I will have my lead actors Ajmina Kassim and Semmalar Annam and my cinematographer/co-producer Abinandhan Ramanujam joining the Q&A after the premiere.

Ajmina Kassim was just 15 when she played Yosana, the protagonist in the film. Being a singer and a malayali, she learnt Tamil like her music lessons. Sutharsan who worked as my AD and also from the same community whose story we were trying to portray, trained her in dialogues almost for two months. She learnt swimming in forest lakes and rivers from the local swimming instructor in Papanasam, village in Tirunelveli district. She wasn’t wearing footwear in the entire film and she had to practise climbing hills, taming the wild. She lent herself to the soul of Yosana to embrace her. She won the best actor award in Aurangabad International Film Festival for her performance in Maadathy and I am sure there is more coming on her way.

If Ajmina is the goddess, Semmalar Annam is the mother of goddess. Inspite of being pregnant she stayedin Papanasam when we had rehearsals with the community for weeks together. With Sudar in her womb, she braved the rough western ghats playing Veni, the character I had created as the archetype of feminine power facing the harshest oppression of caste and gender for centuries. I should confess I rewrote and added scenes to give room to her brilliance and yet she was wanting more. I have posted a location still of the toughest scene for me as a Director in the film. Filming sexual violence with humanity is oxymoronic and as a woman and an author I was fighting that demon throughout the creation of this film.Without Semmalar, I wouldn’t have gathered courage to attempt it. Her feet in the scene is the feet of every woman who has walked this universe.

When I ran into a crisis after a week of shoot and months of pre production, when everything around became bleaker to continue the project, when I was running in every possible direction for help and support to continue the production, Abinandhan Ramanujam gave his shoulders to lean on. Without him, I wouldn’t have completed the film. For him, doing the impossible is fun. We may be from two different schools of thought aesthetically and politically, but we had a bond to find a meeting point for collaboration beyond our differences. Cinema has always been my big open door for letting hearts like his to open my new veins of affection.

I am extremely thankful to each and everyone who had faith in Maadathy and to the gift of this moment to share my love for Ajmina, Semmalar and Abhi. Please join us for the Q&A after the screening, Oct 8 5pm, PST, Oct 9, 5.30am IST.