Another social drama

Arangetram (Tamil, Début;1973)

This K. Balachander-directed social drama was a box office success when it was released. Of course, it struck a chord again with the Brahmins (again).

It is a tear-jerking story with the usual taboos and traditions tightly held by every Brahmin. Spiced up with the demands of modern living, where children's needs go beyond just providing meals and continuing the family trade of performing religious rites for peanuts, hoping that the Gods will provide, just as He takes care of the trees and animals in the jungle, he blasted a money-spinning, award-winning publicity stunt.

As if Rama Shastry's household does not already have enough mouths to feed (a wife and 8 children), his widowed sister moves in with her teenage daughter. The eldest daughter, Lalitha (Pramila), is a carefree girl, running around the village. The second child, a son, Thiagu (a young Kamal Hassan), is a bookworm who aims to be a doctor. Then there is another sister who sings, and another, and another...

Another wave of sadness hits the family, which is already sinking into a sea of poverty—another daughter reaches menarche, thus entering marriageable age. The head of the family, Shastry, stubbornly clings to his traditional rites, yet his efforts rarely bring in any money. Love blossoms from a fellow, Thangavelu (Sivakumar), but is quickly stifled as Lalitha is admonished for accepting a gift from a young boy. The final straw comes when one of the children begins begging for food from a beggar. Lalitha resolves to take charge and assumes the role of head of the household—she begins to work.

Slowly, the kitchen stove starts smoking again. Thiagu manages pre-university studies, while the singing sister takes singing lessons, all made possible by Lalitha's contributions.

In the quest to secure a medical seat for Thiagu, Lalitha is raped. It coincides with her friend's Bharatnatyam dance debut (Arangetram), hence the name. Soon afterwards, Lalitha receives a promotion to Hyderabad. There again, her boss takes advantage of her when she requests her month's pay to be advanced. To meet the growing demands from home and to be the good daughter she is, she gets involved in the flesh trade. The Shastry household is thriving. Love blossoms between Thiagu and the singer sister.

Lalitha returns home for her sister's wedding. Hold on, the bridegroom-to-be used to her as a customer! They managed to make a deal to keep it under wraps, and he promised not to visit any brothels any more. Thangavelu appears in the village again after crossing swords earlier with his father to enlist in the Army. He was presumed dead, but Lalitha keeps mum, as she had met him during her tour of duty! Wow! They make us believe that Hyderabad is such a small town that everybody who goes there manages to see Lalitha!

Pretty soon, the truth is out in the open for everyone to criticise and demonise her. Suddenly, all the sweat she toiled for the family becomes insignificant as all the family members cling to the moral high ground. She is driven out of the household, and the religious rites for the deceased are performed by Shahstri.

Lalitha is introduced into Thangavelu's family as his wife, but shortly after the wedding, the events that unfold are too much for her to handle. She descends into madness.

 

It is a film to watch, and we should be grateful to our ancestors for having taken us out of such a country. Of course, times have changed, and this is merely a dramatisation of loosely similar events. Well, here, we simply blame everything on the ruling party.