Sharapanjara by Triveni

Sharapanjara

The film revolves around the issues of a woman's chastity, the acceptance of mentally ill by society and unfaithful spouses. The story starts with the chance meeting of the heroine Kaveri (Kalpana) and the hero Sathish (Gangadhar). Sathish falls in love with Kaveri who is educated, sophisticated, beautiful and hails from a respectable family. Eventually they get married with the blessings of their parents. They are a picture perfect couple. They build their dream house, they beget a son, buy a car and are generally prosperous. When Kaveri conceives for the second time, the doctor express concern over her weakness. During post partum period, she remembers the incident in her past wherein she is forced into incestuous pre-marital sex by her cousin and loses her mental balance. During this delirium she reveals this to her husband. She is then admitted to a mental hospital. After recovery, she is discharged from the hospital. The doctors inform Sathish of Kaveri's delicate state of mind and that she needs to be loved and cared for. However, Sathish still affected by the thought of his wife's pre-marital relationship ignores her. Kaveri discovered that she will have to face scorn from her family, neighbours and her husband. The final blow comes when Kaveri discovers that Sathish is having an extra-marital relationship with a female colleague, who used to pursue him before and who Sathish used to make fun of. Unable to bear it, she ultimately goes insane and is admitted to the same mental hospital. Kalpana's performance as a traumatic woman was widely acclaimed by critics.

Though Kaveri loves her husband, he refuses her because of her chastity though she did not willfully engage in pre-marital sex. Instead he takes it as an alibi to be unfaithful to her. The other issue if that of the social acceptability of mentally ill people. The general treatment Kaveri receives from her servants, her cook, her family members and neighbors. The society is absolutely callous and lacks the sensitivity that is so much needed by people like Kaveri.