Before the Rains

Beautifully shot and sympathetic film, which gives a relatively authentic (I think!) idea of the culture clash in india under the Raj. Non-judgemental and character driven, an enjoyable 90 minutes.

The white man goes to another country to make some money. The white man turns his back on the indigenous people.. That pretty much sums this movie up. Instead of a touching film about a forbidden love and the intricacies and clashing of different cultures, it becomes a 'Hollywoodized' film 30 mintues into it.

Set against the beautiful hills and valleys of rural Kerala, and expertly captured on camera by cinematographer Sangeeth Sivan, 'Before the Rains' tells the tale of tribal people in India who were exploited during the British Raj, and the ancient superstitious beliefs which the tribal people of the time held on to. Linus Roache and Jennifer Ehle were at ease with their respective characters, whilst Rahul Bose and Nandita Das looked out of place trying to play native Malayalis.