The 70th National Film Awards were announced on Friday and the jury has declared Aattam the Best Feature Film. It is the 12th Malayalam film in the history of National Awards to bag the prestigious honour. Priyadarshan's Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham (2019) was the last from Malayalam to achieve the feat.
Reacting to the win, director Anand Ekarshi, who debuted with Aattam, says, "It feels surreal to even think that our film has won among 300 submissions from across the country. We were a bit disappointed with the snub at the State awards last year, but to win three awards at the National level is quite overwhelming."
Aattam, a chamber drama modelled on 12 Angry Men, explores gender politics and human hypocrisies. The film revolves around a sexual harassment accusation made by the sole actress (Zarin Shihab) of a theatre group against a popular film star (Kalabhavan Shajohn) who joined their team recently.
Besides the award for Best Feature Film, Aattam also won in the Best Editing (Mahesh Bhuvanend) and Best Original Screenplay (Anand) categories. The director feels it's a huge validation to have won in a technical department like editing. "When you get an award for something like editing, it feels like you've won it for the merit of things. I'm also glad that a chamber drama like this is identified and honoured. I believe the jury saw all the nuances in the script."
When prodded if the multiple National Award win makes him more responsible, he adds, "In a way, it does, but I hope to not take all those things on my head. The weight of responsibility will only slow down the process of moving on. I want to approach my next with the same novelty that I had for Aattam."
Anand dedicates the win to his producer Ajith Joy, without whom he feels this might not have ever happened. The director signs off by extending his gratitude to his parents for their relentless support. "My mother, especially, has been a strong influence in my life. She, along with my female friends, has helped me understand women."
Aattam, released theatrically earlier this year on January 5, also won the FIPRESCI-India Grand Prix for the best Indian film of 2023. The film is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.