While there have been innumerable movies made around female protagonists, this film has garnered special attention for its unconventional making and most of all, it’s bold message.
The maker says he has attempted to portray three different shades of women, working to find some kind of solution to life’s turmoil.
Urvi, the other name of Goddess Kali, and Supreme Goddess of Circusmtances, is the inspiration to this film that itself draws strength from the day-to-day lives of ordinary women, and how they end up facing life and standing upright in their beliefs. The director and the female characters in Urvi share their experience.
“We read a lot about women being constantly harassed and how they are treated and the kinds of situation they face in daily life. The thought of Urvi struck me, and I webbed it around three different shades in normal life. The three different shades are Yuktti, Bhakti and Shakthi, the female-centric screenplay has a lot more to it than the usual portrayal of woman. Urvi has no specific timeline nor place,” explains director Pradeep Varma.
The other aspect of Urvi is the making of it with visual changes, in terms of make up, etc. The cinematography has also been the talk of the town. Sruthi Hariharan who plays one of the female leads in Urvi, says that she instantly fell in love with the script as there have been several projects which project how woman are treated, but Urvi talks about inspiration and providing solutions.
“The entire crew and the man behind the script empathises, and the action resonates what women really go through. I was taken aback when I realised the sensitivity of a man to feel such emotions, which is overwhelming. Apart from that, it was unique. I play Asha in it. Though we come across several every day incidents, portraying it onscreen was very hard. Method acting was key for me. The team and especially the associate director would sit for hours discussing various topics which would stay in my mind. At times, I even found it difficult to come out of character,” Sruthi reveals.
She also shares that it was an overwhelming experience as an actor and gave her ample opportunity to explore her true talent.
She is hopeful that this unconventional experiment will also be accepted by audiences who have already embraced films that come with solutions.
Shwetha Pandit, the other female lead, shares that it was among the most satisfying roles in her career so far.
“Every woman had faced harassment. Urvi showcases how they stand up against it. It was very tedious shooting as most of the shooting was at night, but the emotional content kept us going. Moreover, shooting in remote places was like a holiday for me. Working with Pradeep, who is an artiste himself, was truly amazing. Every frame looks like a painting. The amount of time taken for the right lighting made us realise how beautifully the scenes have been captured,” she says.
The team feels that with Kannada audiences ready for content oriented films, Urvi might do well and they are hopeful that it reaches the right audience. More power to womanhood!
