Anand Ekarshi's Debut Malayalam Feature AATTAM Strikes A Chord With The Audience At The Jio MAMI
The film is receiving critical acclaim at various film festivals.
By: Michael Major Oct. 31, 2023
Anand Ekarshi's powerful and award-winning Malayalam debut feature AATTAM strikes a chord with the audience at its Asia Premiere at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023.
The packed house screening was followed by insightful Q & A which was attended by the ensemble cast of 11 theatre actors including Vinay Forrt, Zarin Shihab, the filmmaker Anand Ekarshi and producer Dr. Ajith Joy attended the engaging Q&A.
AATTAM is the Opening Film of ‘Indian Panorama' section at 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) and is officially selected in the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in the ‘Malayalam Cinema' section.
The film recently had its World Premiere at the 21st Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles winning the much coveted Grand Jury Award for the Best Film.
The film selected in the South Asia Focus is nominated for the IMDB Audience Choice Award and Film Critics Guild Gender Sensitivity Award.
Produced by Joy Movie Productions, AATTAM was also selected as Film Bazaar Recommends in the Viewing Room of NFDC Film Bazaar 2022.
Late after a party, amongst a theatre group, their sole actress, Anjali, is subjected to a crime from one among the twelve men of the group. An urgent meeting between all but the accused is called for. In trying to reach a consensus, stories unravel, suspicions surface and clamor ensues.
Featuring an exceptional cast, from actual theatre background including Zarin Shihab, Vinay Forrt, Kalabhavan Shajohn, and Nandan Unni, along with 9 new theatre artists, ‘Aattam' delivers a powerful and unforgettable performance with 35 days invested in rehearsals prior to shooting.
Delighted about the response received at Jio MAMI, Anand Ekarshi the debut filmmaker and writer-director of AATTAM says, “It has been a great honour for us. Having our film at MAMI has been a great honour for us, the response towards the film has been truly overwhelming and amazing. We are experiencing joy and it's truly wonderful.”
The lead Actress of the film Zarin Shihab says, “This was the first screening and also the first time I watched the film, so this experience was very overwhelming for me. Though I'm not a part of this theater group, everyone welcomed me with open arms. It's the most challenging film I've worked on and the most I've learned as an actor, and I hope to work on more films like this in my career.”
The lead actor of the film Vinay Forrt says, “I did my post-graduation from FTII, and I had never been to Mumbai but I've always heard about MAMI. Many of my films have been to multiple festivals, but none have been to MAMI.”
The producer Dr. Ajith Joy adds, “It was great to see the audience responding so emotionally to the film. Initially in LA, when we did the screening, we had a different reaction, a lot of people connected to the film at multiple levels. The director's intention was to avoid making the film preachy or judgmental about the complexities of the human mind, and this approach has yielded positive results. There are subtle instances where claps and smiles and giggles come out, even at places where we didn't expect any of it. That was absolutely amazing.”
About Writer-Director, Anand Ekarshi
Anand Ekarshi is a debutante filmmaker from Kerala, India. His interest in theater and acting began at the age of 10, and grew with time into a passion for filmmaking. He credits his roots in storytelling to his time with Lokadharmi, a Kochi-based theater group, where he was a part of numerous performances across India for over a decade. His recent projects include Malayalam short films and music videos and a short stint under acclaimed filmmaker, Imitaz Ali. A graduate in Communicative English and a post-graduate in Psychology, Anand finds inspiration for his narratives in trying to unravel the complexities of the human mind.
About Joy Movie Productions
Joy Movie Productions, founded by D.r Ajith Joy, is an Indian production house based in Kochi, Kerala. Previously the Chairman and MD of DDRC SRL Diagnostics Pvt. Ltd., D.r Joy's passion for films, music and art led him to establish his production house in 2021. His fast-growing portfolio of post-production infrastructure includes Studio Iris, a high-quality colour grading studio and Iris Pixels, a full-fledged VFX and graphics studio.
Through his ventures, Dr. Joy has launched several high-tech production equipment in Kerala, such as the ARRI Alexa Mini LF and the RED Komedo along with other imaging equipment and lenses. Studio Iris boasts of being India's first G B laser illuminated projector, that is managed by highly experienced technicians for enhanced output quality. Joy Movies is well on its way to establish itself as a state-of-the-art production house that offers an end-to-end production ecosystem for filmmakers to develop a wholesome entertainment experience.
About Producer- Dr. AJITH JOY
As a nuclear medicine physician with over 20 years of experience, Dr. Ajith Joy was previously the CMD of Kerala's largest diagnostic network DDRC SRL. Through his holding company, Dr. Joy's Ventures, Dr. Ajith Joy holds multiple business firms including one of his early ventures- DDC Group of Laboratories that was founded in 1983, Dr. Joy's Medstore, Dr. Joy's Mamografia. Dr. Joy's Sportz &Dr. Joy's Wellness.
A well-rounded investor and businessman, his empire ranges from Netrasemi, a microchip firm; Aramis, an Al-based medical imaging & analysis software firm, DDNMRC Group of Nuclear Medicine & Therapy Centres, and multiple other businesses in the segments of real estate and agricultural plantations. With his latest venture, Joy Movie Productions and its affiliate companies STUDIO IRIS, JOY MUSIC and IRIS PIXELS, he has ventured into the filmmaking business to focus on creating a 360-degree movie-making experience.
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