In ‘Kottukkaali’, a silence that speaks volumes

With Kottukkaali, PS Vinothraj confirms his reputation as one of Tamil cinema’s most exciting new talents. Although Kottukkaali (2024) does not have the mesmerising power of Vinothraj’s debut Koozhangal (2021), the superbly performed movie is still miles ahead of the average social drama.

Kottukkaali stars Soori as Paandi and Malayalam actor Anna Ben as the “adamant girl” of the title – a young woman betrothed to a man she does not love, who is paying the price for the one she does. After Meena’s affair with a lower-caste boy is revealed, Paandi’s clan and her own family believe that a spirit has possessed her.

Off they go to an exorcist on a warm day, winding through an arid landscape that has occasional blotches of colour. Throughout the expedition, Meena refuses to say a word.

The rural-set film has neither background music nor songs. Instead, Alagiakoothan’s sound design picks up the rattle of the rickshaw transporting the families and the clucking of a sacrificial rooster who is being taken along.

While the rooster is an obvious metaphor for Meena’s plight, more subtle cues point to the traditional beliefs and superstition that have shackled Meena and the other characters. The rich detailing in Vinothraj’s screenplay includes shots of the rooster regarding other similarly trussed-up birds, waiting for the shaman to pronounce their fate.

Soori in Kottukkaali (2024). Courtesy Sivakarthikeyan Productions/The Little Wave Productions.

After a brief theatrical run, Kottukkaali is available on Prime Video. The film’s streaming release comes at a time when the Durga festival is being celebrated. In Kottukkaali, the gap between the worship of women as goddesses and their actual treatment is stark, seen especially in a shocking outburst of violence.

Is a bull that refuses to let the travellers pass an answer to Meena’s inaudibly muttered prayer? Meena’s silence is an act of defiance as well as the film’s most eloquent metaphor about oppressed women. Anna Ben is excellent in the lead role, working her eyes and cheek muscles to convey Meena’s silent rage.

The other characters too contribute to a symphony of sorts. The hoarse-voiced Paandi, his chattering sisters and the gossipy men who accompany the families fill in for the mute Meena. But the film’s projection of Meena’s anger is always visual.

B Sakhtivel’s cinematography and Ganesh Siva’s editing enliven a narrative that covers a trip lasting a few hours. Like Koozhangal, Kottukkaali ends on an open-ended note, letting viewers decide whether liberation or further oppression awaits Meena.

Kottukkaali (2024).

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