Samskara, A movie on Funeral Rites!!!!

I just watched Samskara(Funeral Rites), a movie by Girish Karnad. Its actually a Kannada play written by ananta Murthy, which is translated by Girish Karnad. A lovely movie depicting the moral dilemma of a Acharya over the funeral rites of a Brahmin who didn't heed to Brahmin community rules. There is this Brahmin Narayanappa, who drinks liquor, ate meat and kept a sudra mistress. He dies suddenly. Now there is discussion in the community about his cremation, and the Acharya, the head of the Brahmin community fails to answer and meanwhile he sleeps with Narayanappa's Mistress and then he feels bad about it and runs away from his place. In the due course, plague broke out in the village and everyone deserts it where as the Acharya gets his head right about what he wants to do and returns to cremate the dead body. The ending is kept ambiguous and whether he returns to Narayanappa's mistress or not is an open question.

The movie depicts the past society in all its glory and gives a beautiful count of the political, social and moral issues involved in the funeral rites. Girish Karnad is simply fabulous and the depth of emotions portrayed was touching.. Truly a touching Movie!!!Its probably my first experience of an Art movie and I am at loss to mention the range of emotions it stirred. A movie which was of worth every inch of its National Award.