''Baaram'' () is a 2020 Indian
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
-language film written, directed and edited by
Priya Krishnaswamy. Produced by Priya Krishnaswamy and Ardra Swaroop under their banner, Reckless Roses, it won the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
The Indian Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several awa ...
in 2019, 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
Grass Root Film Company is an Indian film production and distribution company. Established by Indian director Vetrimaaran
Vetrimaaran is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer, who works in the Tamil film industry. As of 2 ...
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
* Jayalakshmi as Menmozhi
* SuPa Muthukumar as Senthil
* P. Samanaraja as Murugan
* Bremnath V as Mani
* Stella Gobi as Stella
* Faridha as Murugan's wife
* Sugumar Shanmugam as Veera
Production
After making her debut feature film, ''
Gangoobai
''Gangoobai'' is 2013 Bollywood drama film, produced by the National Film Development Corporation of India and directed by Priya Krishnaswamy. It stars Sarita Joshi in the lead role as ''Gangoobai''.
The story is about an elderly maid servant wh ...
'', Priya Krishnaswamy chanced upon news items regarding the practice of
Thalaikoothal
Thalaikoothal ( ta, தலைக்கூத்தல், lit. showering) is the traditional practice of senicide (killing of the elderly) or involuntary euthanasia, by their own family members, observed in some parts of southern districts of Tam ...
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. 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. It was shot in Pondicherry and Tirunelveli in 18 days in January 2017.
Festivals and awards
''Baaram'' premiered in November 2018 in the Indian Panorama section of the
49th International Film Festival of India
The 49th International Film Festival of India was a film festival held from 20 to 28 November 2018 in Goa. In the 49th event new sections such as "Sketch on Screen (Animation Film Package)", "A Retrospective of Masters" are inculcated. 212 fil ...
(IFFI), Goa. It was also one of two Indian films nominated for the ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal at the IFFI, Goa, 2018. The ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal is an international competition section of IFFI that is evaluated by a jury in Paris. ''Baaram'' later won the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
The Indian Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several awa ...
at the
66th National Film Awards. It was released in Indian theatres on 21 February 2020.
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." 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
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
'' 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".
The New Indian Express
''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...
rated it 3 out of 5 stars.
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...
rated it 3.5 out of 5 stars stating "Baaram is a necessary film that underlines the age-old heinous tradition, Thalaikoothal".
Film Companion
Anupama Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist, film critic and director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. She is also the founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion, which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written sev ...
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".
Saibal Chatterjee, writing for NDTV, begins his list of 10 Must-Watch South Indies To Put On Your Netflix and Prime List with 'Baaram' saying, 'Krishnaswamy meshes elements of a minimalist family drama with documentary realism to craft an important, thought-provoking cinematic essay.' The Telegraph wrote, 'Baaram doesn’t lose sight of its strong emotional core.'
The News Minute called 'Baaram' 'a must watch'. NewJ included it among the Top 5 Tamil films of 2020. The Times of India listed it among the Top 20 Tamil films of 2020. India Today listed it among the Ten Best South Films of 2020.
References
21. https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/10-new-south-indian-films-you-can-now-watch-online-122194
22. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/kollywood/top-20-best-tamil-movies-of-2020?
23. https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/soorarai-pottru-to-ala-vaikuntapurramloo-10-best-south-films-of-2020-1751159-2020-12-19
24. https://www.hindustantimes.com/regional-movies/baaram-movie-review-priya-krishnaswamy-s-film-is-a-shocking-take-on-parricide/story-sHhmgrSgNglX8POm2FB29J.html
25. https://www.cinestaan.com/articles/2021/dec/7/32413/baaram-the-ice-cream-sellers-washing-machine-receive-top-awards-at-saffmontr-eacute-al
External links
*
{{National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
2010s Tamil-language films
2018 films
Best Tamil Feature Film National Film Award winners
National Film Award (India) winners