A still from ‘Poovu‘
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Poovu, a film by cinematographer Anish Babu Abbas, takes viewers along with the characters on a road trip. It is the metaphorical journey as well, where the protagonist’s life comes full circle.
As he drives through picturesque landscapes — lush fields, bridges, forests and tree-lined vistas, his life unspools. From the snatches of conversation he has with his mother and wife in the car, the viewers get a peek into Jeevan’s seemingly uncomplicated, yet well-lived life.
“Jeevan is in his 50s, at that age when one takes stock of one’s life and looks back on it tenderly. There’s love, loss and a sense of freedom,” says Anish Babu Abbas, who directed the film along with Binoy George. Poovu is Anish’s debut directorial. He is also the director of photography and has penned the story.
Told at a languid pace, the narrative moves between the real and the imaginary seamlessly and the viewers are gently led into Jeevan’s world. Though it pivots on him, the film shines the spotlight on the powerful women in his life.
A still from ‘Poovu’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Love and loss
During the road trip, Jeevan suggests they (mother, wife and himself) play a game. Each one is asked to make a wish and the others are bound to help fulfil it. While his mother wishes to watch a peaceful sunset, indicating that she yearns for some time by herself after taking on the responsibilities of raising him and running a business, his wife says she wants to wear a T shirt and shorts, probably suggesting a desire for freedom from the constraints of what is considered “ideal” for women; Jeevan himself expresses his desire to meet his first love, who later becomes an additional passenger in the car. Jeevan’s daughter’s presence is invoked through the phone calls she makes through the journey.
A still from ‘Poovu’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
“While it is a man whose experiences are being portrayed, it is the women in his life that take centrestage,” says Anish, who started his career as a cinematographer assisting Venu. He has assisted other cinematographers too in Malayalam such as Sunny Joseph, Sabu James and Mani Prasad.
He has done independent cinematography for the Indrans-starrer Lona, Aana Mayil Ottakam, and Out of Range to mention a few.
The viewer feels that the film has feminist ideology at its core. The mother raised Jeevan to be able to cook a decent meal for himself. He is also not the quintessential tough guy, who always has everything figured out. He breaks down when he loses his way in a railway station and it is his wife who finds him and “rescues” him. It is in his daughter that he confides a secret wish and it is his former girlfriend who first stops him from smoking.
The title (Poovu), explains Anish, likens human life to a flower blown gently to the ground on a breezy day. The 82-minute film had its first world premiere in January 2024. It won the best film and best actor awards at the Nepal Cultural International Film Festival in 2025, the Kerala Film Critics Award 2023 for best supporting actress (KPAC Leela) and won the 15th J C Daniel Foundation Award for second best film.
It has also won the best travel and discovery feature award at the Mannheim Arts & Film Festival, Germany (2023), in addition to a bronze in the best feature narrative competition category at the Hurghada Youth Film Festival, Egypt, in 2024 and the best cinematography award in the Titan International Film Festival, Sydney, in 2025.
The film was produced by Anish and Santhoshkumar (Pinks Visual Space); the screenplay is by Johnson V Devassy. Edited by Rashin Ahmed, the background score is by Ninoy Varghese. KPAC Leela has portrayed Shyamala, Jeevan’s mother; Sandhya, his wife, has been portrayed by Sruthi Vipin; Shanti Rao plays his love interest Naziya Hassan and Meenakshi Anoop plays his daughter Yama. Manjulan K V plays Jeevan.
The film is on its festival run.
Published – February 27, 2025 04:00 pm IST
