LESSON ONE: A WAIL
Original Title: PadamOnnu: Oru Vilapam
India 2003
Director: T V Chandran
The Muslims of north Kerala practise polygamy as a time-honoured custom. The different wives live together in the same house, and divorce, when desired by the husband, is easy, unencumbered by legal hassles.
Shahina is an intelligent and assiduous student but totally unaware of the ways of the world. She is married off, despite her violent protests, to a man who already has a wife and children.
When her husband tries to consummate their marriage, she asserts her individuality and refuses. But he drugs her with the help of his other wife and rapes her. Then, without any qualms, he divorces her and sends her back to her mother. And Shahina has to pick up the threads of her shattered life.
Screenplay:
T V Chandran
Cinematography:
K G Jayan
Editing:
Venugopal
Music:
Johnson
Principal cast:
Meera Jasmin, Irshad, Suja Karthika, Rosseline, M R Gopakumar, P Sreekumar, Saloo Kuttanad, Pallavi Krishna, C K Babu, Manikantan
Production:
Aryadan Shoukath
35mm / colour / 105 mins
Director's bio-note:
Born in Tallicherry, Kerala in 1950, T V Chandran began his career in 1981 with Krishnankutty. His third film The Search of Alice (1989) won the Best Editor and Best Sound Recordist awards at Locarno 1990.
His fourth film Pumpkin Mada (1993) fetched him the National Award for Best Director. He has also won the National Award for the Best Malayalam film, Memories and Desires in 1995, for Mangamma in 1997 and Dany in 2002.