Actor-filmmaker Lakshmy Ramakrishnan‘s next film Blue Ink is based on a real-life incident explored through the emotional journey of three women in different age groups. Lakshmy told Silverscreen India that the incident, which occurred a month-and-a-half ago, had affected her deeply.
She said, “I want to discuss this incident – it’s not a rape or anything like that – but when this incident happened it was politicised and it was approached with a caste angle. It was approached in a way that the very focus on the main issue was lost and the woman went through a hell of a time.”
“Since it is a real life incident, the scripting part becomes very spontaneous and very intuitive. It just flows out of you. That’s what happened for House Owner. House Owner’s script was done in 10 days. So the same thing is happening for this movie also.”
House Owner was showcased as one of the best films under the Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) last month.
Lakshmy said that the title “Blue Ink” was a reference to advertisements for sanitary napkins which use the colour blue where there should be bloodstains. Lakshmy, who called this hypocritical, said her comments would likely trigger a discussion about menstruation.
She said, “I actually wanted [the film’s poster] to carry a stained sanitary pad. But then that will be too much to digest for many people. So I decided not to go with that.”
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According to Lakshmy, menstrual blood was the “true representation of womanhood”.
Lakshmy said that before writing the script of Blue Ink, she had been working on another film, Are You Okay Baby? However, she shifted her focus to Blue Ink as she felt it was more relevant in today’s world. She said, “If you give me a camera, I will go tomorrow and start shooting. But they are holding me back now and asking me not to be impatient. I am so eager to share my views on the incident and I feel it is very relevant to today’s world,”
The film’s cast has not yet been announced, although the team is in talks with two actors.
Shooting for Blue Ink is expected to start after January 15, 2021.
Speaking of House Owner‘s release, Lakshmy said, “Last time, what happened with House Owner was that we could not give a premiere. House Owner got the attention from many festival directors but they wanted a premiere and we had already released the film. I had sold the overseas rights, I had sold the satellite rights and OTT, everything before I even started shooting.”
Lakshmy said she hoped to complete shooting by February so that the film could premiere in major film festivals outside India.