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Ladies Only

Shobha Warrier

It is college day at a women's college. A well-known writer and a police officer are the main speakers for the function. The writer becomes nostalgic standing on the podium and talking to the girls as the Chief Guest in the very same college she studied in. She is reminded of the days when she, along with her friends, conscientiously listened to their idols. She also remembers how her literary career began in college with the articles she wrote for the magazine she and her friends edited. She still cherishes the excitement she felt when her first story appeared on the 'Wall' magazine and says, "The kind of excitement I felt that day was more than what I felt when I won many awards later on in life. I still treasure those moments. Five of us were virtually inseparable. Now when I stand in front of you, I feel like revisiting those fun filled days."

The young police officer starts her speech by asking the writer whether she has any idea where the other four friends are now. The writer, trying to remember, says, "One was in Orissa as the district collector sometime back...after that...I do not know. Another friend has gone abroad and the other, we heard was somewhere in ...To tell you the truth, we lost track..."

The police officer sarcastically continues her speech, "Yes, this is what happens to female friends. Once they are adults, once they get married, they forget their old friends. Husband, children, and family take precedence over friendship and eventually they forget their past. So girls remember, friendship is very sacred. Carry it with you till your last breath." Inspired by her speech, two young college students take a vow that their friendship will last forever and they will marry only after they achieve something in life.

History is full of stories about great friendships between men but there is not even a single story about two women friends! If you take Hindi films, there are umpteen stories about two dosts (read 'male') who are willing to sacrifice their lives and love for their 'dear friends' but no movie that delves in to friendships among women. But that was before Raakkili Paattu (Nigtingale's Song), directed by Priyadarshan. This is a movie about the everlasting friendship between two girls. When men can be friends for life, why can't women? We men have such good friends from school and college days that even now they can call us in the middle of the night and say they will be over the very next day. We can take that kind of liberty with our friends but we have find that women do not enjoy this," says Murali Nagavalli, the associate director of the film.

Raakkili Paattu is different in the sense that it has no male characters; no hero, no father, no brother, not even a villain. No romantic element and no love scenes. The police personnel in the film are women, the college principal is a woman, the hostel warden is a woman, and even the professors are women. What kind of a movie is it? It is a suspense thriller, says the producer Mukesh Mehta, who has earlier made successful Malayalam films like Thenmavin Kompathu (the unsuccessful Hindi remake was Saath Rang Ke Sapne), Butterflies, etc.

The aspirations and goals of the two friends, played by Jyothika and Sharbani Mukherjee, are about to shatter when Sharbani Mukherjee's guardian emotionally blackmails her to get married. To prevent the marriage from taking place, they invent a lover. To their horror, the fictional lover calls them one day. They cannot understand how the man they themselves have created and who is known only to the two of them can exist. To solve the mystery, they call the man to the hostel amidst college celebrations. But to their shock, he is killed in front of their hostel room. Naturally, the two girls become the prime suspects in the murder and the film picks up momentum from this point. The two girls are on the run with an angry CBI officer is after them.

The original story idea of the film is from the Marathi writer, Chandrakant Kulkarni, who had made a very successful Marathi film, Bindhaast, based on the story last year. "Priyadarshan heard about the film and asked me to see it and decide whether I would like to produce the movie. I went to Bombay, saw the film, and liked it. Although we bought the remake rights from Kulkarni, our film is totally different," says the producer, Mukesh Mehta. The associate director, Murali Nagavalli, clarifies that they have taken only the main thread from the Marathi story and the rest of the film, its sub plots and their treatment, are completely different from the original. Initially, it was planned as a Malayalam film with a cast familiar to the Kerala audience. But as Priyadarshan excitement about the project increased, the canvas grew wider and the producer decided to look for a bigger audience. Thus the entrance of young actresses like Jyothika, Sharbani Mukherjee, Ishita Arun (daughter of Ila Arun), etc., whose faces are now nationally known. Seasoned actresses like Manorama, Lakshmi, K.P.A.C. Lalitha, Sukumari, Mita Vasisht, Tabu and Dipti Bhatnagar also joined the all female team.

Cinematographer, Jeeva, and Art Director, Sabu Cyril, decided to give the film a fresh, slick, and elegant look to appeal to the young audience in India. "In this women's college, you have students from all over India and abroad. Naturally the movie will have a very modern and cosmopolitan atmosphere. We shot ninety percent of the film in a college in Mysore and the rest in Madras. One of the highlights of the film is the live coverage of the Dussera festival of Mysore. The climax of the film, where the policewomen chase the girls, takes place there," Mukesh Mehta explains.

Raakkili Paattu also takes on issues like eve teasing and gender bias that prevail today. The CBI officer, played by Tabu, is one such character who fights for women and their rights but receives a lot of criticism and hostility from those at the top. She gets angry and agitated whenever she hears about the atrocities committed against women. Her career is full of struggles against the male dominated police force. She also gets transferred because she arrests a bigwig's son for raping a four-year-old baby. Any resemblance to any high profile police officer in the country, is quite accidental, the filmmakers say!

Even now people of Madras remember how cruelly Sarita Shah, a young college girl was killed by some eve teasers. This incident also gets depicted in the film. Murali Nagavalli states,"In the film we have shown that the boy involved in the eve teasing incident has some political connections but Tabu is so idealistic and firm that she even refuses to attend to any telephone calls after the arrest of the boy. She fears people with high connections will pressurise her to release the culprit. Yes, we have dealt with many social issues in the film but it is essentially a suspense thriller which will keep the audience on the edge of their seats."

Sharbani Mukherjee, who plays the role of one of the two friends says, "The film is about two friends and I have a very interesting role in it. Jyothika and I play the two friends. It's about our commitment to one another and how we get through the tough times. I play a rich girl. The idea is borrowed from Bindhaast but it has been changed significantly. So the treatment and story are different too. Apart from that, I don't want to say to give away too much of the story." She goes on to add, "It's very interesting to do a film which has only women in it. I find it a fascinating concept and enjoyed the experience. I knew Priyadrashan from before and he thought I would be ideal for the role. I enjoyed the Marathi film from which the idea of Raakkili Paattu is borrowed and it was refreshing working in an all women film, with no romantic angle or hero to it."

Mita Vashist, who stars in the movie, says, "Though the film is a remake of Bindhaast, I think it will have quite a few surprises. My role is interesting and very challenging too. I enjoy working with Priyadarshan as he creates a comfortable atmosphere. Being in an all women film, with no heroes, is certainly different and relaxing. Also, I think in an unusual movie like Raakkili Paattu, it's the way the director treats the subject that makes the difference. I think Priyadarshan has done a fantastic job and I am not apprehensive about the fate of the film as I'm sure it will do well.

But to experience the suspense and the thrill, the audience has to wait until May. The film will be released simultaneously in 75 theatres in all the four south Indian languages (Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu) in May and plans are on to dub it in Hindi too.

(With inputs from Sharmila Taliculam in Bombay)