''Kutty'' is a 2001

Tamil language Tamil (; ' , ) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Indian territory of Pudu ...

film directed by

Janaki Vishwanathan Janaki Vishwanathan is an Indian film maker best known for her National Award-winning debut film '' Kutty'' (2001) in Tamil, which focuses on the issue of child labour. Her second film, ''Kanavu Meippada Vendum'', deals with the issues faced by ...

. The film's music is composed by

Ilayaraja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan, 3 June 1943) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, instrumentalist, lyricist and singer, popular for his works in Indian Cinema, prominently in Tamil films. Reputed to be one of ...

. Upon release, the film met with widespread critical acclaim.

Plot

The film revolves around a young girl who is forced into child labour working for an urban family after a tragedy in her own family. Paavaadai is a potter living in a village in the outskirts of

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

. Even though his profession is in a miserable condition, he has high hopes for his daughter Kannammaa and raises her with much affection. Unfortunately, he dies in an accident and this forces Kannammaa to be sent to work for an urban family. The girl is quite happy about this, thinking about the prospects of good food and clothes. The family's working couple also treat her with kindness. However, the arrival of the mother-in-law changes everything. Kutty doesn't get enough food to eat and is mistreated by the old woman and her grandson. Day-by-day things get worsen. Once, Kutty's relatives come to see how she is doing. The grandmother behaves kindly to Kutty and makes them believe that she is completely happy there. Kutty too fails to communicate with them about her misery. Kutty watches the teenage girl who works in the opposite apartment being molested. And in a few days, she learns that the girl committed suicide. Even though supported by the couple (which infuriates the old woman), Kutty becomes desperate and decides to send a letter to her mother asking her to take her away back to the village. She tries to seek the help of a store owner, who is very kind to her. However, matters do not improve when Kutty reveals that she doesn't know the name of her village but she just knows the directions. One night, she decides to run away but she runs right into a man, who has a shop set up right next to Vivek's. He promises to help her and boards her onto a train. The man is then seen speaking to another man and bargaining for more money. The man says to Kutty that the other man will take good care of her and will reach her to her mother. But, the train is actually leaving not for her village, but to Mumbai, indicating that perhaps Kutty will be sold to a brothel. The film ends with showing Kutty's anticipated face on the prospect of going back to her mother.

Cast

P. Shwetha P. Shwetha (born in Chennai, India) is an actress. She debuted in the critically acclaimed film '' Malli'' (1998), directed by Santosh Sivan, playing the young girl Malli, on an adventure to find a blue wishing stone to help cure her best friend' ...

as Kanamma (Kutty) *

Ramesh Arvind Ramesh Aravind is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter and television presenter who predominantly works in Kannada films and television. In a career of over 34 years, Aravind has been appeared in over 140 films including several Tamil and T ...

as Ranganathan *

Kausalya Kausalya () is the senior queen-consort of Kosala in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. She is the mother of Rama, the titular hero of the epic, and the senior wife of Dasharatha, who ruled Kosala from its capital of Ayodhya. In some later acco ...

as Rohini *

Nassar Nassar ( ar, نصار, lit=helper, protector, supporter, victory-maker), is a given name and surname, commonly found in the Arabic language. Alternative spellings of this name, possibly due to transliteration include Naser, Nasser, Nasir, Naseer ...

as Pavadai *

Eashwari Rao Easwari Rao is an Indian actress who has worked in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada cinema. She played the lead roles from 1990 to 1999. She started to play supporting and character roles from 2000 onwards. Personal life She married d ...

as Chenthamarai * M. N. Rajam as Ranganathan's mother *

Vivek Vivek (or Bibek/Bivek in some regions) (विवेक in Devanagari script) is a masculine given name that is popular in South Asia, particularly in India and Nepal. It is of Sanskrit origin and means "wisdom" and/or "conscience". Vivek may refe ...

as Owner of provision store *

R. S. Shivaji R. S. Shivaji (born 26 October 1956) is an Indian actor, who is known for his work in Tamil films. He has often collaborated in films involving Kamal Haasan and Raaj Kamal Films International, working as an assistant director, sound designer an ...

as Panwala *

S. N. Lakshmi Sennalkudi Narayana Lakshmi (1927 – 20 February 2012) was an Indian actress, who appeared in supporting roles, often playing roles of a mother or grandmother in films. A recipient of the state government's Kalaimamani and Kalaiselvam awards, ...

as Viruthamba, Pavadai's mother * Master Suraj as Vicky *

Ilavarasu Ilavarasu is an Indian cinematographer and actor, who works in the Tamil film industry. He started his career as a cinematographer and worked for 13 films, winning a Tamil Nadu State Film Award for one of them. He, however, became better known ...

as Pazhaniappan *

Kalairani Kalairani Indian actress who has worked in many Tamil films and as a performer with the Koothu-P-Pattarai theatre group. Filmography Serials * ''Panchavan Kaadu'' (2014) (Tamil) * ''Unarchigal'' (2014) (Tamil) * '' Nandini'' (2018) (Tami ...

as Valli

Production

The film was made in 20 days on a shoestring budget of ₹70 lakh (worth ₹5.5 crore in 2021 prices).

Awards

The film has won the following awards since its release: 2002 Cairo International Children's Film Festival (

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

) * Won - Special International Jury Prize - Kutty - J.K. Vishwanathan 2002

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

(India) * Won - Silver Lotus Award - Best Child Artist -

* Won - Silver Lotus Award - Special Jury Award - Director - J.K. Vishwanathan 2002

Gollapudi Srinivas Award Gollapudi Srinivas Award is a national-level private award given to a first-time director in Indian Cinema every year. It is given out in the memory of Gollapudi Srinivas (3 March 1966 – 12 August 1992). He was the youngest son of veteran Telugu f ...

* Won - Best Debutant Director - J.K. Vishwanathan

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kutty 2001 films 2001 drama films Films based on Indian novels Films scored by Ilaiyaraaja 2000s Tamil-language films Indian drama films