Before the Rains (2007)

A English spice baron settles in South India during the waning years of the Raj.

Director:

Santosh Sivan

Writers:

Cathy Rabin (screenplay), Dan Verete (as Dany Vert)

Stars:

Linus Roache, Rahul Bose, Nandita Das

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Linus Roache	...	Henry Moores
Rahul Bose	...	T. K. Neelan
Nandita Das	...	Sajani
Jennifer Ehle	...	Laura Moores
Leopold Benedict	...	Peter Moores
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dr. Ambikathmajan	...	T.K.'s Headmaster
Lakshmi Krishnamurthy	...	T.K.'s mom
Lal	...	Rajat (as Lal Paul)
John Standing	...	Charles Humphries
Indrajith Sukumaran	...	Manas (as Indrajith)
Thilakan	...	T.K.'s Father
Ejji K. Umamahesh	...	Inspector Sampath

Storyline

Malayalam-speaking T.K. Neelan (Rahul Bose), Rajat (Lal), Manas (Indrajith Sukumaran), and his sister, Sajani (Nandita Das), live in Kalpetta Township in Kerala, India, during the British Raj. As children, they used to play in the woods where Manas and T.K. used to play Bhagwan Shri Ram and Shri Lakshman, respectively, and rescue Sita (Sajani) from Lord Ravan's (Rajat's) clutches. Now the year is 1937, all are grown up, while Manas is a laborer, Sajani is married to Rajat, and T.K. works for his British employer, Henry Moores (Linus Roache), who lives there with his wife, Laura (Jennifer Ehle), and their son, Peter (Leopold Benedict). Sajani is also employed as a maidservant in the Moores household. T.K.'s headmaster asks him to join the freedom movement and ask the British to quit India, but T.K. feels that India has made a lot of progress under the British rule and they should continue with this partnership. His headmaster cautions him that partnership is only between equals, but ...

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Plot Keywords:

india | dead body | sex | taboo | interracial relationship | 

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Taglines:

Passion has its price.

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violent content and a scene of sexuality

Did You Know?

Goofs

The story takes place in 1937, but the pickup truck seen throughout the film is a 1950's Jeepster truck.

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Quotes

[first lines]
T. K. Neelan: Sahib, we will have to change course again.
Henry Moores: This has got to be the damnedest crookedest road in the Crown!
T. K. Neelan: Oh, definitely. But it will be here after monsoon. A straight road would slide away.

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Connections

Remake of Yellow Asphalt (2000)

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Soundtracks

Pink Champagne
Composed by Peter Thomas
Courtesy of APM Music

User Reviews

Fighting loneliness in 1937. A Rough Road!

Before the Rains is a beautifully made drama set in south India in 1937. An engrossing story, it shows us what India was like and awakens our interest in foreign lands. But what stuck in MY mind was the extreme difficulty of having a sexual/romantic encounter in this time and place.

Young people these days take their sex fast and casual. There is no way they can ever understand the restraints of the pre-1960 era (let alone 1937). And this was the case in India, or in the USA. With most women married well before their 18th birthday, with marriage being respected by society, with the remaining single people mostly being (obvious) born losers, non or extra marital sex was virtually impossible, and could lead to the serious and multi-complicated downfalls portrayed in this movie. Easy to say had the lovers handled things wiser or smarter their ultimate problems might have been easier. But wait, they DID handle their situation wisely......

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA India UK

Language:

English Malayalam

Release Date:

23 May 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Before the Rains

Filming Locations:

India

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$48,159, 11 May 2008

Gross USA:

$1,029,655

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,316,722

Company Credits

Production Co:

Merchant Ivory Productions, Adirondack Pictures, Excalibur Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1