THE EXCEPTION
Original Title: Byatikrami
India, 2002
Director: Ashoke Viswanathan
On the surface, The Exception is a straightforward narrative dealing with the apparently insane obsession of Anuradha for her brother-in-law Ratul. Anuradha is estranged from her husband, Nayan, but believes that Ratul is her life partner.
Ratul, married to Anuradha’s sister Radha, is drawn into Anu’s world of obsession, and unwittingly succumbs to her.Then all hell breaks loose.
Radha rejects Ratul, and he is almost ostracised for his action. He falls into despair and loneliness. Only Anu, deemed unstable by society, continues to desire him.
Who is sane here? Is it Anuradha? Is there a degree of sanity behind her unstable behaviour? Would it be true to say that Ratul could achieve sanity only if the world deems him insane? Is Radha, who now believes that the institution of marriage is empty and who has seen the troubles of a lifetime flash before her eyes, the sane one?
Screenplay:
Aloke Mukherjee
Cinematography:
Ranjan Palit
Editing:
Ujjal Nandy
Music:
Jyotishka Dasgupta
Principal cast:
Rituparna Sengupta, Nandini Ghosal, Badshah Maitra, Bhaskar Banerjee, Ashoke Viswanathan, Debika Mitra, N Viswanathan
Production: A V Productions / 35mm / colour
Director's bio-note:
A mathematics graduate from Calcutta, Ashoke Viswanathan specialised in film direction from the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune. He has also done a course in video production.
Recipient of two National awards and one International award, Viswanathan has been active in both film and video, directing more than 75 films, documentaries, teleserials and television programmes.
All three of his feature films have been shown in the Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India.