Baaram
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPriya Krishnaswamy
Written by
  • Priya Krishnaswamy
Produced by
  • Priya Krishnaswamy
  • Ardra Swaroop
CinematographyJayanth Sethu Mathavan
Edited byPriya Krishnaswamy
Music byVed Nair
Production
company
Reckless Roses
Release dates
  • November 2018 (2018-11) (IFFI)
  • 21 February 2020 (2020-02-21) (India)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Baaram (transl. The Burden) is a 2020 Indian Tamil-language film written, directed and edited by Priya Krishnaswamy.[1] Produced by Priya Krishnaswamy and Ardra Swaroop under their banner, Reckless Roses, it won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil in 2019,[2] the only Tamil film to win at the 66th National Film Awards. It also won the Special Jury Award at the Pondicherry International Film Festival, 2019, and the Best Feature Film award at the South Asian Film Festival, Montreal, 2021. Baaram was presented by Grass Root Film Company and Vetri Maaran, and released in Indian theatres on 21 February 2020. In March 2020, it began streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Plot

Karuppasamy, a widowed night watchman, lives with his sister, Menmozhi, and three nephews – Veera, Mani and Murugan – in a small town in Tamil Nadu. One morning, while returning from his shift, he meets with an accident and breaks his hip. His panicked nephews want him to be operated on in town, but his somewhat more distant son, Senthil, takes him to his ancestral village to be treated by a traditional healer. Eight days later, Karuppasamy is dead. At his funeral, an old woman claims that Karuppasamy was murdered. Who killed Karuppasamy?

Cast

  • R. Raju as Karuppasamy[3]
  • Jayalakshmi as Menmozhi[3]
  • SuPa Muthukumar as Senthil[3]
  • P. Samanaraja as Murugan[3]
  • Bremnath V as Mani[3]
  • Stella Gobi as Stella[3]
  • Faridha as Murugan's wife[3]
  • Sugumar Shanmugam as Veera[3]

Production

After making her debut feature film, Gangoobai, Priya Krishnaswamy chanced upon news items regarding the practice of Thalaikoothal in online news portals. Upon further research, she realised that Thalaikoothal, a phenomenon she had never heard of before, was, in fact, an ongoing cultural practice which enjoyed social sanction in wide swathes of rural Tamil Nadu. Concerned with the burgeoning problem of an ageing population in India, and a complete lack of social and medical infrastructure to cater to the elderly, she wrote the script of Baaram in two weeks in mid-2016, and decided to produce the film herself, under her banner, Reckless Roses, in collaboration with Ardra Swaroop. Accordingly, they approached the Department of Performing Arts, Pondicherry University, where Priya conducted acting workshops, and succeeded in sourcing the main cast.[4] Additional roles, numbering more than 80, were played by local non-actors. The film was shot in a realistic style akin to the Dogme school of cinema, with long takes, handheld shots and sync sound. No dialogue dubbing was done.[5] It was shot in Pondicherry and Tirunelveli in 18 days in January 2017.[6][7]

Festivals and awards

Baaram premiered in November 2018 in the Indian Panorama section of the 49th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa.[8] It was also one of two Indian films nominated for the ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal at the IFFI, Goa, 2018.[9][10] The ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal is an international competition section of IFFI that is evaluated by a jury in Paris.[11] Baaram later won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil[12] at the 66th National Film Awards.[13] It was released in Indian theatres on 21 February 2020.[14]

Critical reception

Cinestaan gave the film 4 out of 5 stars at the 49th IFFI, saying, "Baaram is a beautifully crafted social film which will make you question your own actions and rethink your stand on the grave subject of mercy killing."[15] Haricharan Pudipeddi wrote in the Hindustan Times, 'In spite of making one quiver in their seat with its gut wrenching story which is inspired from a real incident, Baaram is a beautiful and relevant social film.' M. Suganth of The Times of India rated it 3 out 5. 'Behindwoods' rated it 3 out of 5 stars stating "Baaram is a hard-hitting film on a social issue that is rarely spoken about. Try not to miss".[16] The New Indian Express rated it 3 out of 5 stars.[17] The Indian Express rated it 3.5 out of 5 stars stating "Baaram is a necessary film that underlines the age-old heinous tradition, Thalaikoothal".[18]Film Companion stated "The director keeps her distance. Like a diligent reporter, she is interested in (1) how thalaikoothal is organised, and (2) what you’d do if you knew someone was killed in this manner".[19]

References

  1. ↑ Chatterjee, Saibal (13 April 2020). "10 Must-Watch South Indies To Put On Your Netflix And Prime List". NDTV. Archived from the original on 13 April 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  2. ↑ "Looking for options other than Holly, Bolly and Tolly to stream this lockdown?". www.telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Suganth, M. "Baaram Movie Review : The arthouse approach is both a plus and a minus". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  4. ↑ Chettiar, Blessy (26 November 2018). "We focused on finding realistic characters: Baaram casting director-actor Sugumar Shanmugam". Cinestaan. Archived from the original on 12 August 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  5. ↑ Chettiar, Blessy (7 December 2018). "It's either complete control or complete distance: Priya Krishnaswamy on lack of women's representation at IFFI 2018". Cinestaan. Archived from the original on 12 August 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  6. ↑ Jesudasan, Dennis S. (16 October 2018). "Highlighting a disgrace called Thalaikoothal". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 August 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  7. ↑ "'Baaram Moved People'". The New Indian Express. 2 December 2018. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  8. ↑ "Full list of south Indian films in the 49th International Film Festival of India". The News Minute. 1 November 2018. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  9. ↑ "Portraying harsh realities on screen". The Navhind Times. 24 November 2018. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  10. ↑ "Tamil film Baaram in race for UNESCO medal at IFFI". DT Next. 25 November 2018. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  11. ↑ "Tamil film Baaram out of 2 Indian films nominated in the ICFT UNESCO GANDHI Medal competition at IFFI 2018". United News of India. 24 November 2018. Archived from the original on 12 August 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  12. ↑ "Baaram chosen as Best Tamil Film at National Awards". The Times of India. 9 August 2019. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  13. ↑ "Only one National award for Tamil cinema!". Sify. 9 August 2019. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  14. ↑ "Baaram gets a release date". The Times of India. 27 January 2020. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  15. ↑ Chettiar, Blessy (24 November 2018). "Baaram review: Mercy killing or cold-blooded murder?". Cinestaan. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  16. ↑ "BAARAM MOVIE REVIEW". Behindwoods. 21 February 2020. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  17. ↑ "Baaram movie review: Torn between being a moving tale and a docudrama". The New Indian Express. 22 February 2020. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  18. ↑ "Baaram movie review: A necessary film". The Indian Express. 21 February 2020. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  19. ↑ "Baaram Movie Review: Priya Krishnaswamy's Drama About A Form Of Euthanasia Eschews Sensationalism For Quiet Power". Film Companion. 19 February 2020. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
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