Brewing Debates On Fasil Muhammed's Debut Feminichi Fathima
Debates have been brewing around the plot of a recently released Malayalam movie, Feminichi Fathima (Feminist Fathima), especially after the film garnered several critical acclaims for discussing the social realities in conservative family fabrics. The director Fasil Muhammed’s debut movie’s name, according to him, was used as a positive term, though it carries a negative connotation in the present scenario in the light of toxic feminism.
Premiered at the International Competition section at the 29th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), Fasil Muhammed, as per reviewers, shows a woman’s quiet rebellion for financial freedom against a controlling husband, a religious teacher, Ustad by profession. The husband is reportedly portrayed as living with extreme backward perspectives on material life, though he is being highly respected in his community. The film has won the Jury Prize in the international competition.
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Talking about the plot, the director says it was simply about what he observed when he saw Muslim women at home: “That’s the core of the movie. I connected the story with my own home and the Muslim women I have seen. It’s a very local story,” the director said in an interview with The New Indian Express.
However, the political discourse regarding the plot and the portrayal of the characters has been critical. While admitting the absurdities of conservatism to be right as the film has shown, several social commentators have criticised the cherry-picking of an Ustad, an Islamic scholar, to represent one backward and laughable character, noting that it is probably from the Ustad household that come most of the educated empowered women in the community. While arguing contradictions with reality in the movie plot, many rebukes attempt to portray tradition rooted in a particular religion as the villain.
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Broadly speaking, the film addresses the crucial issues women are facing in every conservative family. A relatable movie to most who are living like Fathima, the rebellious wife, the movie has been critically acclaimed for effectively projecting the subtle fight of an oppressed woman without dramatic dialogues.
The film, through the protagonist, tries to challenge the repressive environment created by years of social conditioning, which is probably the historical flaw embedded in thousands of families, irrespective of religion. The film has indeed done a great job mocking the absurdities traditional declinatory customs by showing both the progressive and regressive sections.
The portrayal of Fathima’s husband as a man whose rigidity stems from his inability to adapt to social changes seems to have effectively conveyed the social reality. The husband’s obsession with fixation, tradition, and systems being a laughable character empowers the wife while taking audiences too along with Fatima’s stand. Notably, reviewers have pointed out antagonist husband’s flaws as being overly exaggerated for comic effect, perhaps contributing to the false narrative towards the Islamic clerics.
The movie arguably presented the deep-rooted social conditioning through the mother-in-law’s character, who dismissed Fathima, falling victim to the unchallenged oppressive practices and thoughts.
The director claims that as the film’s set was the coastal town Ponnani, many Fathimas had thronged to witness the shooting, enjoying and laughing at the comic scenes. Fasil then says they were recognizing their experiences and relating to them, which he says gave him more confidence that the movie would not create controversy. However, the movie has been hailed as a revolutionary attempt to tell the triumphant story of ordinary women.
