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In the Shadow of the Dog

In the Shadow of the Dog

Nayi neralu

Girish Kasaravalli | India | 2006 | 135' |

| IFFR 2007

Situated against the distant background of the freedom struggle, the film unfolds some bizarre events in a small south Indian village. It is the story of three generations and their different approaches to an unexpected turn in life.
Viswa, a young man, appears in the village claiming to be the reincarnation of Venkatalakshmi’s late husband. The mother-in-law, Nagalakshmi, although very ill is reinvigorated when her son ‘returns’ home. Venkatalakshmi is shocked by seeing a boy her own daughter’s age appearing to be her husband in a new birth, 22 years after his death. The daughter, Rajalaksmi, is angered by the blind faith of her grandmother, but is even more appalled when her mother finally accepts the idea that the newcomer in the village is her late spouse.
The acting is excellent, the visuals superb and the music supports the mood perfectly throughout the film. As with most of Kasaravalli’s films, this one resonates with compassion for the human condition, for individuals condemned to live in unfavourable circumstances within traditional communities. The characters in Kasaravalli’s film don’t talk much, but they convey a lot through the director’s poetic cinematic approach, where unspoken emotions provide the drama’s tension. (RS)