The Blue Pencil looks at certain regressive tendencies in society, which deprives a woman of her identity, whether she is alive or dead. The short film, directed by mediaperson Aarathy, will be screened at the Malayalam Non-competition section of the ongoing 12th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK).
Without revealing much about the storyline of her debut work, Aarathy says, “I have taken up a gender issue that has not been discussed much. The story is told against the backdrop of how media handles news related to women.”
The synopsis of the short says that it is about some certain orthodox tendencies in our so-called progressive society. A man goes to a newspaper office to make some corrections and this brings out “certain paradoxes in reporting culture of Malayalam print media”.
Aarathy has written the story, while the script is by her husband, Mahesh Chandran, also a mediaperson. “I have been looking forward to making documentaries. But this is an issue that can be told only in the fiction format,” she adds.
The cast has Rajesh Sharma, Meera Nair, Amal Rajdev and Krishnan Balakrishnan. Vipin Chandran is the cinematographer and Shafeekhan the editor. Music is by Rohith LT and Aswin Johnson, composers of Nayanthara-starrer Kolaiyuthir Kaalam .
The 18-minute short will be screened at Sree theatre on June 24 at 12.15 pm.
