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Nireekshe
1994 113’ col Kodava d/co-p/co-sc/c D. Prasad pc Memorable Movies co-p U. Chandrasena st Chittaranjan co-sc/dial A.C. Kariappa m Vijayakumar lp Nanjundaiah, Bhargavi Narayanan, Madrira Sanju, Mamatha, Addanda C. Kariappa, Achiyanda Aiyappamaiyya, Chendanda Subbaiah, Chekkera Sushila Thyagaraj
Remarkable experimental debut feature in the Kodava dialect from the Coorg region. Set on the eve of Independence, the story covers the night of 13 August 1947, showing a small group of characters in the colonial tea plantation of Chengappa (Nanjundaiah) and his wife. When a British flag is replaced by an Indian one, a police raid ensues. The main story tells of the servant Ponnu (Sanju), his relationship with his employers and with the suffering Kaveri (Mamatha). The most extraordinary aspect of the film is its camerawork with extended sequence shots, often lasting for 10mins, underscoring the elegaic minimalism of performance and narrative style. The day dawns and with it independence, but the promised utopia is accompanied by the news that Kaveri has been killed by her husband.