'Divorce is an attempt to address pivotal issues'

Filmmaker Mini IG's debut feature Divorce was one of the first films selected for funding by the Kerala State Film Development Corporation as part of a project launched in 2019-20 to promote women filmmakers, the other being Tara Ramanujan's recently released Kerala State award winner, Nishiddho. Divorce is finally gearing up for release on February 24 after multiple delays due to various factors, such as the pandemic. Written and directed by Mini, Divorce features Chandhunadh, Santosh Keezhattoor, Priyamvada Krishnan, and Shibla Fara, among others.

Mini, who had assisted filmmakers Lal Jose and P Balachandran, says her lack of prior directing experience posed a challenge when it came to casting the actors. "Getting established actors was not a possibility. After some names expressed disinterest, we eventually managed to finalise a list of names who were willing, and whoever agreed to come on board did so intending to commit wholeheartedly," she says, adding that there were instances when Covid forced some previously committed actors to bail at the last minute. But she took a leap of faith nevertheless.

The budget and location constraints meant Mini had to be content with shooting most portions in Chitranjali Studio and omitting a few previously envisioned ideas. "Since there were many limitations, we had to make certain conceptual compromises, the number of people on set, and whatnot. For example, we dressed up an Arts college as the courtroom. Also, we could only shoot there during the daytime and for a limited number of hours. I also had to take out and rethink a dream sequence that I had elaborately designed. But the primary goal was doing justice to the subject regardless of these issues," says the former theatre artiste and teacher who has been in the field for over two decades.

Mini yearned to make women-centric, socially committed stories if she ever got the opportunity to make films. She acknowledges the reality of working amidst men reluctant to take orders and instructions from women. "We can see that problem even in families today - the directions always come from the men, no? In a patriarchal society, a deviation from the norm happens only slowly. The concept of equality exists only among the liberal, open-minded people who work and interact with similar-minded individuals; elsewhere, the power lies with men, in which case it's difficult for them to take orders from women."

Mini sees the emergence of filmmakers like Indhu VS and Ratheena encouraging. "I hope that tag of 'female director' would eventually disappear and everyone sees them as common folk. I also wish we had more female names in the technical department. I badly wanted someone new to handle the camera, but that didn't happen: their reluctance to join my team is understandable because I'm a newbie. I believe I won't have the same problem next time. However, I managed to work with a female lyricist and a couple of female assistant directors. I would've ideally loved to have a team with a strong female presence. When more women start expressing interest in these technical departments, we'll begin seeing changes in the general approach."

As for the central subject of her film, evident from the title itself, Mini wanted to explore how a divorce situation would "disrupt the dynamics of families and its harsh psychological impact on men, women, parents, children and other loved ones close to them." Mini also wonders why we rarely see this situation handled amicably between two parties in Kerala. "Most often, the man and woman turn very sore, especially in matters related to the custody of their child. I've come across only a few folks who stick together for the sake of their child, are calm and understanding, and have zero egos;  even the judges are surprised at them. Of course, these are people with a fair amount of world exposure. I'm hoping to see such changes increase exponentially in Kerala."

Mini wants couples with children to remember that in divorce cases, the young ones get the short end of the stick when the parents turn bitter enemies. "The sad part is that they are the innocent victims. Why do they have to suffer? Even when the parents are separated, they should keep an open mind and keep the welfare of their children in mind. These are some of the issues I wanted to address, not in a dry manner, though, but in a manner accessible to regular audiences."