Exclusive: ‘B 32 Muthal 44 Vare’ plot is relevant at all times, says Shruthi Sharanyam

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By Arjun Ramachandran

08/04/2023

Shruti Sharanyam’s debut feature film B 32 Muthal 44 Vare (Bust 32” to 44”) is getting rave reviews for its bold take on gender and body politics, issues faced by queer community and women from the lower class.

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Ramya Nambeesan, Zarin Shihab, Ashwathy B, Anarkali Marikar, Krishna Kurup, and Raina Radhakrishnan played the characters of six women around whom the film revolves.

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The script of B 32 Muthal 44 Vare has elements of my own experiences as a woman and that of others says Shruti Sharanyam.

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More than 30 people were part of the film. It was a deliberate decision to include women in the team because this was a government initiative aimed at empowering women.

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A lot of research went into B 32 Muthal 44 Vare because I wanted to address intersectionality.

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For example Anarkali (Marikar) plays a transman. So, I spoke to the members of the trans community and learned about their experiences.

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Raina Radhakrishna plays a minor girl (Nidhi) who delivers a baby. I spoke with the officials in the Women Development and Child Welfare department and also studied the legal aspects.

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I faced sexual abuse more than a decade ago, in two different phases and in two different scenarios which I reflected through Rachel’s character.

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(The late) John Paul sir asked me not to treat the script intellectually and advised me to treat the journey of the characters emotionally.

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Some women-oriented films like The Great Indian Kitchen did have an impact and evoked warm responses from the audience. It’s clear that there are takers for such films.

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I make my living out of music videos, ad films, documentaries and corporate films. Three of my colleagues started an organisation in 2015.

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We transformed it into a production house and brought out our own music videos —Charulatha and Chirutha.

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