Corporation was forced to build several public toilets in city. The movie also tracks the formation of ‘Penkoottu’, the women’s organisation based at S.M. Street which later evolved into Asanghatita Meghala Thozhilali Union (AMTU) of which Ms. Viji is the State secretary.

In ‘Asanghatithar’, directed by Kunhila Mascilamani, Ms. Viji and several other women employees of the street have played themselves. “We were not acting. We were just behaving the way we are and responding the same way we did all those years ago,” Ms. Viji said.

Ms. Viji had a hand in shaping the movie into what it is. The script was rewritten by Ms. Kunhila many times over based on inputs from Ms. Viji and incorporating real incidents and dialogues. “Most of the punchlines in the movie actually happened. Even the humour was not fictional,” Ms. Viji said.

Ms. Viji is all praise for the team for incorporating the nuances of a topic in the movie in such a memorable manner. She particularly mentioned actress Srinda who played the lead role as a sales girl. “She filled into the shoes of a sales girl quite effectively and looked just like one of us. She had no problem speaking in the typical Kozhikode dialect, though she is not a native of the city,” she said.

Besides Ms. Viji and activist K. Ajitha, at least 10 other members of Penkoottu had been part of the movie that ends with a hint towards the next issue taken up by AMTU, the Right to Sit Campaign. As a women’s rights activist who played a key role in two historic protests that led to some major law making in the State, Ms. Viji was adjudged as one of the 100 women who brought about positive changes in the world by the BBC, a few years ago.

Her only worry is that the movie is available only on OTT and hence most Penkoottu members are unable to watch it.