Before the Rains

Before the Rains - a beautifully shot film against the stunning Kerela, South Indian backdrop. No longer in the cinema but a copy of the film should be easy enough to pick up from Southall.

Directed by Santosh Sivan, Before the Rains is set in 1930s colonial India and stars Linus Roache as Henry Moores, a spice grower who's desperate to finish building an important road before Monsoon season begins. Henry is also having a passionate affair with his young housekeeper, Sanjani (Nandita Das), which he has to hide from the local villagers because of her arranged marriage to the vicious Rajat (Lal Paul).

However, Henry's bliss is short-lived, first because his wife Laura (Jennifer Ehle, lovely as ever) arrives from England with their young son in tow, and secondly because Rajat's discovery of Sanjani's affair puts everyone's lives in danger. Seeking refuge, Sanjani turns to Henry for help, but he's desperate to hide the affair from Laura, so he asks his right-hand man, T.K. (Rahul Bose) to help Sanjani get to safety, with disastrous results.

Before the Rains website