“Selvi is a 50-year old woman who, like any Good Indian Mother, gave up her career aspirations for family life, and followed her husband's decisions. Now, a year after his death, Selvi is faced with the ultimate test of self-confidence: keeping her small business – a Whatsapp sari shop – afloat. With generous nudges from her independent, idealistic daughter, Selvi must reclaim her agency before it's too late.” (Stray Factory)
B. Selvi & Daughters review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
From the opening sequence, “B. Selvi” wonderfully establishes conflict rooted in a lifetime of having to play into societal roles. The sequence shows our titular character, 50 year old B. Selvi, applying for a business loan at the bank. Her application process becomes stressful as the man serving her and men around her radiate annoyance at her mere existence, with the bank teller seeming to scoff at the concept of her starting a business. However, Selvi stays vigilant and pushes for the service with the thought of what can be if she succeeds, driving her to stick it through. Ultimately, the opening scene perfectly frames the conflict ahead and gives the audience reason to empathize and cheer on the persona made meek through a lifetime of putting importance into the men in her life.
Off the back of a strong intro, we learn further what has pushed Selvi to try to become an entrepreneur, a desire to excel and to be independent. However, director Drishya approaches the subject in a way that shows intuition as the story itself is not presented just as a fairytale. Early, Selvi struggles with a world that has developed around her, notably in the struggle to understand and keep up with online trends. Furthermore, there is a resonating degree of self doubt that makes her pine for the simplicity of a subservient role she was raised to fill. This conflict gives a grounded realism that reflects a deep understanding of the plight of the matriarch within certain families.
To help with Selvi's insecurities, her tech savvy daughter plays a pivotal role in not only bridging the technological gap, but offering a modern perspective on female empowerment and the role it can play to help the burden of others. As a result, the strong performances from Kalairani as Selvi, and Gayathrie Shankar as the daughter, play a vital role in conveying the important social message within the script. Kalairani in particular deserves special notice as her performance reflects that of a seasoned actor, wonderfully capturing the anxiety, fears and hope of her subject.
The rest of the production exists as serviceable to the plot, with little in the way of visual or audio flair. The cinematography from Juhi Sharma is clean and capture the drama well, and the editing from Adharsh Kalyanakumar & Bhuvanesh Manivannan does a good job of injecting the presence of social media into the plot by inserting emoji's and screen caps to show interaction with the digital world. Ultimately the production lacks flair, but this is not necessary to appreciate the end product.
Wonderfully directed, scripted and performed, “B. Selvi” delivers an impactful message. Part of the ‘Her and Now' program which aims to foster entrepreneurs, the film beautifully captures both the creative and industrious spirit of femininity.
