Murali Nair Movies
- 2001
The difficulty of bringing Southern India politically and socially into the 21st century is the subject of this metaphoric comedy-drama. In a small Indian community, political control is slowly beginning to shift from a long-established monarchy to democratically elected officials, and as the fondly regarded Lord K. (Krishna Kaimal) hands the reigns of power over to his newly elected successor (Sudhas Thayat), as a symbolic gesture the departing Lord gives his pet dog Apu to Koran (Thomas), an elderly man who will look after the animal with his wife. Lord K. pays Koran to care for his pet in the manner to which the dog has become accustomed, but more than a few of Koran's neighbors look askance when they see Koran's wife (Lakshmi Raman) feeding their new pooch with a spoon while many local families struggle to feed their children. It also turns out that Apu does not play well with others, and after the dog attacks a neighbor's livestock and hurts a young boy, both Koran and the dog find themselves before a judge, leading to an unpleasant confrontation between the departed Lord K. and the community's new leader. Pattiyude Divasam was screened as part of the Un Certain Regard series at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Krishna Kaimal, Thomas, (more)
- 1999
- NR
Murali Nair's debut feature begins as a quietly lyrical portrait of rural poverty that recalls Satyajit Ray's early masterpiece Pather Panchali (1955); and then it suddenly swerves into the realm of bitter social satire. Though Krishnan (Barathan Narakkal) toils all day planting rice, he struggles to feed his family. He is caught stealing coconuts from his landlord and dragged to jail. He soon finds himself framed for a number of unsolved murders and is sentenced to death, in spite of his wife's pleas. She turns to the local Communist party for help, and they take up his cause until they realize that it is not politically expedient to do so. Instead, they lobby the government and, with the help of a World Bank grant, import America's latest high-tech instrument of death: the "electronic chair." Overnight, the Communist Party's rhetoric changes Krishnan from a victim of political corruption to a glorious martyr to progress. Guilt and innocence fall by the wayside as everyone (including Krishnan) is awestruck by this gleaming new technology. The farcical elements in this well-crafted story slowly and unexpectedly build, until they grow so thick that one does not know whether to laugh or wince. Though Nair quietly milks the absurdity of the situation, he doesn't let the audience forget the human tragedy at the film's center. Despite running a scant 57 minutes, Throne of Death won the Camera d'Or as Best First Feature at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. It was also screened in the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Vishwas Njavakkal, Lakshmi Raman, (more)
- 1996
This Argentine/Indian made film, the second of three, is ostensibly based on an ancient text, and while it has some striking (if largely homoerotic) imagery, there is not much discernible story here. The framework for the picture's explorations is an inebriated poet. With much nipple-pinching and other forms of fetishistic behavior, the nearly naked young male actors, amateurs from the Indian state of Rajasthan, go about their mysterious business. One highlight is a camel ride caught in a kind of time loop. This picture was filmed in an Indian dialect and dubbed into Spanish. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
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