Kannada film ‘Nanu Kusuma’ draws attention to women’s safety and empowerment


Kannada film ‘Nanu Kusuma’ showing the reality of how women are discriminated against despite strict laws screened at International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

Director Krishnegowda, while interacting with the media on ‘Table Talk’ on Tuesday, said ‘Nanu Kusuma’ reflected the reality of our patriarchal society where injustice is inflicted on women even after having strict laws.

The film is based on a short story written by Kannada author Dr Besagarahalli Ramanna who wrote the book based on a real life incident. “Women’s empowerment and women’s safety are at the heart of this film. My penchant is to make films about topics that could convey a message to society,” Krishnegowda said.

Nanu Kusuma is the story of Kusuma, daughter of a loving and caring father who has high ambitions for his daughter. But fate has other plans and her father dies in an accident, throwing her life into chaos. Kusuma, who aspired to be a doctor, drops out of medical school due to the financial crisis. She gets her father’s government post as compensation. But Kusuma’s life takes a dramatic turn when she is sexually assaulted.

Sharing how daunting a task Kusuma was, actor Greeshma Sridhar said the process was disturbing and exhausting to be in that mindset continuously.

“It’s the story of women who are constantly pushed to their limits and find themselves surrounded by problems without doing anything wrong,” said Greeshma Sridhar.

She also said it’s heartbreaking to say that there was no shortage of material on this particular subject, which made it all the more difficult to accept.

The film was screened in the Indian Panorama Feature Films section.

Mara R. Wilmoth