CIFF 2011: Azhagarsamy's Horse

I haven't watched a lot of true Indian movies, and many of the ones floating around are of the Bollywood musical type, or action movies with not much plot--basically, I find them of poor quality. Every now and again there is a crossover hit like Monsoon Wedding or Slumdog Millionaire (is that "Indian" if directed by a Brit?) and of course there are the old classics like the Apu trilogy by Satyajit Ray. Newer films such as The Darjeeling Limited or Bride & Prejudice are trying to inject Indian flavor into a western storyline. Indian actors are appearing in more mainstream fare, but none has really hit it big yet, at least not that I can see.
Azhagarsamy's Horse doesn't fit any of those categories other than "true Indian movie." It is a story of a rural town whose religious icon of a horse goes missing, believed to be the steed of their god Azhagarsamy, just as they are preparing for a festival to pray for rain to return to their area. When a real horse shows up the village elders believe it is the horse incarnate, and chain it up to save it for the festival. But then its real owner, also named Azhagarsamy (played by a comic actor named Appukutty), comes to claim it. This young man is bullied and disgraced, and it is apparent he and the horse belong to each other, though he has no choice but to succumb to the mob and wait until the festival is over to reclaim his horse. As the townsfolk continue to argue about the ownership of the horse, and accuse each other of theft, we learn why the Azhagarsamy needs the horse so badly.


There are also other subplots, such as a police detective going undercover to investigate this crime, but finding it more lucrative to pretend to be a shaman; another pair of young lovers whose fathers are at odds with each other due to caste differences; themes such as poverty, caste difference, corruption, religion, superstition--all real issues and ideas in India--are included but in a light and humorous way.

As in many other Indian films I have seen, characters are very bicker-y and in this film probably the only likeable character was Azhagarsamy (and his love's family). He puts up with a lot for the horse and his love, despite being treated very badly, but remains the most honest, innocent, and pure. Although the townsfolk may have legitimate reasons, they are portrayed as superstitious and corrupt, and the type to "shoot now, ask questions later." All this plays into the humor of course, and the many comedies of errors of the movie. But there is still a big heart in the film, personified by Appukutty's performance, which was not only comic but tragic in a young love way.

Although the film took place in a rustic setting, I found the camera work very stylish with many beautiful movements and composition of a scene. There are a few songs, one where action in the film plays out the lyrics.