Ottamuri Velicham

Ottamuri Velicham
Movie Poster
Directed by	Rahul Riji Nair
Written by	Rahul Riji Nair
Produced by	First Print Studios
Starring	Deepak Parambol Vinitha Koshy Rajesh Sharma, Pauly Valsan Renjit Shekar Nair
Cinematography	Luke Jose
Edited by	Appu N Bhattathiri
Music by	Sidhartha Pradeep, Sheron Roy Gomez (Songs) Sidhartha Pradeep (Score)
Production company	First Print Studios
Running time	102 minutes
Country	India
Language	Malayalam

Ottamuri Velicham (English: Light in the Room) is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by Rahul Riji Nair. It is produced under the banner of First Print Studios and has Vinitha Koshy and Deepak Parambol in the lead roles.^[1] The film unveils the journey of a newly wed girl who moves into a one-room shack in an isolated village with her husband. The film portrays the social issue of marital rape in India.^[2] The film won 4 awards at the 2017 Kerala State Film Awards, including Best Feature Film of the year.^[3] The film had its World Premiere at the New York Indian Film Festival on May 11, 2018. The film was released on Eros Now as an Original in November, 2018.

Plot

Set against the backdrop of a hilltop village surrounded by dense forest and a decaying tea plantation, is the story of Sudha, an under privileged woman who reaches this village after her marriage with Chandran. They stay along with Chandran’s brother and aging mother in a confined single room house with a makeshift separation to create space for the couple. The room has a strange light without a switch which changes its colours often. While Chandran calls the light his invention of a lifetime, it deprives Sudha of her privacy and begins to haunt her. Adding to her woes, Chandran engages in acts to physically exert his dominance over Sudha. Amidst deep trauma, Sudha realises that she doesn't have any support and decides to fight for her survival and seeks revenge against Chandran. Will Sudha succeed in her fight for freedom forms the crux of this emotional thriller.

Cast

• Deepak Parambol as Chandran
• Vinitha Koshy as Sudha
• Rajesh Sharma as Jayan
• Pauly Valsan as Mother
• Renjit Shekar Nair as Ramesh

Crew

• Story, Screenplay, Dialogue, Direction: Rahul Riji Nair
• Produced By: First Print Studios
• Executive Producers: Sujith Warrier, Zam Abdul Vahid
• DoP: Luke Jose
• Editor: Appu N Bhattathiri
• Music: Sidhartha Pradeep, Sheron Roy Gomez
• Background Score: Sidhartha Pradeep
• Lyrics: Linku Abraham, Gilu Joseph
• Art: Sidharth Jeevakumar
• Assistant Art Directors : Aishwarya Nandkumar, Sreelakshmi A
• Make-Up: Prabhakaran Poojapura
• Sound Design & Mixing: Anoop Kammaran (AK Music Studios), Shefin Mayan, Prasanth Sasidharan
• Costumes: Nithya Vijay, Devika S Nair
• Chief Associate: Jeevan Jos Kaitharath, Baiju V Nath

Awards

Kerala State Film Awards 2017

• Kerala State Film Award for Best Film : Ottamuri Velicham
• Kerala State Film Award for Best Editor : Appu N Bhattathiri
• Kerala State Film Award for Best Character Actress : Pauly Valsan
• Kerala State Film Award - Special Jury Award : Vinitha Koshy

International Awards

• German Star of India [Best Feature Film], 15th Indian Film Festival Stuttgart, 2018 ^[4]
• Second Best Feature Film, Chicago South Asian Film Festival, 2018

Nominations

• Best Film, New York Indian Film Festival 2018 ^[5]
• Best Director, New York Indian Film Festival 2018
• Best Actress, New York Indian Film Festival 2018
• Director's Vision Award, 15th Indian Film Festival Stuttgart, 2018
• Oxfam Award for Best Film on Gender Equality, MAMI 2018

Film festivals

• Winner, 15th Indian Film Festival Stuttgart
• Runner Up, Chicago South Asian Film Festival
• Official Selection (India Gold), Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI)
• Official Selection, New York Indian Film Festival 2018 (World Premiere)
• Official Selection, Imagine India International Film Festival, Madrid 2019
• Official Selection, Film Bazaar Recommends 2017
• Official Selection, Market Recommended - Dubai Film Market 2017

Production

Principal photography commenced in June 2017 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The major portions of film is set against the backdrop of Bonacaud Tea Estate.

References

1. Anu James. "'It happened all of a sudden,' says actor Deepak Parambol over viral marriage photo with Vinitha Koshy". International Business Times. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
2. Express Features (30 August 2017). "Deepak and Vineetha Koshy to play a married couple". CinemaExpress. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
3. Deepa Soman. "Kerala State Film Awards 2017". Times of India. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
4. "IFF Stuttgart Award Winners" (PDF). Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
5. NYIFF 2018 Award Nominations