For filmmaker Sivaranjini J., the image of a sacrificial rooster in a women’s beauty parlor sparked the creative journey that would take her debut feature “Victoria” from a small Kerala village to international festival recognition, including selection as the sole Indian entry in the Shanghai International Film Festival‘s Asian New Talent competition.
The drama, which premiered at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), centers on Victoria, a young beautician caught between family expectations and personal desires when she plans to elope with her Hindu boyfriend against her conservative Catholic parents’ wishes. Set almost entirely within a beauty parlor, the story complicates when Victoria must care for a neighbor’s sacrificial rooster intended for a church offering.
“I am feeling really honored by the recognition,” Sivaranjini tells Variety about the Shanghai selection. “On a personal level, it feels like a significant milestone, considering how unattainable making a feature film once seemed to me. It’s an acknowledgment of the collective effort of my team and the risks we took with this film.”
The filmmaker’s inspiration struck five years ago during a visit to a neighborhood beauty parlor in her home village on the outskirts of Kochi, Kerala. “I encountered a rooster with its legs tied, near their toilet. I enquired and learned it was a sacrificial rooster soon to be taken to the nearby St. George church as an offering,” she recalls. “A rooster inside an all ladies beauty parlor was the image that inspired me to write the script.”
Sivaranjini developed the project under the Kerala State Film Development Corporation’s (KSFDC) Women’s Empowerment scheme, which proved instrumental in bringing her vision to life. A graduate of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, where she specialized in Film and Video Communication, the filmmaker had briefly worked as a freelance editor before pursuing a PhD in Visual Communication Design at IIT Bombay.
“By then, I had almost given up on my dream of becoming a filmmaker, aware of the immense struggles independent filmmakers often face,” she says. “The state government grant was a huge turning point for me.”
By the time Sivaranjini applied for the KSFDC production grant, four films had already been made under the initiative. “The grant enabled me to pursue my dream without the usual commercial expectations of the producers. We also had access to the facilities of Chitranjali Studio owned by the state government,” she explains.
The filmmaker, who previously directed short films “Ritham” (2016) and “Kalyani” (2014), cites legendary Malayalam-language cinema director G. Aravindan as a significant influence, shaped by growing up in Kerala’s thriving film society movement culture. However, she emphasizes that creating “Victoria” was “more than drawing from these influences, it was a journey to discover my own voice as a filmmaker.”
The project also carries the artistic blessing of the late Shaji N. Karun, the towering presence in Malayalam cinema who served as KSFDC chair during production. “It was an honor to make ‘Victoria’ with KSFDC as the producer while Shaji N. Karun was the chair,” Sivaranjini says. “At the ‘Victoria’ world premiere at the IFFK, his words of praise and encouragement were deeply humbling. He urged me to submit the film to international festivals. His recent demise is an immeasurable loss to all of us.”
The cast includes Meenakshi Jayan, Sreeshma Chandran, Jolly Chirayath, Steeja Mary, Darsana Vikas, Jeena Rajeev, and Remadevi. The technical team features Anand Ravi as director of photography, Abdul Khader A.K. handling art and production design, with Sivaranjini serving as editor, and Abhaydev Praful composing the music.
Following “Victoria’s” international recognition, Sivaranjini is already contemplating her next project. “I definitely want to continue exploring stories centered on female characters and I’m also drawn to the idea of experimenting more in form and narrative structures,” she reveals. “I’d love to create something that challenges both myself as a filmmaker and the audience’s expectations.”
