A 12-minute Indian film where switching off a light switch becomes a tragedy.
Ramesh is a poorly paid employee in the city Power House. His only child has high temperature, but he mistakes it for common fever. At the Power House, employees including Ramesh demand a pay rise. When the management turns down this demand, they plot to turn off the main switch of the Power House for a few minutes in order to teach a lesson to authorities. Ramesh is entrusted with this job. In the meantime, the doctor takes the decision to immediately operate on Ramesh's child. Ramesh is not aware of this. In the Power House, Ramesh turns off the main switch. The lights go off in the operation theatre too...
Direction
Gopalakrishnan's debut. Every frame builds unbearable tension.
Sound
The hum of machinery becomes a character. Silence is devastating.
Editing
Cross-cutting between power switch and operating room is brutal.
Director
Adoor Gopalakrishnan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made at FTII Pune, this was Adoor Gopalakrishnan's diploma film—and Subhash Ghai's acting debut before he became a blockbuster director.
A landmark of Indian Parallel Cinema, rejecting song-and-dance escapism to confront working-class exploitation head-on.
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