Selvi: Anjali Patil’s tender Tamil drama about an ‘invisible’ migrant caregiver

When a film is built around someone who is easy to overlook, the smallest details can become the most revealing. Selvi, the Tamil-language drama produced by and starring National Award-winning actor Anjali Patil, follows a migrant home-care worker whose everyday life slowly opens up to reveal a complex emotional world.

A tender Tamil drama explores the inner world of a timid home-care worker, blending global cinematic influences with intimate realism

Directed by debut filmmaker Sailesh Rathnakumar and co-written by Rathnakumar and Bargav Sridhar, Selvi has been selected as one of only two Indian films in the Vision – Asia section of the 31st Busan International Film Festival. Ahead of its world premiere, we speak to Anjali Patil, offering audiences their first look at Selvi and the world she inhabits.

The character immediately drew Anjali in. “Selvi looks like an absolutely invisible character in our day-to-day life. But her inner landscape makes it very hard to miss,” she says. “When Sailesh and Bargav first sent their long synopsis, I read it in one go. I gently asked if I could play the lead, and they said they were writing it with me in mind.”

At the heart of the film is the experience of migration and caregiving, but the story looks beyond the geopolitics surrounding the movement of healthcare professionals. “We have seen the migration of healthcare professionals, but never beyond its geopolitics,” Anjali says. “Selvi is an intimate observation of one such professional, which allows us to go deeper into their emotional and personal landscape as human beings.”

Playing a home-care worker also required attention to the smallest gestures. Nurses were present on set to help with the handling of patients and medical equipment, while an unexpected hospital stay during pre-production gave Anjali another opportunity to observe the profession closely. “I spent some time in the hospital, where I kept observing nurses without being creepy,” she recalls.

Finding the character's physicality was another challenge. “I think Selvi being Tamil was something I always thought was challenging. There are some very inherent qualities that come with being from a particular culture. As a Marathi girl, I know and feel that very clearly. It’s the same with being a Tamil girl. Her hands, her fingers, the way she would even look up with just her eyes. Finding and executing those nuances was quite challenging,” she says.

There was also a stark contrast between the character and the person managing a film set. “Selvi is a very timid character overall, the absolute opposite of producer Anjali’s character,” she adds. “So it used to be a massive switch on and off.”

Behind the camera, creating the film’s distinct texture came with its own challenges. “There is no reference like Selvi in contemporary Tamil cinema to draw parallels to,” Anjali explains. “But at the same time, Sailesh and Bargav were so clear about their references from world cinema in terms of writing or treatment. We all kept feeding into each other’s references to arrive at Selvi’s unique blend.”

The Busan selection adds another milestone to the film’s journey. She points to the presence of Birds in the Dark, another Indian film in the Vision – Asia section, as an encouraging moment for women working across independent cinema. “It’s a solid indication that we’re in for some interesting times ahead with women leading independent cinema.”

What matters at the end of the day is the impression Selvi leaves behind. “They can see themselves in her, and when the film is finished, she stays with them,” Anjali says. “Not for a few minutes or hours, but for a few days.” The experience has also pushed her creatively. “Selvi has stretched my artistic capacities to a level where I didn’t think functioning was possible,” she says. “Personal desires are always going to be very minuscule in front of the film’s own intelligence. She has her own ambitions, and we just have to bow and keep working for her.”

Mail ID: anshula.u@newindianexpress.com

Twitter: @indulgexpress

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