It’s a film that zooms into the societal and cultural milieu of pre-independence era. ‘Gramam’, actor Mohan Sharma’s directorial debut which won two national and two state awards, is all set for a theatrical release. The film set in a typical Palakkad Brahmin agraharam centres around the custom of child marriage and its abominable consequences.
The film also have a strong historical perspective as it tells the story of a community between 1938 and 1947, a time when Palakkad was part of Madras Presidency, with freedom struggle in the background.
The Brahmin society then, unlike other communities, was patriarchal in nature pushing the women back to background. The story revolves around Maniswami and his family and is mainly about his niece, a child widow. The director himself plays Maniswamy while Samvrutha Sunil appears on screen as Thulasi, the widow. The film also features Nishaan, Nedumudi Venu, Sukumari, V G Mahendran, Kripa and Nalini in major roles. Madhu Ambat has cranked the camera for the film while B Lenin has done the editing. Sukumari’s performance in the film as the hero’s widowed mother won her the national award for best supporting actress while Indrans Jayan walked away with the award for best costumes.