Actress Rima Kallingal bagged the Golden Sparrow Award for best actor female for her role in the impressively shot single-take drama ‘Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam’ at the Diorama International Film Festival, 2021.
The movie directed by director Don Palathara, starring Rima Kallingal, Jitin Puthenchery and Neeraja Rajendran is about a couple in Kerala on their way to a doctor’s clinic to confirm a suspected pregnancy. The entire narrative of 85 minutes rolls out in a single shot in their car ride to the medical facility.
“It feels good to receive the award for sure. It’s a kind of validation, reassurance that your work still matters and the effort that a team puts in has been recognized. This small group of people coming together and doing this film during the Covid time shows how resourceful we are as artistes and as Malayalees also,” said Kallingal.
“So many interesting movies with strong scripts came out in Kerala during the past two years and one of them being ‘Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam’. I’m extremely proud of being part of a movie like that. Even though the award is for me, I feel the award is for us. Don, Jitin and me was such a small crew. Creatively, it was just the three of us who worked throughout the film from the word go to the last shot,” added Kallingal.
Kallingal further added that the role of Maria was a very different experience and a bit challenging also as an artiste as the movie was shot in a single take. For actors who are spoiled for the number of retakes they get while working for a movie, she didn’t have that liberty.
The director, Don Palathara shared that the entire film was shot four times, with the fifth take being selected for the movie. The entire film process was equally difficult for the lead actors, with no cuts in between the take. “Rima understood the character pretty well and delivered a magnificent performance. She blended well into Maria’s character and conveyed the intended feelings,” says Palathara.
The movie has bagged the attention of critics for its technical brilliance during its screening at IFFK 2021 and Moscow International Film Festival. It is after years that a Malayalam Cinema is shortlisted at the Moscow International Film Festival.
‘Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam’ is available on OTT platforms including Neestream, Cave, Roots, Saina Play, Mainstream, Filme and EventScape.
