Agraharathil Kazhutai

Agraharathil Kazhutai English Donkey in the Brahmin ghetto is a 1977 Tamil language film. Directed by avantgarde filmmaker John Abraham, the film had its screenplay by film critic Venkat Swaminathan. This was Johns second film his first in Tamil. Made as satire on the brahminical bigotry and superstition, a donkey becomes the central character in the film. At the 25th National Film Awards, the film won the Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. In 2013, IBN Live included the film in its list of 100 greatest Indian films of all time.

A graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India, John Abraham assisted Mani Kaul in Uski Roti 1969 before getting a break as an independent director in the 1971 Malayalam film Vidyarthikale Ithile Ithile. Agraharathil Kazhutai was his second feature film and first one in Tamil. The film was inspired by Robert Bressons Au Hasard Balthazar 1966.In 1978, Agraharathil Kazhutai won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil at the 25th National Film Awards. The jury noted Johns usage of the verses of Tamil poet Subramania Bharati for creating a parable set against the orthodoxies and superstitions of a Brahmin village community. It was screened under the Indian panorama of the International Film Festival of India in 1978. Along with a few other films, it pioneered the new wave movement in South Indian cinema. The film was banned in Tamil Nadu as it was seen as a Brahmanical bigotry which might hurt the sentiments of Brahmins. Doordarshan was forced to cancel a scheduled telecast of the film. The film was seen as an underappreciated work but is regarded as a classic now. The film gave a much needed breakthrough for John Abraham. In 2013, IBN Live included it among the 100 greatest films of alltime in Indian cinema. ........

Source: Wikipedia