by Anura Guruge
on March 29, 2022
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Watch the YouTube trailer.
Definitely a movie for older viewers (like I). I sure could relate to this movie — & I too can eat mutton biriyani (or for that matter, any meat-based biriyani) until it comes out of my ears, BUT stopped eating carbs because I did NOT want to end up looking like 90% of the men in this movie. (Smile) That, i.e., seeing real, rural Indians, warts, bellies, crooked teeth and all, is what I really liked about this movie. That is the India I remember. That is the India I can relate to. So many of today’s Indian movies are based around the newo, SUPER-RICH & their beyond the pale, extravagant, ultra-westernized lifestyles. Well, it was good to see the other side — all the poor, rural Indians living in ‘huts’.
This movie was shot in Tamil Nadu and featured a number of Hindu temples. c. 1966, about a year (or so) before we left Ceylon my adoptive parents decided to do a pilgrimage around the temples in this area. They took me along, PLUS I my father was going to buy me a long sought after air-gun for FAR exceeding an academic goal he had set for me. I was to get a double-promotion, i.e., skip a grade. So, I was going straight from grade 8 to grade 10 — skipping 9. That wasn’t a big deal. He knew I could master that. But, this was his ‘bet’. IF, after this double-promotion, at the end of the year, IF I would beat all the other kids in the entire grade (about 350) & get the top marks for that year’s 10th grade he would get me an air rifle. Air rifles were not available in Ceylon at the time. So, we had to go to India to get one. Well, I showed him. Yep, I came 1st. SMILE. So, that was quite a memorable sojourn around Tamil Nadu with us getting the air rifle in Madras.
We travelled by bus, train & even bullock cart. So, much of this movie was nostalgic. Rural Tamil Nadu hasn’t changed much — though some these days have old mobile phones.
I genuinely had NO IDEA that Indians perform euthanasia on old folk! WOW.
Interesting movie. Well done. Superb acting by the two protagonists — especially the little boy. He will go far. What talent.
So, if you are old (like I) & like sentimental movies give this a spin. OH! English subtitles. NOT DUBBED. OK?
