Girish Kasaravalli Movies

A case of possible reincarnation leads to a family crisis in this period drama set in 19th Century India. Venkatalaxmi (Pavitra Lokesh) lost her husband when she was a young woman in her twenties, and two decades later she shares a home with her daughter Rajalaxmi and her late husband's father Achchannaih (Sringeri Ramanna) and mother Nagalaxmi (Rameshwari Varma). Venkatalaxmi has grown accustomed to her life as a widow, so she's taken aback when Achchannaih announces her late husband has been reborn in the body of Vishwa (Ashwin Bolar). Venkatalaxmi isn't sure she wants to disrupt her life, but Nagalaxmi urges her to meet the man and see how she feels. While Vishwa in no way reminds Venkatalaxmi of her husband, both Achchannaih and Nagalaxmi believe he carries his spirit, and as the parents see Vishwa as a chance for their late son to be returned to them, Venkatalaxmi accepts his presence as an opportunity to start her life over again. However, Rajalaxmi rejects Vishwa's claims and wants to prove to everyone he's a fraud. Naayi Neralu (aka In The Shadow Of The Dog) received its North American premiere at the 2007 Palm Springs Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This sprawling Indian period drama concerns the wife of a philandering nationalist who spends most of her time during colonial rule in jail. Life does not get easier after Indian independence, as the woman's husband is too busy impregnating his mistress to pay her much mind. At one point, when her husband brings home an adoptive baby boy, things begin to look up, but instead the couple quarrels about sex and class. Thai Saheba was screened at the 1999 Vancouver Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

This tale of endless woe would be painful to examine even if it were considered as a comedy, which it is not. Instead, this film is a resounding indictment of India's clogged, unresponsive political system and the maddening bureaucracies it supports. The story begins with Tabara, a minor tax collector, as he looks back over his long career prior to retirement. He is anticipating it joyfully, but when an oversight leads another paper pusher to put through a cut in his retirement pay, his joy is short-lived. Soon, his beloved wife suffers an injured foot which turns gangrenous due to her previously undiscovered diabetes. He can't afford the health care she needs and pushes even harder for his full retirement, calling on politicians and bribing bureaucrats; he even begs for a loan. However, his efforts bear little fruit, and that comes too late to save his wife's life. On top of that, his sweet, lovable, but mentally slow adopted son has gotten lost in the city while on foot and cannot be found. Tabara wanders around his village wailing with grief and rage, prompting his irritated neighbors to the uncharitable wish that he go mad so that he can be put away and not bother them anymore. Even more mishaps befall this Job-like figure, so that his final Pyrrhic victory prompts him to make a supreme gesture of contempt. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Director Girish Kasaravalli's first feature takes place in a Hindu orthodox village in the Indian state of Karnataka, where an elderly Vedic scholar named Udupa (Ramaswamy Iyengar) runs a religious school in his home. His daughter Yamuna (Meena Kuttappa), widowed since childhood and forbidden by tradition to remarry, lives with him along with the students, the youngest of whom, Nani (Ajit Kumar), a shy little boy often teased by the older students, forms a bond with her. After Yamuna is seduced by a local teacher and becomes pregnant, she is gradually ostracized by the villagers, but Nani, who is too young to understand what's happening, decides to protect and defend her. The ritual of the film's title is a Hindu rite in which a person is punished by having a funeral ritual performed for them by a relative. Udupa performs this rite for Yamuna, effectively banishing her from the living. ~ Tom Vick, All Movie Guide