Child sexual abuse is an issue that we can no longer ignore or dismiss. And the cases are still rampant. Many children, especially girls, suffer in silence as the perpetrators are their relatives or people known to them.
There have been many movies talking about child abuses and sexual assaults. While dealing with such a serious issue, the narrative should be on point and there should be no room for fault. Celebrity photographer and director Aghosh Vyshnavam’s well-crafted short film Oruthi is a fine example for that.
In this potentially realistic short film, based on true events, Aghosh talks about child abuse through the eyes of a prostitute. “The majority of sexual assault victims don't acknowledge that they were abused right away, due to circumstances. One of my friends had a bad experience when she was young and she shared the experience with me. That’s when I started to think about developing it as a story for a short film. She did not dare to speak out at the time she was abused, but she has showed the courage now. I wanted to make it in a different way, and that’s why I tried to narrate the story through the viewpoint of a prostitute.”
The short film has film director Boban Samuel and cine-serial actress Varada in the lead roles. “After I completed writing, I approached some actors to do the role of the heroine who is happened to be a prostitute. It was a very challenging role and one has to be really bold to accept such characters. It was then that I happened to see a Tik Tok video done by Varada and Boban Samuel together, and I approached them. Both of them were thrilled and ready to do the film,” says Aghosh.
The title, according to the director, was chosen to reveal society's disrespectful attitude towards women. Aghosh, who is a photographer and cinematographer, had decided what should be the tone and mood of the movie before the shooting. “I wanted to create a sensuous mood throughout the film. I set the plot at night with serious tones with that aim. My assistant director Manoj Greenwoods also helped me in creating such a set. Regarding music, I wanted Gayathri Iyer to compose something in Ahiri raga to take the audience to that mood. We were well prepared before the start of filming,” smiles Aghosh.
The film is getting rave reviews. Aghosh says he never expected the film to get this much reach and views on social media and video streaming platforms.
“Since the release, I have been getting lots of positive responses and Sibi Malayil, who performed the launch, found maturity in my filmmaking. Getting such a comment from a maestro like him was everything for me.”
Aghosh is currently busy with his next project, which is Tamil music video titled Cutie Kathali.
