''Ottamuri Velicham'' (English: Light in the Room) is a 2017 Indian

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

-language drama film written and directed by

Rahul Riji Nair Rahul Riji Nair is an Indian film director, scriptwriter, producer and actor active in the Malayalam film industry. His debut feature film ''Ottamuri Velicham'' won 4 awards at the 2017 Kerala State Film Awards, including Best Feature Film. Rah ...

. It is produced under the banner of First Print Studios and has

Vinitha Koshy Vinitha Koshy is an Indian actress who made her debut with the 2016 film ''Aanandam''. She won the Kerala State Film Award – Special Jury Award for her performance in ''Ottamuri Velicham'' (2017). She has also appeared in the films ''Aby'' (20 ...

and

Deepak Parambol Deepak Parambol (born November 1, 1988) is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. Deepak Parambol made his acting debut in ''Malarvaadi Arts Club'' (2010), directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan. He is notable for his roles ...

in the lead roles. The film unveils the journey of a newly wed girl who moves into a one-room shack in an isolated village with her husband. The film portrays the social issue of

marital rape Marital rape or spousal rape is the act of sexual intercourse with one's spouse without the spouse's consent. The lack of consent is the essential element and need not involve physical violence. Marital rape is considered a form of domestic vi ...

in India. The film won 4 awards at the 2017

Kerala State Film Awards The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...

, including Best Feature Film of the year. The film had its World Premiere at the New York Indian Film Festival on May 11, 2018. The film was released on Eros Now as an Original in November, 2018.

Plot

Set against the backdrop of a hilltop village surrounded by dense forest and a decaying tea plantation, is the story of Sudha, an under privileged woman who reaches this village after her marriage with Chandran. They stay along with Chandran’s brother and aging mother in a confined single room house with a makeshift separation to create space for the couple. The room has a strange light without a switch which changes its colours often. While Chandran calls the light his invention of a lifetime, it deprives Sudha of her privacy and begins to haunt her. Adding to her woes, Chandran engages in acts to physically exert his dominance over Sudha. Amidst deep trauma, Sudha realises that she doesn't have any support and decides to fight for her survival and seeks revenge against Chandran. Will Sudha succeed in her fight for freedom forms the crux of this emotional thriller.

Cast

as Chandran *

as Sudha *Rajesh Sharma as Jayan *

Pauly Valsan Pauly Valsan is an Indian actress who has been acclaimed for acting in Malayalam films and plays. She debuted in Malayalam film industry with the supporting roles in the 2008 movie '' Annan Thambi'' In 2017, she won the Kerala State Film Award fo ...

as Mother *Renjit Shekar Nair as Ramesh

Crew

* Story, Screenplay, Dialogue, Direction: Rahul Riji Nair * Produced By: First Print Studios * Executive Producers: Sujith Warrier, Zam Abdul Vahid * DoP: Luke Jose * Editor: Appu N Bhattathiri * Music: Sidhartha Pradeep, Sheron Roy Gomez * Background Score: Sidhartha Pradeep * Lyrics: Linku Abraham, Gilu Joseph * Art: Sidharth Jeevakumar *Assistant Art Directors : Aishwarya Nandkumar, Sreelakshmi A * Make-Up: Prabhakaran Poojapura * Sound Design & Mixing: Anoop Kammaran (AK Music Studios), Shefin Mayan, Prasanth Sasidharan * Costumes: Nithya Vijay, Devika S Nair * Chief Associate: Jeevan Jos Kaitharath, Baiju V Nath

Awards

;

2017 *

Kerala State Film Award for Best Film The Kerala State Film Award for Best Film is an award presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India to the best film in Malayalam cinema. The awards are managed directly by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy under the Department ...

: Ottamuri Velicham *

Kerala State Film Award for Best Editor The Kerala State Film Award for Best Editor winners: References External links Official website< ...

: Appu N Bhattathiri *

Kerala State Film Award for Best Character Actress The Kerala State Film Award for Best Character Actress is an award, begun in 2015, presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India to an actress for her performance in a Malayalam film. It replaced the Kerala State Film Award for Seco ...

* Kerala State Film Award - Special Jury Award :

; International Awards * German Star of India est Feature Film 15th Indian Film Festival Stuttgart, 2018 * Second Best Feature Film, Chicago South Asian Film Festival, 2018 ; Nominations * Best Film, New York Indian Film Festival 2018 NYIFF 2018 Award Nominations
/ref> * Best Director, New York Indian Film Festival 2018 * Best Actress, New York Indian Film Festival 2018 * Director's Vision Award, 15th Indian Film Festival Stuttgart, 2018 * Oxfam Award for Best Film on Gender Equality, MAMI 2018

Film festivals

* Winner, 15th Indian Film Festival Stuttgart * Runner Up, Chicago South Asian Film Festival * Official Selection (India Gold), Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI) * Official Selection, New York Indian Film Festival 2018 (World Premiere) * Official Selection, Imagine India International Film Festival, Madrid 2019 * Official Selection, Film Bazaar Recommends 2017 * Official Selection, Market Recommended - Dubai Film Market 2017

Production

Principal photography commenced in June 2017 in

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. The major portions of film is set against the backdrop of Bonacaud Tea Estate.

References

{{KeralaStateFilmAwardBestFilm Films about social issues in India 2010s Malayalam-language films 2017 films Eros Now original films