Why 'All We Imagine...' director was tensed about Kerala release
Payal Kapadia's critically acclaimed film All We Imagine As Light will have a wider release in India on November 22. But before this, the film, which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, was released in Kerala on September 21 to qualify as a potential Indian entry for the Oscars. The award-winning venture tells the story of two Kerala women living in Mumbai.
Kapadia's language barrier and successful collaboration
Despite not speaking Malayalam, Kapadia worked closely with actors and crew to ensure the authenticity of the dialogues. She told ToI, "I was happy with the response we got for the film because I don't speak the language and I didn't want to come across as someone who doesn't speak it." "Fortunately, people accepted the film...the Kerala release was like a test for me." She credited her associate director Robin Joy for his role in writing authentic Malayalam dialogues.
Kusuruti's role in shaping 'All We Imagine As Light' characters
Kani Kusuruti, who plays Prabha in the film, spoke about her contribution to character development. She said that although the dialogues were "beautifully written," they were "neutral." "So once the two of us (Divya Prabhu who plays Anu) were cast in the film, we discussed and developed the back story of both characters...and then we worked on dialects and slangs." They recorded their dialogues and sent them to Kapadia for her go-ahead.
Kapadia's unique approach to understanding Malayalam
Despite not being fluent in Malayalam, Kapadia has found a unique way to understand the language. She revealed that while she can't speak in Malayalam, she gets a sense of what someone is saying and also understands a few words. To help her understand, she often depended on her actors Kusuruti and Prabha to translate for her.
