Kanjeevaram

KONJEEVARAM (Kanchivaram) 2008 National Award winning movie

The director tries to portray the agony of the silk weavers of Ancient South Indian city Kanchipuram. The tyrannical Zamindar in post-independence India, employees the Silk weavers for the lowest pay of 7 Rs per Saree which is worth of 800Rs at the market. The weavers who engage in weaving find no chance of buying the costly silk sarees throughout his life time. In the Movie, Vengadam skillfull weaver had a vow of marring a girl in silk saree but was not fulfilled. Then he promised her daughter, to marry her off with silk saree. This put words on the villager’s mouth as Vengadam made dubious promise to his daughter. Vengadam convinced his wife’s skepticism by showing his life saving and same through the coming days will make enough money to get saree at their daughter’s marriage. Unfortunately this saving gone the way to rescue his sister’s life and dignity, as her husband about to abandon her since he lost in business. The  movie took a turn at entry of writer who actually had a communist agenda. Vengadam arranged him a temporary residence and influenced by his communist ideas. They were enacting street dramas revealing the despotism of Zamindar. The Street drama reveals the negative side of communism which believes in violence as a means to End. Alongside this propaganda, Vengadam involved in looting of Silk threads from his workplace, to weave for his daughter’s marriage. It goes on for long days, without even the grasp of her daughter. With the communist Ideology, he emerged akin to a position of Union Leader. They made a list of demands to their master who ruthlessly exploit. As the Zamindar pay failed to heed to their Demand, this slide in to a form of Strike. But the Zamindar least shaken, he plotted to bring in worker (weavers) from North India. It fall as a full shot blow on the Native workers, they taken the protest a step forward by removing off the Weaving Pedals. Mean-while the government undertake full fletch action to prevent the Communist Propaganda, as it stand Against Nationalism. The communist Ideologue and the writer was been encounter by the police force. It erase away the Vengadam’s dream of taking the movement in positive direction. Not only that the continuing strike and protest, abstract his silk thread looting. Vengadam as like our politician, take a U turn sighting the day-to-day death and plight of weavers without wages makes them weak and powerless to carry forward the movement. He decided to resume the work (weaving) for the prevailing wages. Few people went with Vengadam and other few remained stubborn of continuing the strike. The split within the Union, made the protestors to raise slogan against Vegadam and his follower by blaming him to be fallen for money. On bad evening when this hostility lead to a physical confrontation where Vengadam got red handed of the looting. He was send to imprisonment. His daughter was left with no care, when she falls ill. She had been immotile due to the severity of the illness. Vengadam was sent on Parole to see his daughter. He was stunned by the criticality of time, he decide to kill her with poison (euthanasia).When the village doctor confirm the death, he runs along way to his secret weaving shed, back with the half woven saree. The director made a heavy pinch of emotion with this climax. Vengadam tries to cover the corpse of his daughter with the silk cloth, but… it doesn’t... enough to cover. The movie ends with laughter by Vengadam making some psychotic behavior, which tries to say a lot.

Watch the Movie here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7JLSryoD8c