Where to watch:
Quick Facts
- Streaming on
- Amazon Prime Video, Neestream
- Theatrical Release
- 11 August 2021
- Director
- Jaikumar Sedhuraman
- Language
- Tamil
- Runtime
- 1h
- Rating
- 6.7/10
Storyline
A woman named Annam is abandoned by her husband. To survive, she works cremating bodies from a government hospital. She faces relentless discrimination due to her caste, which follows her for the rest of her life.
“Alone, she burns the dead to survive.”
Film Details
6.7Rating
60Minutes
TamilLanguage
Release Date11 August 2021
Parental Guide
Violence
Low
Language
Low
Sex / Nudity
Mild
Drugs
Mild
Intensity
Low
Where to Watch
Vibe & Tags
Mood
darkemotionaldisturbing
Themes
survivalcorruptionidentityfamily
Tonegritty
Pacingslow-burn
Complexitymoderate
Audiencearthouse
Best Withalone
Violence3
Emotion5
Humor1
Rewatchability2
Cast & Crew
#1
Bava ChelladuraiActor
→#2
S
Semmalar AnnamActor
→#3
R
Ravindranath GuruCrew
→#4
T
Tharun SekarMusic
→#5
J
Jaikumar SedhuramanDirector
→Trivia
- The film was inspired by a real-life woman the director met who performed cremations for a living.
- It was shot in just 15 days on a very low budget, using mostly natural light.
- The lead actress, Sangeetha, reportedly spent time with actual cremation workers to prepare for her role.
- The film's title 'Sennai' refers to a specific type of thorny plant found in arid regions, symbolizing hardship.
- It was director Jaikumar Sedhuraman's debut feature film after working in television.
- The movie faced challenges finding distributors due to its stark and unconventional subject matter.
- Much of the film's sound design uses ambient noises from the cremation ground for authenticity.