Rooting for a character gives us a sense of comfort, but we are not especially aware of this until that rare movie comes along which does not provide us that comfort. Such movies constantly upset our calculations, and our understanding about particular characters; they end up pulling the rug from under our feet when we assume to be standing on stable ground.
In Anand Ekarshi’s debut feature Aattam, we do have a character to root for in Anjali (Zarin Shihab), the lone female member in a drama troupe filled with men. No, she is not in hostile territory, rather there are allies galore for her in that troupe, in which she literally grew up. None more so than Vinay (Vinay Forrt) with whom she is in a relationship. But, all is not well within the troupe, for there are bruised egos and some internal politics born out of it to contend with.
Within this group explodes a scandal that threatens its very existence and also shakes the alliances between group members. This is where Ekarshi’s script also pulls its little trick, constantly making us question our assessment of each of the characters, most of whom seem to be harmless beings struggling to stay afloat in an unequal world. The equations between the group shifts constantly, and words uttered a while ago attain new meaning in the light of new revelations.
