Piravi (The Birth)

Shaji's films has a particular visual quality. He is preoccupied with nature -the harmony between man and nature is the centra! theme and particularly with rain.

Sitting midway between the commercial big-budget, song-and-dance school of Indian filmmaking and the intensely personal art films whose audience tends to be restricted to the major Indian cities and a few foreign festivals, Shaji's film represents an unpretentious attempt to deal with a universa! theme. Already recognized in India - in addition to the Best Director Award, it picked up a well-deserved Best Actor Award for Premji, who plays the father - The Birth brings a welcome new Indian talent to the international film scene.
(Karen Anand, Screen Int., 19-5-89)