The film documents the feudal -life in Kerala at its twilight. The protagonist is trapped within himself and is unable to comprehend the changes taking place around him. Unni, the last male-heir of a decaying and feudal joint family gets trapped within himself. His older sister Rajamma waits on him hand and foot ; Sridevi ,the younger , is studying at school and is drawn only reluctantly into his service. The treatment is great ; using rats as his governing metaphor. Unni (played brilliantly by Karamana Janardhan Nair ) is stubborn ,narcissistic , feudalistic and an escapist to the core.
According
to Adoor , the film is a "a detailed study of a character at many
levels -- psychological, physical, social, even genetic, based on his
roots. I gave primary colors to the characters' clothes and a
predominant gray to the background. " The sister Rajamma is destroyed by the silence of her brother, who does not support her when she wants to get married -he turns down an offer because he felt it was beneath his family. The decline is vividly told , with colour and music used as a striking and significant constituent of the film's thematic development .
The film captures the ascent of the protagonist (Bharath Gopi) from a carefree individual to a matured adult. Shankaran lives a childish life even at his mid-ages. The opening sequences, canned by the director himself , shows Shankaran attending a temple festival. He spends most of his time playing around with children, joining political processions and helping the villagers when he isn't attending temple festivals. He is provided for by his younger sister who works as a house maid in the city. His sister arranges a marriage for him . Even after marriage, Shankaran continues his same life style often staying away from home for weeks. His pregnant wife soon leaves him and Shankaran does not try to have her back at home. His life takes a turn from there on. He begins to come to terms with real human relationships through an encounter with a truck driver.
This is Adoor Gopalakrishnan's second feature film after his first hugely acclaimed Swayamvaram . It's a very good character study , as Shankaran is faced with crumbling relationships-not just his own and experiences growth. Bharath Gopi (arguably the best actor of India) gave an outstanding performance in this film. This film garnered him a lot of awards and attention , kicking off a long and fruitful career. The main character's transformation to adulthood draws parallels to the social and historical changes in Kerala.
