Where filmdom is a boys' club
Miriam Joseph is a very articulate woman, who prefers to talk straight. Political correctness is not for the former television producer who worked for the BBC in London before moving to Mumbai to become the executive producer of slickly made Hindi films like Don and Rock On.
Miriam, one of the speakers at the Kerala Literature Festival, believes that the Malayalam film industry needs to be more progressive, though many movies that come out of it have quality. “Even now, you would find very few women behind the camera in Malayalam cinema,” she told The Hindu. “About 35 to 40% of the crew in a big Hindi film are women. But, here in Kerala, all you can showcase is one Anjali Menon.”
Just two vacancies
She feels Malayalam cinema has vacancies only for two jobs for women. “You could be an actress or a hairdresser,” said Miriam. “It is a boys’ club. In the 21st century they are behaving like medieval men. And when women raise their voices, they are denied work,”
Miriam, however, enjoys watching Malayalam films. “Even while I was working in London, making films for the BBC, I used to keep track of our cinema, during my vacation in Kochi,” she said. “I remember watching all those films by Balachandra Menon. They were quite entertaining and unpretentious.”
Among her favourites is Nirmalyam, M.T. Vasudevan Nair’s directorial debut. “It is such a powerful film,” she says. “And what a brilliant climax it had!”
Current favourite
Of the contemporary films, she was impressed with Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum. “It was very well made,” she said. “Fahadh Faasil acted superbly. He is one actor I would pay to watch; he is so good even in bad films. He uses his eyes so well.”
Looking back at her stint in Bollywood, she said she had a great time working on films like Don, Rock On, Luck by Chance, Karthik Calling Karthik, and Talaash. “Then I decided to leave Mumbai and return home, to Aluva,” she said.
“Now, I teach students, at film schools, to be better producers. When you have good producers who understand cinema you get better films.”
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