The shooting of Mumtha, the sixth film produced under the State government’s exclusive film project for women, commenced in Kasaragod on Monday (February 17).
M. Rajagopalan, MLA, performed the puja and switch-on ceremony at the Bela Government Ayurveda Dispensary in the presence of District Police Chief D. Shilpa, Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) Director and filmmaker Sherry Govind, actor and Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi executive member Santhosh Keezhattor and director P. Farsana.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Rajagopalan described the women’s film project as a significant cultural initiative by the State government, aimed at empowering women and ensuring their full participation in the cultural sector.
Directed by Ms. Farsana, a native of Chowki, Kasaragod, Mumtha was selected from scripts submitted in response to a 2020 KSFDC call for entries from women filmmakers. Her husband Bini Afsar is also a filmmaker.
Marking a milestone in Indian cinema, this is the first government-backed film project exclusively for women, with an all-women technical crew. Director P.T. Ratheena is the line producer, Fawzia Fathima handles cinematography, and Veena Jayaprakash is the editor.
The film narrates the survival journey of a girl named Mumtha. The first schedule spanning 25 days is being entirely shot in Kasaragod. District Police Chief Ms. Shilpa said that while women’s empowerment was often discussed, this initiative served as a tangible model of progress.
