Before the Rains (2007)

Director:

Santosh Sivan

Writers (WGA):

Cathy Rabin (screenplay)
Dan Verete (2001 film "Asphalt Zahov")

Release Date:

16 May 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Passion has its price.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

British | India | British Raj | Affair | British Colonial

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

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
Indrajith	...	Manas
Lakshmi Krishnamurthy	...	T.K.'s mom
Lal	...	Rajat (as Lal Paul)
John Standing	...	Charles Humphries
Thilakan	...	T.K.'s Father
Ejji K. Umamahesh	...	Inspector Sampath

Also Known As:

Road to the Sky (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

India | UK | USA

Language:

Malayalam | English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Canada:14A (Manitoba) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | UK:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-13

Filming Locations:

India

Company:

Merchant Ivory Productions

Movie Connections:

Remake of Asphalt Zahov (2001)

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......