Do you sometimes feel that the fights between on-screen couples often sound unrealistic or perhaps seem too structured? With a number of soundtracks, characters and subplots, viewers only witness the emotional outburst of the lead characters when it is at its peak, but we seldom remember how the fight broke out, or how it escalated. In the world of Santhoshathinte Onnam Raha
The 85-minute-long movie was shot as a single-shot film, in the year 2020, during the first wave of the coronavirus lockdown. Speaking to TNM, Don Palathara, the director of Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahas
“It’s a very rare film, so I jumped right at the opportunity. I was both excited and terrified when I heard the script,” Rima Kallingal, who played the lead role of Maria, tells TNM. Speaking further about the script, Rima quips: “I loved the fact that the movie is unconventional in the sense that it discusses an important issue in a ‘slice of life’ approach rather than dramatising it.”
The filmmaking process of Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahas
Shooting without interruptions for 85 minutes comes with its own set of challenges, with respect to both preparation as well as execution. Don Palathara explains how the film was shot with a cast and crew of nine people: “The camerapersons had a huge responsibility. Cinematographer Saji Babu and Jenson TX had to ensure that there were no interruptions between the shoot. It wasn’t easy. They had to use an external recorder and external power supply. It was also challenging to do it within the car, in such a minimal setup,” he says.
From the lighting to traffic, Don explains how they had to factor in all the unforeseen hurdles, to work their way around. “The DOP had to pick a certain kind of film to make up for the variations in lighting. There was also an additional light source kept inside the car to maintain consistency. We made the rest of the changes during colour correction,” says Don.
As for the traffic, the filmmaker notes how avoiding the rush hours, and picking timings when the variations in lighting were minimal, helped them avoid disruptions. “The sound team, camerapersons and myself were travelling along with them in the car. We picked out time slots such as 7 to 9 am and post- 11 am, so that we could avoid the rush hours. The last shot that has been used in the film, was shot between 11 am to 1 pm,” he adds.
Actors Jitin and Rima Kallingal's Behind-The-Scene Image from shooting
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Director Don Palathara and others from the crew inside the car
The process was equally difficult for the lead actors, who had to memorise all their dialogues. With no cuts in the sequence or prompters, the actors had no other go but to get the dialogues right in one take. But that was not all. Jithin, who played the male lead, also had to drive during the entire duration of the shoot.
Rima Kallingal tells TNM about the intense rehearsals and preparation that the actors underwent. “Don had it all planned out. He gave us two weeks of time for preparation before the shot. This is right in the middle of the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. We had reading sessions over Zoom for four to five days when we went through the graph of the characters, the emotional transitions and the conversations. We understood where they are coming from and why they are behaving the way they do, their backgrounds and experiences to grasp why they are responding to the situation in such different ways, were also thought of and structured,” says Rima.
She notes how they moved on to physical readings from Zoom calls, wherein they worked on the body language through ice-breaking sessions. “It was important to ensure that we give out the vibe of a couple who have been together for that long and bond at that level. During the physical readings, we planned the timings of the other actor who comes in, the new intruder into our world, which is the car.” It was in the final phase, that the readings were held inside the car, wherein they discussed the timings, stops and the route. “We had around 20 days of rehearsals in total before doing the first shot,” Rima adds.
Meanwhile, Don points out how even the script was improvised several times, based on the feedback he’d get from his script consultant Sherin Catherine, as well as the inputs he received after preliminary discussions with actors, and others involved in the project. Be it character or emotional inconsistency in the story, Don shares how a lot of fine-tuning happened during the conceptualisation and scripting of the movie.
Over a span of two days, the entire film was shot four times, with the fifth take being selected for the movie. Taking us through the different takes, Rima says, “We were worried about the technical details in the first shot. With the second, we were assured that we could get this done, we were more familiar with the traffic that day, and Jithin was also more confident about the driving. By the third, we had had a lot of discussions as a team, which came as a reassurance that we are doing a fine job. By the fifth take, Don completely let us relax and he asked to let go of any other inputs and conditioning that were holding us back. We were in a very safe space as artists and that is maybe why he chose the fifth take.” Rima also adds that the filmmaker had given room for improvisation, as long as they don’t move away from the central theme.
Citing the reason behind choosing the final take, Don says, “In some takes, they were too worried about getting the dialogues right that there weren’t many silences, while in some, it was the vice versa. By the fifth take, they got it all right. Both Rima and Jithin were in fact ready to give more takes, if required.”
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Director Don Palathara speaking to actor Jitin Puthenchery
Both Rima and Don share how they were intrigued by the responses that the film has received. With praise pouring in from all quarters, the film has opened to positive critical reception. But at the same time, a section of viewers have also expressed critical thoughts on the representation of Maria. “Some audiences thought it was entirely Maria’s fault and were completely in support of Jithin. I personally felt like there was a need to be protective of Maria’s character,” Rima observes.
She adds: “As a woman and artist, I would have liked my audience who watched the movie to understand where the woman comes from, and understand her in a way that they sympathise with Maria, because we very clearly mention how her life and body are going to change. This is going to affect her the most, rather than the man, which is why the guy here is so chilled out and the woman looks worried.”
However, she also explains how the director’s vision was to present an unbiased portrayal of both the characters. “Instead of prodding Maria’s point of view specifically, Don wanted to leave it out for the audiences to take it from there. It is also interesting how the audience’s response to the movie is reflective of who they are.”
Speaking on similar lines, Don opens up about his perception towards the reception of the film. “By giving them equal space on the screen, I have done my job. If the audience looks at it through a different lens, it’s not completely my responsibility. I have been hearing all kinds of responses. In the first show itself, people in Thiruvananthapuram were cheering for some of Jithin’s scenes where he shouts at Maria, but in Ernakulam, people were cheering for Maria’s dialogues. I think it depends on who is watching and how they look at life too,” Don opines.
Explaining the rationale behind the unbiased approach he employs, the filmmaker states how he prefers portraying the characters on screen as flawed human beings since it is closer to reality. “I wanted to portray it without taking a side. As a filmmaker I’d like to employ some empathy towards the characters but also keep a distance or a balance between how I approach my characters,” he says.
Following its premiere at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) and the prestigious Moscow International Film Festival (MIFF), Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam started stre
Watch the trailer of ‘Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasya