''Swaham'' (English: ''My Own'') is a 1994 Indian

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

-language drama film produced, co-written and directed by

Shaji N. Karun Shaji Neelakantan Karun (born 1 January 1952) is an Indian film director and cinematographer. His debut film '' Piravi'' (1988) won the Caméra d'Or – Mention d'honneur at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. He was the premiere chairman of the Keral ...

. The film stars Ashwini, Venumani Vishnu, and Mullenezhi. The film's music was composed by

Isaac Thomas Kottukapally Isaac Thomas Kottukapally (1948/9 – 18 February 2021) was an Indian film score composer, music director and script writer working mainly in Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. He scored music for several English documentaries and commercials. ...

and K. Raghavan. ''Swaham'' met with widespread critical acclaim upon release. The film was screened at the

1994 Cannes Film Festival The 47th Cannes Film Festival was held from 12 to 23 May 1994. The Palme d'Or went to the American film '' Pulp Fiction'' directed by Quentin Tarantino. The festival opened with '' The Hudsucker Proxy'', directed by Joel Coen and closed with ''S ...

, where it competed for the

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

Plot

Annapoorna lives with her son and daughter, and struggles to get by, trying to earn a living from the teashop near a railway station once owned by her now deceased husband. Her son Kannan does whatever he can to help whilst trying to continue his education, however this proves difficult and he fails his exams. His mother sends him to a military recruitment camp, hoping he will find employment. This seems to be the family's only hope, however this option is expensive. Eventually Kannan is admitted after Annapoorna pays a hefty sum of money to a man associated with the camp. Later, Kannan is killed in a stampede at the camp, and his bereaved mother brings his body back home in an ambulance. Annapoorna's daughter waits anxiously for the return of her mother and brother.

Cast

*Ashwini *

Kalamandalam Haridas Kalamandalam Venmani Haridas (15 September 1946 – 17 September 2005) was an Indian Kathakali musician noted for his rendition of the Kathakali padams (playback songs) for the characters in the classical Kerala dance-drama.Born in Venmani Mana ...

Bharath Gopi Gopynathan Velayudhan Nair (2 November 1937 – 29 January 2008), popularly known by the stage name Bharat Gopy, was an Indian actor, producer and director. He was one of the first actors to be associated with the New Wave cinema movement in ...

*Praseetha *Mullenezhi * Sarath das *Venmani Vishnu *Gopalakrishnan

Awards and nominations

The film has won and been nominated for the following awards since its release: 1995 Bergamo Film Meeting (

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

) * Won - Bronze Rosa Camuna -

(

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

) * Nominated -

1995 National Film Awards (

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

) * Won - Silver Lotus Award - Special Jury Award - Director -

1995 Kerala State Film Awards (

) * Won - Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Film 1995 Innsbruck Film Festival (

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

) * Won - Best Film - Swam -

References

External links

* {{Shaji N. Karun 1994 films 1994 drama films 1990s Malayalam-language films Films directed by Shaji N. Karun