This is one of my favourite Indian films--great direction, camerawork and acting. There is little or no melodrama. You are exposed to reality of feudal India in early part of 20th century, where women were no more than chattels.If you did not know the director, it could well be mistaken for the work of a feminist. Rao exudes a rare compassion for the weaker sex.I have followed the work of Narsing Rao over the years. As a painter-turned-director who hero-worshipped Andrei Tarkovsky, this is his only mature accomplished work on celluloid, while others only had flashes of brilliance. Sadly he has receded into retirement after raising the standard of Telugu cinema to a new high.Bir's camerawork is notable and Archana, the lead actress, gave a magnetic and realistic performance. The camerawork caressing walls and stones are examples of visions perceived by a painter who sees beauty in nature. If you do not believe in evaluating directors by the auteur theory, this flash-in-a-pan single work by itself makes Narsing Rao a major Indian filmmaker--not unlike Muzaffar Ali's "Umrao Jaan".