I went to the movie since it got the Indian national award for the best movie 2002, and when i came out i knew why. The one thing that remains when the movie gets over is Nagi. Nagi is one of the most amazing character epitomizing the human spirit i've ever seen on screen.
The movie is about an island(dweepa) which is going to be submerged because of the construction of the dam. People in this island keep moving out taking the compensation given by the govt. But nagi's father-in-law who is a village shaman(or priest) believes that god will never let him down and the island won't submerge. So nagi, her husband and her father-in-law stay back in the island. In this atmosphere of doom nagi keeps finding small things to keep her hope afloat. She find ways to keep herself engaged and find pleasure. Another interesting charecter is krishna who comes to convince them to move out and ends up staying with them. From here on its about how nagi, how her husband and how krishna react to situations that arise. The movie has lot of metaphors for the discerning viewer.
The whole cast has acted well, especially soundarya as nagi. The first half of the movie is a bit of drag and that's where the movie's weakness lies.
OverAll a very good movie.