''Raman'' (English: ''Travelogue of Invasion'') is a 2008

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

film written and directed by Dr. Biju. A controversial and much debated-over socio-political film, it shows two variants of invasion by

imperialist Imperialism is the state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas, often through employing hard power (economic and ...

forces—of

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. The film was an official selection for eight international film festivals including the prestigious

Cairo International Film Festival The Cairo International Film Festival ( ar, مهرجان القاهرة السينمائي الدولي) is an annual internationally accredited film festival held in Cairo Opera House. It was established in 1976 and has taken place every year sin ...

.Al Hind: A Relook
According to the director, the film "shows how economic, cultural and military invasion by the U.S. ends up annihilating third-world countries like India and Iraq."
/ref>

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

has been described as a "political terrorist" in the film.

Plot

''Raman'' tells the story of Raman (Anoop Chandran), a village tea-shop assistant in Kerala and Diya Raman (Avantika Akerkar), wife of the US Defence Secretary. A media activist, she is trying to make a documentary about the adverse impact of

American imperialism American imperialism refers to the expansion of American political, economic, cultural, and media influence beyond the boundaries of the United States. Depending on the commentator, it may include imperialism through outright military conquest ...

, worldwide. The film has two parallel tracks, one set in India shows how

globalisation Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...

creates economic and cultural imbalances in developing nations, the other is about the US's violent invasion of Iraq.

Cast

Anoop Chandran Anoop Chandran is an Indian actor and comedian who appears in Malayalam films. He was a contestant in the reality show '' Bigg Boss Malayalam Season 1'' in 2018. Career Mostly appeared in comic roles, he is best known for his roles in ''Classm ...

as Raman * Avantika Akerkar * Thazhava Sahadeven * Seenath * S. Saji * Chayansarkar

Production

The film was made with a shoestring budget of and was shot in

and

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

Release

The film had its world premiere on 30 November 2008 at the STEPS International Film Festival. The film had a limited theatrical release in Kerala on 16 January 2009. It was released at a theatre each in

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...

Thrissur Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...

and

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

. The film was shown at at least 8 international film festivals including the following.59thNFAOfficialCatalouge
/ref> * November 2008: STEPS International Film Festival – "Kiev" Cinema section * December 2008: 7th

Chennai International Film Festival The Chennai International Film Festival (CIFF) is a festival organised in the city of Chennai, India, by a film society, the Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation (ICAF), with the support of The Government of Tamil Nadu, the South Indian Film Cha ...

* November 2009: 33rd Cairo International Film Festival – "Incredible India" section * December 2009: 14th

International Film Festival of Kerala The International Film Festival of Kerala (abbreviated as IFFK) is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. This film festival started in 1996 and is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy ...

References

{{reflist 2008 films 2000s Malayalam-language films 2008 drama films Films about terrorism in India Films directed by Dr. Biju Films shot in Kerala Films shot in Rajasthan