Chemman Chaalai

Chemman Chaalai
Directed by	Deepak Kumaran Menon
Produced by	Tan Chui Mui
Written by	Sooria Kumari
Starring	Saratha Sivalingam Gandhi Nathan THR Shangkara Kalyani Santhia Marathamuthu Tharoni Mottian Dhaarshini Sankran Bala Sundram Dinesh Ganesan
Music by	Hardesh Singh
Cinematography	Albert Hue
Release date(s)	2005
Running time	92 minutes
Country	Malaysia
Language	Tamil

Chemman Chaalai (The Gravel Road) is a 2005 Malaysian feature film production directed by Deepak Kumaran Menon. The film is in Tamil, with English subtitles. This film is notable as the first Malaysian feature film made entirely in Tamil.

The film has met with a strong reception since its release, and has been shown at a number of film festivals across the world including the 2005 International Film Festival Rotterdam, the 2005 San Francisco International Film Festival, the 2005 Pusan International Film Festival, Korea, the Barcelona Asian Film Festival, Spain, the Nantes Festival 3 Continents, France and the Fukuoka International Film Festival, Japan among others. In February, 2006 it was selected as an official entry to the Bangkok International Film Festival.

Plot

The film revolves around the story of a young Malaysian Tamil girl Shantha, and her family. They all live together on a family estate, in an area where higher education for women is almost impossible. Shantha, a girl of many aspirations, wants to leave the estate and further her studies, however the financial hardships that will result make her dreams nearly impossible to achieve.

Background

The story is inspired by real events, related to the director's mother.

Awards

The film has won the following award since its release:

2005 Nantes Festival 3 Continents (France) Special Jury Award - Director Deepak Kumaran Menon - Won

References

External links

• Chemman Chaalai at the Internet Movie Database
• A lens on the Malaysian margins by Lim Li Min