Swaham (English: My Own) is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language drama film produced, co-written and directed by Shaji N. Karun. The film stars Ashwini, Venumani Vishnu, and Mullenezhi. The film's music was composed by Isaac Thomas Kottukapally and K. Raghavan. Swaham met with widespread critical acclaim upon release. The film was screened at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d'Or.[1][2]

Swaham
Directed byShaji N. Karun
Written byShaji N. Karun
S. Jayachandran Nair
Reghunath Paleri
Produced byShaji N. Karun
StarringAshwini
Kalamandalam Haridas
Bharath Gopi
Praseetha
Mullenezhi
Sarath
Venmani Vishnu
Gopalakrishnan
CinematographyHari Nair
Edited byP. Raman Nair
Music byIsaac Thomas Kottukapally
K. Raghavan
Release date
  • 1994 (1994)
Running time
141 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam

Plot

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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, but this proves difficult and he fails his exams. His mother decides to send him to a military recruitment camp, hoping he will find employment. This seems to be the family's only hope, but this option is expensive. Eventually Kannan is admitted after Annapoorna pays a hefty sum 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

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Awards and nominations

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The film has won and been nominated for the following awards since its release:

1995 Bergamo Film Meeting (Italy)

1994 Cannes Film Festival (France)

1995 National Film Awards (India)

  • Won - Silver Lotus Award - Special Jury Award - Director - Shaji N. Karun

1995 Kerala State Film Awards (India)

  • Won - Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Film

1995 Innsbruck Film Festival (Austria)

References

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  1. ^ a b "Festival de Cannes: Swaham". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 7 September 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
  2. ^ Ramnarayan, Gowri (7 October 1994). "Drowning in despond: Swaham, a story of widowhood". Frontline. Vol. 11. S. Rangarajan for Kasturi & Sons. pp. 74–75.
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