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IMDbPro

Before the Rains

  • 20072007
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
Before the Rains (2007)
This is the theatrical trailer for Before the Rains, directed by Santosh Sivan.
Play trailer2:25
1 Video
11 Photos
  • Drama
  • History
  • Romance
A English spice baron settles in South India during the waning years of the Raj.A English spice baron settles in South India during the waning years of the Raj.A English spice baron settles in South India during the waning years of the Raj.
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Santosh Sivan
  • Writers
    • Cathy Rabin(screenplay)
    • Dan Verete(2001 film "Asphalt Zahov")
  • Stars
    • Linus Roache
    • Rahul Bose
    • Nandita Das
Top credits
  • Director
    • Santosh Sivan
  • Writers
    • Cathy Rabin(screenplay)
    • Dan Verete(2001 film "Asphalt Zahov")
  • Stars
    • Linus Roache
    • Rahul Bose
    • Nandita Das
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 25User reviews
    • 39Critic reviews
    • 47Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Before the Rains: Theatrical trailer
    Trailer 2:25
    Before the Rains: Theatrical trailer

    Photos11

    Jennifer Ehle, Rahul Bose, Linus Roache, and Leopold Benedict in Before the Rains (2007)
    Rahul Bose and Linus Roache in Before the Rains (2007)
    Nandita Das and Linus Roache in Before the Rains (2007)
    Jennifer Ehle, Nandita Das, and Leopold Benedict in Before the Rains (2007)
    Nandita Das and Linus Roache in Before the Rains (2007)
    Before the Rains (2007)
    Before the Rains (2007)
    Before the Rains (2007)
    Before the Rains (2007)
    Before the Rains (2007)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Linus Roache
    Linus Roache
    • Henry Moores
    Rahul Bose
    Rahul Bose
    • T. K. Neelan
    Nandita Das
    Nandita Das
    • Sajani
    Jennifer Ehle
    Jennifer Ehle
    • Laura Moores
    Leopold Benedict
    • Peter Moores
    Dr. Ambikathmajan
    • T.K.'s Headmaster
    Lakshmi Krishnamurthy
    • T.K.'s mom
    Lal
    Lal
    • Rajat
    • (as Lal Paul)
    John Standing
    John Standing
    • Charles Humphries
    Indrajith Sukumaran
    Indrajith Sukumaran
    • Manas
    • (as Indrajith)
    Thilakan
    Thilakan
    • T.K.'s Father
    Ejji K. Umamahesh
    • Inspector Sampath
    • Director
      • Santosh Sivan
    • Writers
      • Cathy Rabin(screenplay)
      • Dan Verete(2001 film "Asphalt Zahov")
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Filmed in Kerala in India.
    • Goofs
      The story takes place in 1937, but the pickup truck seen throughout the film is a 1950's Jeepster truck.
    • Quotes

      T.K.'s Father: You knew of this but did nothing. You saw everything and shut your eyes because you wanted to live in both worlds. No one is ever lost on a straight road. But you have been lost, and now you must find your way back.

    • Connections
      Remake of Yellow Asphalt (2000)
    • Soundtracks
      Pink Champagne
      Composed by Peter Thomas

      Courtesy of APM Music

    User reviews25

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    Rains and Dust
    I had to hunt down where this film was playing - it was 70 miles away and I took a road trip to go catch it. The reviews have been so good, it is made by Sivan, has Nandita Das AND Rahul Bose so it seemed well worth the effort. Unfortunately I feel really let down by the film. It seems specifically made to cater to a Western audience and is less Indian than Darjeeling Limited! Sivan tells an engaging enough tale that the 90+ minutes do not hang heavy on your hands but the characters are not well etched at all. I went in expecting an Indian Ink (Stoppard) or a Passage to India (EM Forster), at the very least I was hoping for a Heat and Dust, but this is lower than that Ruth Praver Jhabvala fare.

    Nandita Das plays Sajani, a woman who works as maidservant to the Moores family headed by Linus Roache as Henry Moores. While the wife (Jennifer Ehle) and son are away, Henry gets into an adulterous love affair with Sajani. With the help of TK, a local village man who is English educated, Henry is trying to build a road to improve the spice trade. Sajani is married to a brutish fellow, he does find out and all hell breaks loose. There is the obligatory tragic ending but you watch it from the outside with clinical detachment. The white man is a spineless fellow, the white woman a large hearted up-standing woman (like the white women in Lagaan, RDB).

    Nandita Das has a meaningless role that she cannot sink her teeth into, Rahul Bose is equally wasted in the role of a man who is neither fish nor fowl, but caught between two cultures. So much could have been made of this character. Linus Roach plays the gutless white man exceedingly well, you hate him and yet you also know where he is coming from. Jennifer Ehle is wonderful in a small role as the woman full of empathy.

    What Sivan does best is showcase the canvas, the photography is absolutely stunning. The locales are full of magic and every shimmering dew drop, the frog jumping into the pond, the mist rising from the tree tops, is all magically captured by his lens. Where he loses out is in etching the characters better, and having more to the story itself. This is a thin tale. He also fails at extracting the best from his stellar cast. Western audiences will love this tale of "forbidden love" - parts of it more graphically shown than we are used to seeing, the spineless British man, the Indian man learning the gentleman's game from the gentleman Henry, and in fact out-gentlemaning Henry in the end. I am sure they will also find most interesting some of the bizarre and arcane rituals that the "tribals' were practicing! I am disappointed because this one could have been so much more.
    helpful•22
    13
    • HeadleyLamarr
    • May 18, 2008

    FAQ2

    • Is "Before the Rains" based on a book?
    • Any recommendations for other movies similar to "Before the Rains"?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 23, 2008 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • India
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • Malayalam
    • Also known as
      • Road to the Sky
    • Filming locations
      • India
    • Production companies
      • Merchant Ivory Productions
      • Adirondack Pictures
      • Excalibur Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,029,655
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $48,159
      • May 11, 2008
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,316,722
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 38 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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