Piravi

India

1988

110 Min

Color

Malayalam

Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
1
2
3
4
5

|

SCR Shaji N. Karun, S. Jayachandran Nair, Reghunath Paleri, Raghu

CAST Premji, Archana, Lakshmi Krishnamurthy, V.K. Sriraman, Mullanezhi, Gopalakrishnan

PROD DES Devan

SOUND T. Krishnanunni

Cannes (Un Certain Regard): Caméra d'Or - Special Mention, Locarno: Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Special Mention , Silver Leopard

Synopsis

Raghu is one of two children born to Raghava Chakyar (Premji) and his wife. Born quite late in his parents’ marriage, Raghu is brought up with immense devotion and love until adulthood. Now studying in an engineering college far from home, Raghu must return home for the engagement ceremony of his sister (Archana), but fails to turn up. His father Raghavan waits endlessly for his son to return. Raghavan takes daily trips to the local bus stop, waiting all day in the hope that Raghu will eventually come home. Soon it emerges, and the family come to know through newspapers, that Raghu has been taken into custody by the police for political reasons. Raghavan sets out to try and find his son, and he eventually reaches police headquarters. However the police pretend not to know about Raghu, or his whereabouts, and furthermore, deny the fact that Raghu was taken into custody. Raghu’s sister eventually comes to the realization that her brother probably has died as a result of police torture, but hasn’t the heart to tell her father. Raghavan slowly begins to lose grip of reality, and starts to dream of his family reuniting once more. —wikipedia

Director

Shaji N. Karun

Shaji Neelakantan Karun (Malayalam: ഷാജി എന്‍. കരുണ്‍; born 1 January 1952) is a National Award-winning Indian film director and cinematographer. His debut film Piravi (1988) won the Caméra d’Or – Mention d’honneur at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. He was the Premiere Chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, the first academy for film and TV in India and was also the Executive Chairman of International Film Festival of Kerala from 1998 to 2001. He is best known for his award winning films Piravi (1989), Vanaprastham (1999) and Kutty Srank (2010).

Shaji N. Karun was born on New Year’s Day, 1952 as the eldest son of Mr. N. Karunakaran and Mrs. Chandramati in present day Kollam district in the former state of Travancore state (now Kerala), India. The family moved to Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), the capital of the state in 1963. He did his schooling in Palkulangara H.S. and took a Bachelor’s degree from University College, Thiruvananthapuram. In 1971 he entered the Film… read more

Shaji Neelakantan Karun (Malayalam: ഷാജി എന്‍. കരുണ്‍; born 1 January 1952) is a National Award-winning Indian film director and cinematographer. His debut film Piravi (1988) won the Caméra d’Or – Mention d’honneur at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. He was the Premiere Chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, the first academy for film and TV in India and was also the Executive Chairman of International Film Festival of Kerala from 1998 to 2001. He is best known for his award winning films Piravi (1989), Vanaprastham (1999) and Kutty Srank (2010).

Shaji N. Karun was born on New Year’s Day, 1952 as the eldest son of Mr. N. Karunakaran and Mrs. Chandramati in present day Kollam district in the former state of Travancore state (now Kerala), India. The family moved to Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), the capital of the state in 1963. He did his schooling in Palkulangara H.S. and took a Bachelor’s degree from University College, Thiruvananthapuram. In 1971 he entered the Film and Television Institute of India where he took his diploma in Cinematography. He won the President’s medal on passing out in 1975. He is married to Anasuya Warrier, daughter of P. K. R. Warrier, who incidentally was his neighbour in Trivandrum for quite some time. After a brief stint in the south Indian city of Madras, he returned to Thiruvananthapuram in 1976 where he got an appointment as film officer in the newly formed state Film Development Corporation. His first son Anil was born on 19 June 1976. His association with the legendary Malayalam film maker G. Aravindan began at this time. Then he continued working with notable directors like G. Aravindan, K. G. George and M. T. Vasudevan Nair as a cinematographer. Shaji is all set to wield camera for M. F. Husain’s next directorial venture, to be shot across the world.

Shaji made his directorial debut with the Malayalam film Piravi (“The Birth”, 1988), which won him the prestigious Caméra d’Or – Mention d’honneur at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. While Piravi was about the grief of a father who loses his son, Shaji’s second film, Swaham (1994) continued with the theme of grief. Swaham was selected to the compete at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival. Vaanaprastham (“The Final Dance”, 1999) dealt with the identity crisis faced by an actor. Mohanlal played the lead role in this film. He directed the film Nishad, made in Hindi, which was completed in May 2002, and premiered in the Fukuoka International Film Festival held in September 2002 in Japan. His latest film is titled Kutty Srank with Mammootty playing the lead role. The film was released theatrically in Kerala on July 2010.

He has also made around a dozen short films and documentaries. Besides making films, Shaji Karun has been active as a juror at many international film festivals and an active participant in governmental and academic arenas. He was the Premiere Chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, the first academy for film and TV in India and was also the Executive Chairman of International Film Festival of Kerala from 1998 to 2001. —wikipedia

read less