Ashwathama (1978)

A contemporary fable about a man who is cursed to live on earth for 3000 years like Ashwathama in the Mahabharata. He lives as a teacher, Kunjuni (played by the author of the original novel, Kunjukuttan) and finds himself so frustrated by the prevailing customs and orthodoxies in his milieu that he becomes an alcoholic and begins to lead a dissolute life. Trying to reform and to become like ‘other people’, the respected scholar marries but his virtuous wife (Savitri) turns out to be an epileptic and the man returns to his wayward behaviour, which means mostly drinking himself into a stupor. In addition, the woman he originally loved (Vidhubala) finds herself with a broken marriage and discovers she has cancer. Ambat uses diffused lighting in keeping with the mood of the characters who feel torn in a changing world.