<p> During the recent screening of the Tamil film Shakti Pirakkudhu at Alliance Francaise auditorium, many enthusiastic-film buffs were present to enjoy the work of director Usha Rajeswari. <br /><br />The crowd had many old and young faces, who had come to support the director. Actress Arundhati Nag also made a brief appearance during the screening. <br /><br />The movie is about a woman named Sundari and her strengths, which not only help her bring up her own family but the entire village that she lives in. <br /><br />Sundari is a young mother of two in a small village in South India, who wants to start her own business. <br /><br />Her husband, Murugesa, is scornful of her ambitions and never really supports <br />her. <br /><br />Instead, he loiters away time and money in the company of the local shopkeeper Rajamanickam. <br /><br />During the course of the film, Sundari tries to find her ground by coming up with a business idea even as she deals with many problems at home. <br /><br />The bad infrastructure of the village, like the unavailability of a bus for transport, adds to her woes further. Such problems prevent her from selling her home-made bags in the markets outside the village and instead, be a slave to the prices offered by Rajamanickam. <br /><br />But with the support of a women self-help group in the village, Sundari is not only able to establish her business successfully but also manages to bring her family together. <br /><br />The strong point of the movie was its crisp narrative which did not divert from the main issue — Sundari’s dream to start a business. <br /><br />Taking up other issues like marital discord and education of the girl child along, the director built a strong foundation for the movie. <br /><br />The performances by Devadarshini, Sashi and Manaswini in the lead roles were good. <br /><br />The director was able to bring technical aspects of a business like innovation, <br />competition and study of the market into the storyline without making it boring. <br /><br />And even though the audience was city-bred, everyone was taken in by the problems faced by Sundari and her family. <br /><br />The film also discussed topics like microfinancing in a subtle manner and how it is capable of changing the shape of rural India.<br /><br />A lot of research went into Shakti Pirakkudhu including numerous conversations <br />with self-help women groups in villages around Madurai. <br /><br />The movie aims at inspiring the rural people to look at the larger world outside, raise their aspirations and take charge of their own progress. The movie was thoroughly <br />enjoyed by everyone present.</p>
<p> During the recent screening of the Tamil film Shakti Pirakkudhu at Alliance Francaise auditorium, many enthusiastic-film buffs were present to enjoy the work of director Usha Rajeswari. <br /><br />The crowd had many old and young faces, who had come to support the director. Actress Arundhati Nag also made a brief appearance during the screening. <br /><br />The movie is about a woman named Sundari and her strengths, which not only help her bring up her own family but the entire village that she lives in. <br /><br />Sundari is a young mother of two in a small village in South India, who wants to start her own business. <br /><br />Her husband, Murugesa, is scornful of her ambitions and never really supports <br />her. <br /><br />Instead, he loiters away time and money in the company of the local shopkeeper Rajamanickam. <br /><br />During the course of the film, Sundari tries to find her ground by coming up with a business idea even as she deals with many problems at home. <br /><br />The bad infrastructure of the village, like the unavailability of a bus for transport, adds to her woes further. Such problems prevent her from selling her home-made bags in the markets outside the village and instead, be a slave to the prices offered by Rajamanickam. <br /><br />But with the support of a women self-help group in the village, Sundari is not only able to establish her business successfully but also manages to bring her family together. <br /><br />The strong point of the movie was its crisp narrative which did not divert from the main issue — Sundari’s dream to start a business. <br /><br />Taking up other issues like marital discord and education of the girl child along, the director built a strong foundation for the movie. <br /><br />The performances by Devadarshini, Sashi and Manaswini in the lead roles were good. <br /><br />The director was able to bring technical aspects of a business like innovation, <br />competition and study of the market into the storyline without making it boring. <br /><br />And even though the audience was city-bred, everyone was taken in by the problems faced by Sundari and her family. <br /><br />The film also discussed topics like microfinancing in a subtle manner and how it is capable of changing the shape of rural India.<br /><br />A lot of research went into Shakti Pirakkudhu including numerous conversations <br />with self-help women groups in villages around Madurai. <br /><br />The movie aims at inspiring the rural people to look at the larger world outside, raise their aspirations and take charge of their own progress. The movie was thoroughly <br />enjoyed by everyone present.</p>
