Swaham

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 by	Shaji N. Karun
Written by	Shaji N. Karun S. Jayachandran Nair Reghunath Paleri
Produced by	Shaji N. Karun
Starring	Ashwini Kalamandalam Haridas Bharath Gopi Praseetha Mullenezhi Sarath Venmani Vishnu Gopalakrishnan
Cinematography	Hari Nair
Edited by	P. Raman Nair
Music by	Isaac Thomas Kottukapally K. Raghavan
Release date	1994
Running time	141 minutes
Country	India
Language	Malayalam

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
• Bharath Gopi
• 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)

• Won - Bronze Rosa Camuna - Shaji N. Karun

1994 Cannes Film Festival (France)

• Nominated - Palme d'Or - Shaji N. Karun^[1]

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)

• Won - Best Film - Swam - Shaji N. Karun

References

1. . 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.

External links

• Swaham at IMDb