Starring Akshara Haasan, the Tamil film Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu talks about the oppression of “female desires” through a protagonist who belongs to an “upper caste and upper-middle class family” which shows the roots to patriarchy in our society and how gender oppression exists for every woman, even for those who are from “privileged backgrounds”. The director Raja Ramamurthy has set the plot of the film around the four predefined virtues of who the society considers as an ideal woman - roughly translated, Achcham (fear), Madam (blend of modesty and ignorance), Naanam(coyness) and Payirppu (chastity).
Akshara plays a timid teenager named Pavithra who is brought up in a conservative, orthodox family which has set expectations on what she should wear everyday to how she should become a celebrated Carnatic singer. Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu operates within limited scenarios of Pavithra’s mundane routine - waking up grunting every morning, taking up singing classes from her grandmother while being controlled by her strict mother, interactions with her dad who constantly takes a jibe at her cricketer boyfriend’s game, walking her dog, meeting a couple of nosey aunties, friends and her boyfriend.
Akshara as naive Pavithra struggles to balance the societal pressures and her personal pleasures. She wants to take her relationship with her boyfriend to the next stage. However, she contemplates on whether she is a “good girl” if she chooses to green lit premarital sex. Her friends Jessica and Rathi come as an embodiment of her mind's voices - one which is judgemental and the other which is progressive. Will she do “it” with guilt or without guilt? Or will she not? The answer is the rest of the story.
Instead of dismissing “female desires” as a first world problem, Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu deals with it sensitively. The usage of “fish fry” as a metaphor with “consensual and safe premarital sex” is kind of a quirky “non-veg” reference.
Despite the fact that most of the shots are taken predominantly within a confined space, with the diversity shown in the camera angles and colourful lighting, the cinematography of the film is worth mentioning as it accentuates the mood of the story.
Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu aims to be a responsible representation that highlights the importance of a sex positive culture through cinema and scores for its right intentions. However, the screenplay isn't tight enough which even makes the short run time of 1 hour 20 minutes feel longer than it actually is. Also, basic logic takes a hit in some places. For instance, how does a girl from a conservative family in Chennai, especially with a nosy neighbour, let her boyfriend come by her home? How does a shy girl who is scared of societal expectations choose to buy her first condom, especially from a local store manager who knows her from childhood and refers to her as 'paapa' (kid)? Just like how Pavithra struggles to find her ground between societal expectations and personal desires, Achcham Madam Naanam Payirppu too struggles between being a crisp short film and an entertaining full length feature.
While not being preachy, the Akshara Haasan-starrer is a progressive step towards breaking the 'myth of a good girl' in our patriarchal society that defines the virtues of an 'ideal woman'.
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