The title of Anoop Lokkur’s debut feature, “Don’t Tell Mother,” has proven to be prophetic in one or more ways. The screenwriter’s producer not only explored the family secrets in his tender drama about Bangalore in the 1990s (as Bengaluru was known at the time), but also maintained the greatest secrets of all from his own mother. The film premiered in the Asian Film section through the window at the Busan International Film Festival.
“It was revealed during pre-production that Anoop hadn’t spoken to his mother about making this feature film, and that he had spent the saved money for the house deposits to fund the feature film,” says film director Matthew Jenkins, who produced the project. “He told his parents he was making short films, knowing how long it takes to short films and how long it takes to feature films.”
Set in Bangalore, southern India, the film follows a family that looks normal on the surface, but gradually reveals tension and tacit struggle. In the center is Lakshmi (Aishwarya Dinesh). This is a mother who wants to start a small business and become independent, but is repeatedly blocked by family dynamics, and her young son Akash (Siddharth Swaloop) endures corporal punishment at school.
“When I was writing the script, I realized I was looking back at my childhood,” explains Lokkur. “This made me realize how much my mother endured without telling our family. It was with me. There is often a gap between the way we present ourselves and our family to society, especially the way we present ourselves and our family to society and what is actually happening at home.”
The director, who moved from Bengaluru to Australia in 2007 and built a career in international business before studying at the Victorian Arts College, was drawn from deep personal experiences for the story. “This conflict has been very personal to me as I have experienced similar things. As a teenager, I wanted to study photography. I was never encouraged to follow this passion.
Lokkur cites directors Kore-Eda Hirokazu and Edward Yang as key influences, particularly in the learning that “suggestions can be stronger than explanations.” The visual approach of the film reflects this philosophy, with Jenkins and Rockul developing a distinctive style using fixed frames and long lenses.
“We were in the corner and decided to move the camera. But we were still suggesting where the audience should look, and we actually decided to use a fixed frame,” recalls Jenkins. “We really want people, the audience to be voyeurs of our families.”
The production faced the unique challenge of filming outdated works on a modest budget in Bengaluru. “It’s a ’90s movie and trying to deal with a micro budget meant it was really tough looking,” Jenkins points out. “We couldn’t point the camera anywhere because there was so much modern technology that it meant we didn’t have the budget to draw those things.”
Perhaps the biggest risk came to the cast. Lokkur found lead actor Siddharth Swaroop playing Akaash at the cafe at Ranga Shankara Performing Arts Theatre in Bengaluru. “His first audition was awful. He wasn’t interested and was playing with his car on the floor! But my gut said he was the right choice,” reveals Lokkur. Both young leads were non-actors, and Anirudh P. Keserker brought “the energy and stubbornness of nature that he couldn’t teach.”
The film’s structure evolved significantly during development. “The early draft was told through Aiakash’s eyes. When I shared it with my wife and DP Matt, we all felt that something was missing, when we realized that the heart of the story is mother,” explains Rokkul. “Writing the script helped me see my mother in a way I never had.”
Jenkins and Lokkur deliberately framed the mother’s character.
International collaboration between Lokkur and Australian cinematographer Jenkins began when they met in Lokkur’s film studies several years ago. Their relationship grew deeper during Melbourne’s expanded Covid-19 lockdown. “In the meantime, me and Anoop wanted a lot of walks. He gave me an edit to his script. He would just chat about the characters and the story,” recalls Jenkins.
Jenkins, who has become both a cinematographer and producer, points out that working across language barriers in Kannada films has proven unexpectedly rewarding. “There’s a universal language of making movies, and when everyone reads the script and understands what you’re trying to achieve, the shorthand started to develop and it really became beautiful.”
Looking ahead, filmmakers want to continue the festival circuit with European and North American premieres, but emphasize the importance of bringing the film home. “I Don’t Tell My Mother” was filmed in Bengaluru. It’s very important that the film is shown there as well,” Jenkins says. “This is a film about a family in Bangalore, and it’s a better way to complete a festival journey than to take it back to a place of creation.”
For Lokkur, the film serves both as a window into Indian culture and as a universal mirror. “The role of gender and oppressed dreams are not unique to India, but exist in many ways throughout the culture,” he points out. “When people leave the film, we hope we can look back at our mother’s sacrifice and how we can serve our mothers as they have spent our lives.”
The film features Aishwarya Dinesh as Amma, Karthik Nagarajan as Appa and Anirudh P. Keserver as Adi, compiling the music of Pavan Bhat and Krishna Purohit. It is produced by Papunu Films.
