Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengalum is a Tamil language anthology drama film that is directed by Vasanth. The film had its world premiere at the Jio MAMI 20th Mumbai Film Festival and is iconic to Vasanth’s style of filmmaking when taken Moondru Per Moondru Kaadhal into account, as both the stories are broken into three parts independent of one another. The film has a runtime of 2 hours and features Parvathy Thiruvothu, Kalieswari Srinivasan and Lakshmi Priyaa Chandramouli as protagonists in each part of the film.
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Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengalum: Feminist Core
It is difficult to find films that are unabashedly feminist without offending anyone. Lipstick Under My Burkha, Parched and Lust Stories did a great job and are still underappreciated. The same goes for Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengalum, which points fingers at the casual sexism, invasion of privacy, domestic violence and the loss of individuality women face when a male figure walks into their life, not as a partner but as a figure of authority who wants to control them to satisfy his ego. However, it does not stop there to make its women look like victims but, moves on to empower them and liberate them from the societal constraints that clip their wings of freedom.
We meet three women in this film who are financially and culturally different from one another. The only thing that links them is the presence of mindless, inhuman husbands who aim to dictate their life. Following the chronology, we first come across Saraswathi, a homemaker from the year 1980, who is the victim of domestic abuse and trapped in an unaffectionate relationship with her husband. The second is Devaki from the year 1995, who is a working woman but, treated without respect and honour by her husband and in-laws. The last is Sivranjani in the year 2007, an athlete married off to a husband who never took her dreams and ambition into account turning her into an ultimate homemaker.
Image Credit: Devaki from Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengalum
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The three segments of the film are divided by a picturesque view of a seashore where the waves lash, a metaphor for the turbulent and undeserving life our women in the film are living, waiting to break free. The film provides us with no background score, per se and all the background sounds are actually designed by sound designer and editor, Anand Krishnamoorthi marking a very significant lack of melody in the lives of our protagonists. The dialogues are minimal and the scenes are nuanced with the monotony of every day making sure the audience relates and understand how lonely and sad the life of a married woman is, in general.
Saraswathi, Devaki and Sivranjani are representatives of the women in our society from every background. They voice the sufferings of the suppressed females and provide light to the rigid patriarchy that chokes them, day and night. The film riddles us with open end closures, which are so rare that it feels good yet sad.
Image Credit: Sivranjani from Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengalum
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Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengalum: Final Verdict
Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengalum is a bittersweet walk down the dirty lane of oppressed womanhood and the power-hungry nature of the world to stab women at every point and blame them for their actions and decisions. Saraswathi’s story, especially, is beautiful and as real as daylight making you invested and empathetic towards the character from the start.
Image Credit: Saraswathi from Sivaranjaniyum Innum Sila Pengalum
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