Director Vikram Shreedharan: The portrayal of pregnancy in Birthmark is not a plot device, but the plot itself

Director Vikram Shreedharan feels that the story of Birthmark chooses its rather unique title. "The film is a thriller filled with lots of mysteries. We were very particular that we got this title as it is crucial to the plot." The Shabeer Kallarakkal and Mirna Menon, starrer hitting the screens this Friday,  is shot with limited actors in a contained environment; Vikram confesses that it was intentional. "We ideated the script during the pandemic, and we were fixated on making a 'feasible' film with the resources available. We decided to produce it all by ourselves, without the need for a major production house."

The film has Jailer-fame Mirna playing a pregnant woman, and Sarpatta Parambarai-fame Shabeer portraying her deceptive husband, who seemingly plots evil plans against her, and the whole drama is orchestrated in a birthing village. Sharing his inspiration behind the setting and the characters, Vikram says, " I always wanted to make a film about pregnancy and pregnant women because of the physical vulnerabilities a woman goes through during that phase. While researching more about pregnancy, we got to know a lot of exciting factors that made us build the world for Birthmark and the stakes surrounding it. The place is a character by itself, rather than being a passive addition."

Vikram reveals that the core of the film is inspired by the observations from the lives of army men whose behaviour was totally altered after facing a dreadful war.

Most screenwriters introduce a pregnant woman in the screenplay as a convenient excuse to increase the stakes in a story, but Vikram contends that Birthmark is different. "The pregnancy period here is not a plot device but the plot itself. We haven't used pregnancy as a gimmick. I am confident that the efforts we have taken to design the screenplay around the pregnancy will attract the audience."