What happens when a typewriter falls in love with the typist? Kovarty, the Malayalam short film, explores this strange relationship.

The short, with Rajisha Vijayan in the lead and directed by Rohin Raveendran Nair, is among the four short films selected for the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival’s MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone programme. This is the second edition of the programme in collaboration with Apple that showcases short films shot entirely on iPhones. This year one film each was selected from Malayalam, Hindi, Marathi and Tamil and the filmmakers are mentored by established directors. In Rohin’s case it was Lijo Jose Pellissery.

Premiered in Mumbai a few weeks ago, Kovarty is set in Thozhuthilmukku, a village of the 1980s. A typewriter arrives at the sub-registrar’s office, much to the delight of the typist, also a new employee, Daisy (Rajisha), the office staff and the public. She names it Qwerty [stands for the usual layout on English-language typewriter], which eventually becomes Kovarty for others.

Daisy comes to realise that the typewriter is in love with her, a secret that is known only to the wall-mounted pendulum clock. Daisy, who is heart-broken after her lover abandons her, finds happiness in her relationship with the machine. Chacko, the sexton of the village church, who secretly loves Daisy, happens to learn about this, which leads to some serious repercussions.

Kovarty, which beautifully blends love and magical realism, is written by Rohin and Vimal Gopalakrishnan, the co-writer of Mukundan Unni Associates. “Vimal brought this idea and later we developed it into a script. We realised that the story has a great potential for romance and magic realism, especially because we both are huge fans of Marquez [writer Gabriel García Márquez].”

Rohin Raveendran Nair
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Rohin adds that Lijo has been like “a big pillar of support. He told us that the script was so tight that he hardly had any changes to suggest.” Lijo has also given the voice for the clock.

It was on Lijo’s suggestion that the film, just over 30 minutes long, was shot at Kavalam in Alappuzha district. “We had scouted for locations in Kochi but could not find a spot that was untouched my any kind of construction work. Kavalam was perfect. The building was already there but we changed the interiors.”

Rajisha Vijayan in the Malayalam short film Kovarty directed by Rohin Raveendran Nair
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Rohin says that Rajisha was their only choice to play Daisy. “That is mainly because of her body of work. Also, we have not seen her in such a role. Both Vimal and me were confident about casting her as Daisy.”

The crew of Kovarty comprises names from Malayalam and other industries. Among the Malayalis are production designer Sreelekshmy Sreekumar, who has worked with Krishand, and costume designer Gayathri Kishore, whose recent work is Identity.

Rohin Raveendran Nair (right) with cinematographer Swapnil Sonawane during the shoot of Kovarty
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Seasoned technicians Swapnil S Sonawane and Sunil R Borkar are the directors of photography. Besides frames that celebrate the milieu, especially the landscape and the water, there are some unique shots from within the typewriter itself, making them the machine’s POV. Using plumeria flowers in the narrative — Rajisha wears one every day on her braided hair, adds to the charm of storytelling.

Fact file

Rohin started his career as a camera intern in the Marathi film, Chumbak. Among his short films is the critically-acclaimed The Booth, produced by Vikramaditya Motwane.

As a cinematographer, Rohin has shot numerous commercials, non-fiction and fiction projects. He is the cinematographer of the documentary Testimony of Ana that won the National award for the Best Non-Feature Film (2022). He has also worked in the segment An Unsuitable Girl, which is part of the documentary series Love Storiyaan on Amazon Prime, and has worked in one episode of the Netflix series, Decoupled.

This year there were 1200 entries for the MAMI Select: Filmed on iPhone programme. Other short films selected are the Hindi film Tinctoria, directed by Amrita Bagchi, Marathi film Mangya directed by Chanakya Vyas, and Tamil film Seeing Red by Shalini Vijayakumar. Mentors for these filmmakers were Vikramaditya Motwane, Konkona Sen Sharma and Vetrimaaran respectively.

Rohin, currently based out of Mumbai, has roots in Kozhikode, Kerala. Born and brought up in Delhi, he studied cinematography at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. He has written and directed a couple of short films. His first major work was the web series Sacred Games in which he was second unit director and cinematographer for both seasons. His recent release is the Netflix series, Black Warrant, in which he directed the third episode.

