Anna Ben, who plays the titular character in (titled Kottukkaali in Tamil), thinks that the English title of her film does not carry a negative connotation as it usually would. “The Adamant Girl could also mean a strong woman,” she says. Having starred in ten films in the five years of her career, Kottukkaali is a milestone, as it made the rounds through the festival circuits and won awards.
“As it is a very rooted film, I was curious about how it would relate to a foreign audience. Surprisingly, the theme turned out to be a global subject, and it connected with them very well. They noticed minute details that mostly go unnoticed,” she recounts her film festival experience.
On how she approached a character like Meena in Kottukkaali, she says, “Meena is adamant about her decision and people are making noise about it while she rebels by making no noise. When a girl is put in a situation with everyone against her, she has very little power, but she uses that power to the best of her strength.” Further, she says that the character was interesting to explore, especially because there were no dialogues.
“I had to learn how to show adamancy while being completely silent.” She also reveals how the most challenging part was to communicate everything non-verbally. “I had a lot of fun accepting the challenge, I created a backstory for Meena and internalised her,” she says.
Kottukkaali revolves around a woman who is taken to a shaman to be ‘cleansed’ because she .