Graham Shepherd

A very good film reflecting the cultural struggles imposed by British history and Indian/Hindu social mores on Kerala society, regarding attitudes to caste, sexuality, misogyny, and the desire of the characters to be free of such constraints and to live their lives more liberally.The help given to the daughter by a Christian Nun was a particularly interesting story line, and the homosexual scenes were fairly explicit but tastefully portrayed. The scenes between the main character and his teacher were very moving as one understood the loneliness of the latter’s life. All actors performed their rôles very convincingly…and the sound track was dubbed into English skilfully. The use of the first movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight sonata with its main theme played on a sitar helped create the right atmosphere beautifully.