Rajisha Vijayan in the Malayalam short film Kovarty directed by Rohin Raveendran Nair
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Rohin, meanwhile, plans to direct a Malayalam feature film, a thriller set in Wayanad, in which he is also the co-writer. “Even though I am comfortable in Hindi, in the current scenario it is difficult to make independent movies in that industry. And most of the good content there comes in the long form format. I think that the ecosystem in Malayalam is better for a filmmaker.”

Kovarty is streaming on YouTube.

Vaibhav Arekar
| Photo Credit: M. Srinath

In the Varkari worship tradition of Maharashtra, it is customary to open with a description or varnan of Vittala’s form. In his solo production titled ‘Nama Mhane’, Vaibhav Arekar adheres to this convention by commencing with an alarippu, the opening piece in the Bharatanatyam margam, the subtext of which is layered by an abhang ‘Sundar te dhyaan’. The Mumbai-based dancer-choreographer recently presented this at Anubhuti Dance Festival in Chennai, organised and curated by dancer Divya Nayar. 

Known for creating art that is thoughtful and deep, Vaibhav draws inspiration from various sources — Van Gogh and his paintings, contemporary dance legends such as Martha Graham and Pina Bausch, Bharatanayam stalwarts C.V. Chandrasekhar and the Dhananjayans. As a performer and choreographer, he takes on a variety of themes, and one defining characteristic of his work is getting into the mind of the character he portrays. Whether it is ‘Venugaan’, which explores Krishna’s struggles with life’s dilemmas, or ‘Shrimant Yogi’ that details Chhatrapati Shivaji’s conquests and coronation, Vaibhav lights up the stage with his imagination and creativity. It often liberates the art form from its own constraints, leading to unexpected and beautiful discoveries.    

Vaibhav with dancers of Sankhya Dance Company
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Vaibhav confesses he never chose Bharatanatyam. “The art form chose me. I do not come from an artistic background, but I always wanted to dance.” After obtaining his Master’s from Nalanda Nrithya Kala Mahavidyalaya established by his mentor Kanak Rele, Vaibhav worked as a faculty there for close to a decade before turning a full-time performer. “Active teaching takes away energy from performance. I wished to explore the possibility of making performances and riyaaz a major part of my living.” This was when he decided to take up mentoring. “Dancers who have graduated from institutions with a degree in Bharatanatyam needed internships to plug the gap between theory and practical application and my dance company Sankhya offered that space. I mentor around 15 full-time dancers and we explore movement, experiences and new ways of looking at the world.”  

From one of Vaibhav’s group works
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Special Arrangement

When it comes to thought process, Vaibhav says Malavika Sarukkai’s thematic work was a major influence. He also looks up to Leela Samson’s Spanda for group work. “By selecting full-time dancers for Sankhya, I focussed on choreography. These dancers are constantly practicing, and can immediately transfer an idea onto the body.” 

He also points out that financial sustenance is hard for dance companies as no grants and monetary support are available. “This is why internship works — the dancers can leave and find jobs outside the company when they wish to.”  

Vaibhav’s approach to dance was shaped by his training and collaboration with Marathi playwright Chetan Datar. Theatrical elements are interwoven into his productions. Sometimes, he seems to delve into the traditional relationship among dance, theatre and music as described in the Natyashastra, and, at other times, like modern dancers, allows the audience to interpret the connection. For instance, in ‘Nama Mhane’, he goes into textual nuances to portray how saint Namdev humanises Vittala, getting exasperated when he does not consume the naivedya offered. Vaibhav’s performance seemed to demystify spirituality, making it a more personal expression. In the piece on Chokhamela, the saint who faced humiliation because of his caste, Vaibhav showed the inclusive philosophy of Namdev, who complains to Vittala and buries Chokhamela (who dies when the wall he was constructing collapses) outside the Vittala temple at Pandharpur where he was not allowed entry. Vaibhav depicted such poignant moments with rare sensitivity. Despite the theatricality, the raw emotion was palpable. 

