Govindan Aravindan’s tragic love story set in the hills of Tamil Nadu featuring one of Smita Patil’s most powerful performances.
In her brief yet impactful career, Smita Patil worked with many of Parallel Cinema’s finest filmmakers, including Keralan auteur Govindan Aravindan. Their only collaboration, Chidambaram, tells the story of Shankaran (Gopi), a cowherd whose attraction to his friend’s wife, Shivagami (played by Patil), leads to tragic consequences. Set in the picturesque hill regions of Tamil Nadu, the film explores themes of guilt, redemption and caste hierarchies. Patil’s evocative portrayal of Shivagami is full of nuance while Aravindan turns to religious imagery expressly the ancient Nataraja temple in Chidambaram to conjure something tantalisingly supernatural and allegorical.
Director: Govindan Aravindan
Premiere status: UK Premiere of Digital Restoration
Running time: 103 minutes
Production year: 1985
Country: India
Language: Malayalam
Subtitles: English
Print source: NFAI / Ramu Aravindan
Cast: Smita Patil, Bharath Gopi, Sreenivasan
Part of Leeds International Film Festival
