Aattam asks us a lot of questions. The primary one being, ‘When every man in the group seems capable of a horrendous act, does the face behind the mask really matter?’.
Aattam by Anand Ekarshi deals with a theatre group whose sole female member was sexually harassed by one of the group members, whose identity remains in contention. The rest of the film deals with the aftermath of the incident regarding the justice for the victim and the 12 other men’s moralities, that were taken for a spin in this chamber room drama. As seen, director Anand and the majority of the cast hail from a Kochi-based theatre group that helps us understand the play-like feel the whole movie gave us, with different set pieces seeing characters enter and exit at regular intervals.
At the onset itself, ‘Aattam’ was dropping subtle hints that this is not gonna be your regular investigative thriller, but it’s brewing something else. Something in the larger context of human psychology, especially those of men and their veil of moralities when personal motives and misogynist tendencies creep in. Leaves a lot to ponder on as an aftermath.
What were the masks really? The ones they put on while performing Girish Karnad’s ‘Hayavadana’ or the ones they were wearing during the first half of the movie? Because, when life gives you an opportunity to change your lives for the better, are you willing to trade your morality for it? Will you be able to live with that heavy price you paid for the rest of your lives?
Aattam gets so good when it puts us in the shoes of those regular middle-class Indians who pursue theatre as a hobby. What would you or I do? It’s easier to judge from the comfort of our homes, but what if we were really there? I guess we all know our individual answers or at least we know which side of the line we are standing on now. But is that enough to form a much better society where women don’t have to abide by the notions of ‘Yes, all men’, for their safety and peace?
It again goes back to my question at the beginning. When every man in the group seems capable of a horrendous act, does the face behind the mask really matter?
That’s what Aattam ultimately asks us.
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