Vaibhav presented ‘Nama Mhane’ at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Chennai
| Photo Credit:
M. Srinath

Music not just plays an important role in Vaibhav’s presentations, it shows what a fierce collaborator he is. In ‘Nama Mhane’, singer Sudha Raghuraman and musicians Satish Krishnamurthy and Kailshwaran K are a part of the visual and emotional landscape of the production. Vaibhav understands storytelling cannot be impactful without creating a suitable  atmosphere. This is where Sushant Jadhav steps in — his contribution in terms of artistic direction and lighting lends a distinct touch to many of Vaibhav’s works. 

“I realised in theatre every new play has a new structure, a new way of execution. I was used to repetition in Bharatanatyam, and wondered how to change this,” says Vaibhav. Although he finds much relevance in the structure of a margam, his choreographic works are structured based on what the themes demand. “Incorporating an alarippu and thillana in ‘Nama Mhane’ was important. But it doesn’t happen all the time. I allow my works to take their own natural course. Since we are dealing with an art form that is constantly evolving, there are no pressures to set boundaries.” 

As a soloist, Vaibhav comes across as a thinking artiste. But what does it take to make an ensemble fall in line with his thought process and technique? “Every member is part of the creative process from start to the stage. I tell them to not look at me but to look beyond the narrative and emotion to discover themselves,” says Vaibhav.

Emraan Hashmi in a still from ‘Ground Zero’

Bollywood actor Emraan Hashmi on Monday (April 28) said that terrorism has no religion and that he hopes the Indian government takes ‘payback’ for the tragic Pahalgam terror attack. The actor said this while promoting his recent release, Ground Zero, in which he plays a Border Security Force officer leading an operation to eliminate a terrorist in the aftermath of the 2001 Indian Parliament attack.

In an interview with actor Vishal Malhotra on the latter’s YouTube channel, Hashmi spoke about his experience spending time with the BSF while researching for Ground Zero. “While conversing with them, what they told me was that this peaceful situation — that we’ve been witnessing for the last 15 years — is on a slow simmer. Until we are there on the border, it will be at a specific boiling point. They have foiled so many terrorist attacks that we don’t come to know about.”

Also read | Pahalgam terror attack: a tribute to the victims

Vishal then veered the conversation towards the Pahalgam attack, stating how many civilians were brutally killed. Emraan said that while questions are being raised on the security arrangements for tourists at the Baisaran meadow where the attack took place, it isn’t easy to cover the entire meadow. “I am sure the security agencies have a detailed lowdown of this (attack). Our intelligence agencies are good, and yeah, the question does arise if there should have been some security there, but it was a huge meadow. How many officers or jawans could have been deployed there? It was a tourist hotspot. It seems like a very well-planned attack because it was at the heart of that tourist attraction, and there were no pathways nearby. They just fled. It’s a cowardly attack,” said Hashmi.

“I just hope we set this right and we take payback,” added Emraan before speaking about his experience shooting in Kashmir for Ground Zero. Then, when Vishal stated that religion shouldn’t be brought into this topic, Hashmi said, “Terrorism never has a religion. They (terrorists) have a very warped ideology. Our religion never teaches such things. We should all stand united in this situation.”

A heinous terrorist attack aimed at civilians, the Pahalgam tragedy has sent shockwaves across the country. At least 26 people, including two foreign tourists, were killed by a group of terrorists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22. Many Indian celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Mohanlal, Kamal Haasan, Chiranjeevi, Sanjay Dutt, and Vicky Kaushal, amongst others condemned the attack.

Emraan’s Ground Zero is an action thriller inspired by true events. Directed by Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar, the film is set in Kashmir in the aftermath of the 2001 Indian Parliament attack and has the actor portray real-life Kirti Chakra awardee Narendra Nath Dhar Dubey. Sai Tamhankar, Zoya Hussain, Mukesh Tiwari, Deepak Parmesh, Lalit Prabhakar, Rockey Raina and Rahul Vohra are part of the cast. The film is produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Movies.

The Hindu’s review of Ground Zero called it a ‘conflicting watch’ and said this about Emraan’s performance: “In a film full of sudden attacks, the biggest curveball lobbed at the audience is this: Emraan Hashmi as a moral warrior. The actor, once known for playing smirking playboys and crooks, is a sharp, solid presence in Ground Zero, but perhaps his delicate underplaying was better suited for a less aggressive time.”