Sony LIV's latest Malayalam web series Eyes has an interesting premise: a specialised task force comprising police officers, mental health professionals, and a cyber expert comes together to prevent stalker crimes. The seven-episode series is a gripping exploration of different shades of stalking, its psychological effect on victims, and the role of proper mental health counselling in controlling such cases.
This is not entirely new territory for writers Bobby-Sanjay, who had previously explored a young couple's abusive relationship quite effectively in Uyare. Not to forget the many acclaimed works in their two-decade-long filmography. But a web series comes with more freedom and breathing space, and Sanjay admits enjoying the process.
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The basic concept of Eyes, a team monitoring potential stalkers, sounds a bit too far-fetched and fanciful, yet you approach it with full conviction...
Maybe it was fanciful ten years ago, but I'm not sure it is now. My wife (Anjana Nayar, credited for the story) first came up with this idea after being disturbed by repeated stalking-related crimes in Kerala. She felt the need for a preventive mechanism. I found the concept interesting and asked her to develop it. Stalking cases are reported more often today, yet the crime rate remains high. Anyone who stalks and harasses another person, making their life difficult, needs urgent psychiatric treatment. It’s true that the police department has yet to experiment with anything like what we show in Eyes, but I'd call that wishful thinking rather than fanciful. Most successful strategies we see today were born out of someone’s wishful thinking.
Was it an advantage to discuss a dense subject like this in a web series format?
Definitely. If we were to shrink this to 2-2.5 hours, we could have properly explored only one couple's story. We might not have explored the team dynamics. Anjana had already written a detailed draft, breaking it down into seven episodes with cliffhangers and cold openings. So half our job was already done. Since each episode is around 50 mins, we had enough time to go beyond the stalking angle and explore the interpersonal dynamics between the team members, their relationships, and their sisterhood.
With stalking, people mostly talk about physical harassment and abuse. However, it also involves sustained mental abuse. You have explored that effectively with Dev Mohan and Saniya Iyappan's segment, which constantly challenges our perceptions...
Physical harm is actually the final step. It all begins mentally. What's often mistaken for love is a form of dictatorship, trying to gain the upper hand. Possessiveness is often seen as a good quality. But most often it's a trap, where your individuality is robbed, and you let someone assert dominance over you. By the time you realise something is wrong and try to free yourself from those clutches, the other person won't be able to take it. This frustration then leads to harm. Men especially have many preconceived notions about women and try to create a sacred image of them. They try to force-fit women into this persona they have created without even their knowledge. Excessive care and possessiveness are all part of that. The moment the girl says, "I'm not that person you're trying to make me", conflict begins. Once the dominance is questioned, stalking and harassment begin. If the woman moves on, they start to see themselves as a complete failure as a man. Harassment stems from this dangerous ego boiling inside.
How did your understanding of toxic masculinity and abusive relationships evolve after working on Eyes?
For this script, we discussed extensively with many psychologists and psychiatrists. We also spoke with people in our circles who have gone through similar situations, all of which served as inspiration. Getting the science right was essential, and the medical professionals helped with that. Terms like delusional love, battered woman syndrome, and Rorschach had to be accurate, and deep research went behind. It also made us aware of how far stalking or such behaviours can be countered psychologically.
All four cases in the story are about young men stalking women. Do you think you could have added more variety by including, maybe a female stalker, or someone much older? Because such cases also exist...
The Eyes team investigates cases already reported to the police. As per statistics, women are victims in around 96- 98% of reported cases. So if we are to show a female abuser, then it gives the impression that women are the perpetrators in one in four cases, which is not the reality. We could have added variety, as you said, if the Eyes team had randomly picked cases from the society, but even then it's a very small minority. We have still hinted about a man being on the receiving end through Justin's past relationship with a fellow cop. He even says he might have needed the Eyes team's help had that relationship continued. If we make a second season, such cases will be part of the story.
But it's interesting that the perpetrators are all from different strata of society, debunking the common perception that such harassment incidents are rare among the educated and elites...
It was a conscious decision to break that misconception. We wanted to show that it's prevalent everywhere, regardless of societal class. Cinema is also guilty of reiterating such perceptions.
The dynamics between the Eyes team members are refreshing, as they navigate ego clashes, misunderstandings, and questions of self-respect before coming together as a cohesive unit...
We cracked that largely because a woman wrote the story. We also wanted to get the Bechdel Test right, which is a cultural metric used to evaluate the authentic representation of women in media. When women are together, why would they keep talking only about men? Their conversations will also be about work, finance, career... and that's what we have stuck to. It adds an extra dimension to Eyes, rather than making it just a show about stalking.
You and your brother Bobby have been writing films together for 23 years, making yours one of the longest-standing screenwriting partnerships in Malayalam. What do you think is the reason for your longevity? If you weren't siblings, would this partnership have lasted this long?
Being brothers has helped a lot. That way, work also becomes a familial affair. But that doesn't mean our views are always similar. Had that been the case, only one of us would have to write. Despite having shared childhood and memories, we are two different personalities. But our attitudes toward cinema have always aligned, and I guess that's what keeps us together.
Your films often explore extraordinary possibilities in the lives of ordinary people. Is it also an extension of your own wishful thinking?
Our films aren't meant to share messages, but to remind us of our possibilities. Rather than pondering whether such a scenario will ever happen, we prefer to ask why it can't. Why can't an acid attack victim become an air hostess? Who is deciding these beauty standards? Through Uyare, we tried to show how someone who doesn't fit the so-called beauty standards can succeed in a field where conventional beauty is considered mandatory. Similarly, How Old Are You is about the awakening of a woman who had long buried her ambitious self. This awakening is perhaps a common thread in our films. We don't intend to offer solutions, but reminders. In fact, I feel it's pompous to share solutions through films. Who are we to decide what's right or wrong? It's cinema, not a legal matter to decide who should be punished or rewarded. We are not here to pass judgments, just to explore lives.