Pottu Short-Film Navayga Kugarajah

Navayuga Kugarajah

This film aims to focus on the inclusion of widowed women in society. Traditionally, women from very religious tamil backgrounds are put through various depressing events, once their husband passes awway. The challenges faced by widowed women are well known in all parts of the world, but having to go through such challenging activities which are destroying them mentally, puts so much pressure on them and adds to the depression and anxiety that they are already going through because of the loss of their partner. These events include dressing them up as a bride and then removing all the jewels and flowers, breaking the bangles, removing the kunkum “pottu” on their forehead, and changing them to a white saree. The widowed women will not be allowed to wear kunkum pottu afterwards, and even if they wear it, they are being gossiped about as being misbehaving. This behaviour is whats actually stopping widowed women from wearing “pottu”. This affects them mentally on a very deep scale because of having to stop doing something that they have been doing with love their entire life. Being reminded about their loss every time they look at their own face put them into depression. This is just one of many such activities this project will be addressing, for example, widowed women not being allowed to participate in simple cultural activities such as taking “Arathi” is another major incident where they feel separated and rejected. These problems make them feel like they are not being included in the community anymore and restrict them from living a happy normal life