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Janmabhoomi

aka Motherland 1969 130’ b&w Malayalam d/s John Shankaramangalam pc Rooparekha lyr P. Bhaskaran c Ashok Kumar m B.A. Chidambaranath lp Kottarakkara Sridharan Nair, S.P. Pillai, Madhu, Manavalan Joseph, Janardhanan, T.R. Ramchand, Ushakumari, Shobha, T.R. Omana, Snehalatha, L.V. Sharada Rao, Baby Saroja

A melodrama about acculturation as a poor family of Christian Syrians from Central Travancore resettle on a jungle farm in the wilds of Wynad in North Malabar. After succumbing to social pressures (incarnated by the local zamindar) and to natural ones (some of the family’s children are drowned in a local river, others are trampled by a rogue elephant), the family’s heroic son, Johnny, finally overcomes the rogue elephant and returns in triumph to the village where henceforth he will assume his rightful position in the community.

Film