Official Trailer:
Sivaranjinium and Innum Sila Pengalum (SISP), like The Great Indian Kitchen (TGIK) delves deep into patriarchy and how women get crushed by expectations and norms. Even though TGIK got released earlier, SISP was made earlier, so TGIK would have made a great 4th story in SISP. SISP narrates how women’s careers and life get controlled by patriarchy by giving us a peek into the lives of Saraswati, Devaki, and Sivaranjani. Each story happens across three different decades. Control can be highly overt and explicit as in what Saraswati goes through in 1980s. Or it can be layered like the second story from 1995, top layer looks fine, but patriarchy takes over when a crisis arises even if it is as minor as Devaki’s personal diary. And then we have the third variety, the more virulent one in my opinion since it is so subtle and sophisticated, outwardly everything looks fine and great, but the control is exerted in refined ways crushing the aspirations of women, which is stunningly brought out in Sivaranjini’s story that happens over 10 years (2008-2017).
Director Vasanth S Sai succeeds in what he sets out to do with craft and finesse. Each episode is based on a story – Saraswati on Ashokamitra’s Vimosanam, Sivaranjani on Adhavan’s Ottam, and Devaki on Jayamohan’s Devaki Chiththiyin diary. Choosing stories of three famous writers worked well since it brings out different flavors of prejudices and nuances of control. Full credit to Vasanth Sai for skillfully transforming them to visual medium. Given the content, there is ample scope to give monologues and amplify the melodrama. Vasanth avoids them, and instead chooses to convey what he wants to say through visual language with minimal conversations and leaves the interpretation to the audience.
I liked the choices of shots and framing, which are done differently for each episode to match the content. We always see Saraswati in the background with Chandran, her husband, in the foreground. Few times we see him in close-up with Saraswati seen either partially or as a tiny figure compared to Chandran. We see her in focus only at the end after she gains her freedom. Devaki’s story is narrated from the point of view of Devaki’s nephew. Being a joint family, no adult is in focus, there is always multiple people occupying the screen. I think this is trying to convey there is no room for privacy in a joint family. Is it possible to retain your identity and aspirations in a joint family? Sivaranjini’s story pretty much happens within four walls of an apartment, as if she is confined in a prison. There is an exceptional continuous shot tracking the morning chores of Sivaranjini as she moves from kitchen to other rooms, in and out, taking care of the needs and demands of family members. We can feel what Sivaranjini goes through when she hits the sofa tired and catching her breath. Shot choices go with the story and lifts the narration to another level. First-rate performances from everyone. Good to see Karunakaran in a different role. BGM by Ilayaraja goes with the narration perfectly.
There are few things common in each episode. One, where all three women reach out to the attic to get something. Saraswati and Devaki get what they are looking for while Sivaranjini doesn’t. In the case of Sivaranjini, the little evidence of medals she had about her athletic career goes missing and is left with only her memories. Second one, each episode has a child watching the happenings and this leaves us with the question: how they will turn up as adults?