The volunteers of Swaraksha, a Kochi-based charitable trust, have come out with a film that addresses the struggles of women, children and people with special needs.
‘Thanal - Hear The Voice Around You’, released recently on YouTube, passes on the message of speaking out and seeking help.
Through the story of four families in an apartment complex, the film draws attention to the larger issue of social aliention, in the backdrop of the pandemic. “We were so busy before the COVID-19 outbreak, we rarely took the effort to get to know our neighbours. The lockdown gave us time to pause, observe and reflect. To reorient our perspectives,” says Anu Suraj, one of the founders of Swaraksha, which has been conducting campaigns and awareness classes on child sexual abuse since 2014.
The film also touches upon the dangers of cyber violence and addiction. The plot unfolds through the lives of four women and their families in an apartment, who are locked in emotionally and physically during the lockdown. Through their struggles, they realise that the help and support they needed was just next door. Thus the lockdown paves the way to new social bonds and they empower each other, emerging as stronger individuals.
The cast and crew comprise the volunteers and their children and the film was shot indoors, maintaining social distancing norms. “Cases of domestic violence and emotional abuse are on the rise. It has been a harrowing time for families struggling with addiction issues too. The need to make parents and teachers aware of the dangers of cyber bullying and harassment is all the more important now,” says Anu.
While the story was Anu’s, the concept was Vini Vijay’s (a member of Swaraksha), the script and direction was by Meenakshi Shankar. Deepak Plassery was the DOP and the music was by Sumesh Parameswar. The film was launched by actor Namita Pramod through her Facebook account and was shared by actor Kunchacko Boban.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyGj5kq45X8
