Directed by John Abraham
Produced by Charly John, John Abraham
Production company - Nirmithi Films
Written by Venkat Swaminathan, John Abraham
Music - M. B. Sreenivasan
Cinematography - Ramachandra Babu, Ananda Kuttan
Editing - Ravi
Art Direction - Lawrence Gaulbert
Production Controllers - Kumar, Ravi
Associate Directors - S.V. Menon, Sampath
Assistant Directors - Srikumar, Ravindran, Galbert
Laboratory: VDS Cine Laboratory
Summary:
Narayanaswami, a professor and resident of a Brahmin Colony, adopts a new-born donkey after an enraged crowd kills its mother. The donkey becomes the sole companion to Uma, a deaf-mute maid who works in Narayanaswami's house. There is chaos among the villagers upon the arrival of the donkey and children start playing pranks on the donkey. Thinking that having a donkey in the village will ruin them, the villagers attack and kill the donkey. Soon after its death, miracles start happening in the village. Slowly people believe all that is because of the donkey and start worshipping its dead body. They arrange for a ritual funeral for the donkey before burning it. The fire spreads around the village and kills many people; Narayanaswami and Uma are the only survivors.
Abraham’s 2nd feature, his only one in Tamil, is an acid satire told in an innovative, surreal narrative style making excellent use of repetitions for comic effect, on brahminical bigotry and superstition. It was shot around Kunrathur near Chengalpattu and at the Loyola College in then Madras, Chennai. A donkey strays into the brahminical enclave in a village and is adopted as a pet by Prof. Narayanaswami (Srinivasan). Ridiculed by his caste fellows, he asks the mute village girl Uma (Swathi) to look after it. When the girl’s stillborn baby is deposited outside the temple, the donkey is blamed and killed. Guilt then induces the priests to start seeing miracles. The dead donkey becomes an object of veneration and is ritually burned. In a symbolic sequence recalling Bunuel, the fire spreads and engulfs the entire village. Only the girl and the professor survive.
Although Brahmin bigots tried to have the film banned, it is more a morality fable about innocence (Abraham claimed Bresson’s Au Hasard Balthazar, 1966, as an inspiration) and guilt, recalling parts of Ajantrik (1957) by Abraham’s FTII teacher Ghatak. Although the film received a national award, the Tamil press ignored the film. Even in late 1989, Doordarshan thought it prudent to cancel a scheduled TV screening.
(Source: Wikipedia and Indiancine.ma)
CAST
M.B. Srinivasan
Swathi
Srilalitha
Gopali
Veera Raghavan
Narasimham
Thillai Rajan
Krishna Raj
Raman
Rajan
Country : India
Year : 1977
Language : Tamil with English Subtitles (Hardcoded)
Runtime : 95 Minutes 41 Seconds
Aspect Ratio : 1.333:1
Shot on Film Stock, Black and White
Original Sound : Mono
Digitally Restored at NFAI, Pune.
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15 окт 2024
