For director Siddu Poornachandra, Brahma Kamala began with a real incident he heard about in Ramanagara. A woman who had been unable to conceive for years returned to her hometown claiming she was pregnant and later appeared with a baby. What stayed with the filmmaker was not the incident itself, but the question of what could drive someone to such a decision.
Produced by Poornachandra Films, Brahma Kamala, starring Adhvithi Shetty, explores motherhood, longing, and the pressures surrounding a woman desperate to become a mother. The film also features real-life couple Lokendra Surya and Ruthu Chaithra, along with Bala Rajawadi, Mamatha Rahuth, Kavita Kambar and Pramila Subramanyam. Brahma Kamala is set to release on August 20.
In this interview, Siddu speaks about what drew him to the story, writing Apeksha as a morally difficult character, and why he continues to choose stories that give him creative satisfaction.
Excerpts:
What stayed with you when you first heard the real incident that inspired Brahma Kamala?
I heard about an incident in Ramanagara involving a woman who had been unable to conceive for years. She later returned claiming she was pregnant and appeared with a baby. Questions were raised about the child's registration, and the truth came out.
What stayed with me was not just the incident, but what could make a woman take such a decision. It is easy to judge someone from the outside, but I wanted to understand what she might have been going through and the emotional pressure that could have led her there. That became the starting point for the film.
Did you approach the story by asking whether her decision was right or wrong?
No. I was more interested in understanding the person before judging the decision. We generally talk about the happiness of having a child, but I wanted to ask what happens to a woman who cannot have one. What does her family make her feel? What does society make her feel? Those questions became important to the film.
The film also discusses social pressure around motherhood.
Motherhood is often treated as something that defines a woman. When a woman cannot become a mother, society can make her feel that something is missing in her life. That pressure can be difficult to deal with. The film is not simply about wanting a child. It is about what that desire becomes when it is surrounded by loneliness, social expectations and desperation.
Apeksha is a difficult character because the audience may understand her desperation without necessarily accepting her actions. Was finding that balance challenging?
I did not want to make Apeksha a villain, but I also did not want to justify everything she does.
I wanted the audience to understand her state of mind. There is a difference between understanding why someone does something and saying that what they did was right. That distinction was important to me while writing the character.
The title Brahma Kamala has a connection to the child in the film. How did that idea come about?
The child blooms for a short period and then withers, just like the Brahma Kamala flower. The film is the birth story of that child. The title came from that thought.
Your films often carry some social concern. Do you begin with an issue you want to talk about, or does the issue emerge from the story?
I don't sit down thinking that I have to give a message. My experience as a writer has helped me choose subjects that have something to say. I have always wanted to add some value through the films I make. Whether it is Hemmara, Krishna Garments or Daari Yavudayya Vaikuntake, I have tried to do something different with each film. With my upcoming films Ee Paada Punya Paada and Puttannanna Katthe too, I have chosen subjects that give me some creative satisfaction.
But as a filmmaker, you also have to think about the business of cinema. How do you reconcile the two?
I don't have a commercial mind. I was not running behind fame. I wanted to make this film with a good intention. Of course, I want people to watch my films, but I cannot start with the commercial result and then decide what story to tell.
I don't know if every film will become a big commercial success, but that cannot stop me from telling a story I believe in.
The film has travelled to festivals including the Bengaluru International Film Festival and the Melbourne Film Festival. Does that kind of recognition matter to you?
It feels good when a film travels and reaches different audiences, but I was not making it for festival recognition or fame. I hope people watch it, understand the thought behind it and look at the pressures women face around motherhood. I don't want to dictate what they should take away. Every audience member will see the film differently.
