\'When The Music Changes\' Looks At Violence Against Women In A New-Age Perspective
Films are a reflection of the society in which these are made. Whether it is Hollywood, Bollywood or any other film industry, every now and then, a movie comes along, which shakes up the status quo and questions it at the same time. This time, it is Actor-turned-filmmaker, Lakshmi Devy’s new film, “When the Music Changes”, which has captured the spotlight across the film festivals in the world.
The movie is about women who have gone through rape and physical assaults, and talks about what is the way ahead.
While Lakshmi plays the role of writer-director-producer for the movie she also plays the painstakingly challenging role of the protagonist in the film. The rest of the cast and crew of the movie includes - Adith Arun, Naveen George Thomas, Shreya Navile, Vignesh Shivasubramaniam as actors, Abinandhan Ramanujam as the cinematographer, Antony Gonsalves as the editor, and Achu Rajamani as the music director.
Besides this the famous actor / director/producer from Hollywood, John Turturro, is the Executive Producer on the movie and he is very ‘impressed’ with the final product. In his own words, “I am disturbed, in a good way! To pull this film off is an accomplishment, especially wearing so many different hats as director, writer and actor. It’s a worthy and important subject matter which takes all shapes and forms in so many different cultures. I thought the visual elements was strong and the story telling too.”
Lakshmi, who is a qualified doctor, apart from being a well-known actor, is known for her work in Tamil and Malayalam movies. Her production company , FiDi Talkies, based out of New York has produced the film. The fact that she holds a world view on most of the matters related to women is thanks to her extensive travel across America and India. Armed with this experience, Lakshmi feels that things are now changing even within the male-dominated industry like filmmaking. “It (experience of being in the film industry) has been challenging but very educational. I must admit I see a change happening now. It’s slow but apparent. This leaves me optimistic about the future.” says Lakshmi Devy.
Talking about her debut film as a director, Lakshmi says, “This film does not only speak about the brutal rape and the injustice meted out to girls and women, but it also culls out the power-play behind sexual abuse. As the story demanded it, a few scenes are portrayed very raw. Those scenes are not a depiction of vulgarity or obscenity , rather, they are tailored to portray the intensity of sexual abuse. i hope the gruesome elements of the film hound society enough to impact change”
Lakshmi, who has already made a mark in Tamil and Malayalam movies, ventured into screenwriting earlier with the movie “Masala Padam”, starring Bobby Simha and Mirchi Shiva. she has also directed a short film, “Daro Mat”, (which is Hindi for ‘Don’t be Afraid’). The short film, made in tamil and hindi, received critical acclaim in international film festivals, before being released on YouTube, where it has garnered more than 3 million views.
Disclaimer: No Deccan Chronicle journalist was involved in creating this content. The group also takes no responsibility for this content.
