Aug 16 2025 to Aug 16 2025 5:30 p.m.

EVENT HAS ENDED

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

103 minutes | Malayalam with English subtitles | 1989 | Shaji N Karun

One man waits by the river. Every morning, every evening. The bus never comes.

Piravi (The Birth) is a quiet, devastating meditation on loss, hope, and the personal toll of political violence. Based on the life of Prof. T.E. Eachara Warrier, Piravi is an intimate elegy for a missing son and a father’s unyielding prayer. With unforgettable performances from Lakshmi Krishnamoorthy and Archana, the film has earned nearly 30 international awards, standing as a poignant reminder of how political tragedies are always deeply, painfully personal.

Inspired by the real-life story of Prof. T.E. Eachara Warrier, whose son disappeared during India’s Emergency in 1976 while studying at the Regional Engineering College in Calicut, Piravi is a heartrending portrayal of personal loss and the devastating impact of political oppression. With powerful performances from Lakshmi Krishnamoorthy and Archana, the film captures the slow unraveling of a family consumed by grief. It has earned nearly 30 international awards, standing as a poignant reminder of how political tragedies are always deeply, painfully personal.

Karun’s directorial debut film will be introduced by filmmaker and scholar Dr. Soudhamini, who will also moderate the post-screening Q&A.

Note:

This special screening concludes a two-day tribute to the creative partnership between director G. Aravindan and cinematographer-turned-director Shaji N. Karun – both of whom we remember with great reverence. BIC aims to pay homage to the iconic duo, and the Parallel Cinema movement they pioneered, through the screening of two films bound by their unique, shared cinematic vision. Read more about the second film in their tribute here.

Speaker

Soudhamini
Filmmaker & Scholar
Soudhamini began her professional career assisting avant garde film-maker Mani Kaul in his film Before My Eyes and has since then worked across platforms and genres making short fiction, feature length non-fiction and experimental installations. Commissioned by the Government of India, the ZDF, Dept Das Kleine Fernsehspiel, Germany, the Prince Claus Fund, Netherlands and most recently the Australia Council for the Arts these films have been creened globally, at the Oberhausen Film Festival, the FID Marseille, Creteil International Women’s Film Festival, Cinema Du Reel, Festival du Popoli, Asia Society, New York and Leningrad International Documentary Festival to name a few, they have also had regular screenings at the Indian International Film Festivals (MIFF and IFFI). She has recently completed her first Cinematic VR feature length film Ode to Uśas: This time let’s get the Dawn right. (2023).

Soudhamini has a PhD in Film and Immersive Media from Deakin University, Melbourne (2023) a Post Graduate Diploma in Screenwriting and Direction from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, FTII (1986) and an MA in English Literature from Stella Maris College, Madras University (1995). A Fulbright Nehru Research Scholar (2017-18) and a Senior Research Fellow (2002-04) Department of Culture, Government of India, she is also trained in the Carnatic Saraswati veena. She publishes regularly in peer reviewed journals on film and immersive media globally, and has taught at both undergraduate and graduate levels in India, USA and Australia.