Malayalam short film ‘Sootradhaarini’ which pivots women heads to the Atlanta Indian Film Festival

The Malayalam short film Sootradhaarini is the kind that would resonate with women. Especially those who like saris,  the ones with stories, “saris which have something stitched to them: memories, tears, joy…”, says Vijaya S Nambiar, the director-writer of the short film, which has been selected for the Atlanta Indian Film Festival, which kicks off on October 2. 

Vijaya, an engineer, says the short film, uploaded to YouTube on March 8 (International Women’s Day), is a dream come true. “I did not want to make a long-format film; I wanted to make films where stories are told in a short span of time,” says Vijaya, who hails from Thrissur but has been living in Kochi since 2002. She had written a handful of stories, a friend who works in the film industry read some and suggested she could give film making a shot.  

Vijaya S Nambiar
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Almost everyone involved in making the short is a woman, and the women who live in the same apartment building as her have acted in the film. “It is a kind of film by the women, for the women,” Vijaya adds. Since all the actors are amateurs, an acting workshop was organised to familiarise them with the craft.  

The storyline is fairly simple: a group of women who live in the same building decide to celebrate Women’s Day by exchanging saris. There is a twist: they have to give away a sari that is special to them. “It is easy to give away something you don’t like or don’t want anymore. But when you give away something significant to you, that giving is more. It gives you power!” Vijaya says.  

As the women choose the saris, we get a glimpse of what each sari means to them. For one person, it is a memory of a mother; for another, it is their spouse; for yet another, it is a symbol of independence. “This short film is for lovers of saris, and those who love wearing them. The beauty of a sari is that it is the one ‘garment’ that can be worn by any woman irrespective of their size.” 

She is very excited about making her first short film and it into the film festival. Vijaya confesses that her appetite to make more has been whetted. “I have a few stories in mind. In fact, I am planning to start work on another soon. I really enjoyed the process of making a short film and will continue to do so.”

The film is streaming on YouTube