Kottukkaali: I don't have many dialogues, says Anna Ben

Filmmaker PS Vinothraj’s second directorial Kottukkaali was recently selected to premiere at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival under the World Cinema section. Starring Anna Ben and Soori, the movie is set to be the first film to be premiered at the international festival. Anna Ben, who is one of the lead actors in the film, shared her experience of working with the acclaimed filmmaker and her process of picking up the right dialect for dialogue delivery. 

Anna Ben on preparing for her role in Kottukkaali

In an interview with noted critic Baradwaj Rangan, the actress spoke at length about her character in Kottukkaali and how she had prepared for her role.  

“One very interesting thing about the film is I don't have many dialogues. That's the first thing the director told me because it's a very rooted film. So, when he narrated the script, he said, 'You don't have to worry. You basically have like two lines.' And, I was like, 'Okay. So, that's a good thing” she revealed. 

The actress of Kumbalangi Nights fame further said that when she arrived at the set, nobody spoke anything but Tamil. Not even English or Malayalam. “So, everyone speaks Tamil, and I was automatically learning the language to communicate, even with the director,” she added. 

The actress said she found that it was much easier to communicate in Tamil. “So, I did know a little bit, but not to the extent of how they speak and how they communicate. But I've really learned the language much better,” she elaborated. 

She also said that even her team picked up the language and they were talking in Tamil to each other. “I think that was a big win for me to learn the language at that point,” she added. 

About Kottukkaali

The movie focusses on the serious subject of patriarchal and unfair treatment of women, while exploring a family's strange urge to perform an exorcism on a young woman. Vinothraj, whose debut film Koozhangal was selected as the India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, had announced earlier that his second directorial Kottukkaali would be set in the backdrop of Madurai. 

The movie is backed by actor Sivakarthikeyan's Sivakarthikeyan Productions in association with The Little Wave Productions. The technical team includes B Sakthivel (cinematography), Ganesh Siva (editing), and Suren G and S Alagia Koothan (sound design). 

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