Beautifully set in the lush tea plantations of Kerala– aptly known as God’s own country– this is a thoughtful Indian-British period drama. A decade before India gained independence, there were most likely many stories like these throughout the country: stories that happened due to the rigid barriers in place between those that governed and those that were governed. Barriers of class, race, wealth, social standing, education, and a myriad other differences between the white man and the natives. But no matter how how strong and divided those social lines might be, there are always ways and means to attempt at breaking them down.
Sometimes, those attempts unfortunately aren’t good enough, and barriers can’t be broken down. Instead, they give rise to a host of other problems that very often cannot be solved. This is one such story of a young girl played superbly by the very talented Nandita Das who allows herself to fall in love with her British master. There is, of course, no good way to end such stories, but we’re taken on a grand adventure that explores everything from the picturesque countryside to the psyches of the poor and illiterate natives– who though lacking in riches are rich in tradition and imagination.
High marks for cinematography. The British man’s wife also deserves kudos. As does Nandita Das around whom the movie revolves. Her burly husband, by the way, added a very realistic element of fear and loathing that many Indian women in those days must have felt toward the husband who treated them only a notch above cattle.
