Malli is a Tamil

Tamil language

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...

 feature film

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

 directed by Santosh Sivan

Santosh Sivan

Santosh Sivan is an Indian cinematographer, film director, and producer who has worked in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, and Hindi cinema....

. The film met with widespread critical acclaim upon release, and has been shown at many film festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival

Toronto International Film Festival

The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...

 and the New York International Children's Film Festival.

Synopsis

The film revolves around the story of Malli (P. Shwetha), a poor girl who spends most of her time helping her family by collecting firewood, and playing games in a nearby forest with her deaf and mute best friend. Amongst her many dreams, her one main wish is to get herself a colourful dress to wear to a lively festival. However, during her quest she meets an old, local storyteller, who shares with her a story of a magical blue stone that can cure her best friend's muteness. With new horizons to pursue, she sets off to find this mysterious blue wishing stone.

Plot

Malli, a ten year old girl, tries her best to help her poor parents by collecting firewood. In between; she spies on ‘Mr. Doctor’, the village Vet, who constantly converses with his patients from the animal world. Malli actually hero worships him; and even tries to imitate him secretly She has just two personal dreams: To own a new dress for the festival; and To get the ‘Blue Bead’ which can cure her friend’s inborn deficiency. Old Monu, the village storyteller had in her tale of “The Good Spirit”. Monu habitually conceives purely imaginary heroic tales which impress Malli very deeply. In that story, Monu illustrated how a ‘Good Spirit’ once had given Monu a Blue Bead as a gift. Malli bribes ! Monu with some honey. In return Monu recites to nonsensical, meaningless rhyme for inviting the Spirit. One back night, Malli tries to invite the Spirit with the rhyme, in vain. On the Festival Malli is thrilled with her new yellow dress her way back from the woods, she rescues a fawn shot down by a poacher. After a long, hazardous journey through thick woods she reaches the Vet’s house late at night and waits through the night while he treats the injured fawn. In the morning she begins her long trek back home with the new pet. At the riverside, finding the fawn’s happy reaction to its bird community, Malli sets it free. Her despair is further compounded to find her new dress tattered beyond repair, when suddenly a bright object in the sand catches her eye – It Blue Bead!

Awards

The film has been nominated for the following awards since its release:

2001 Independent Spirit Awards

Independent Spirit Awards

The Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...

 (USA)

• Nominated - Independent Spirit Award - Best Foreign Film - Malli - Santosh Sivan
  Santosh Sivan
  Santosh Sivan is an Indian cinematographer, film director, and producer who has worked in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, and Hindi cinema....
  
  

2001 Political Film Society

Political Film Society

The Political Film Society is a nonprofit corporation that exists to recognize Hollywood films' ability to raise awareness in political matters in the world. Film makers are the ones who are awarded by this organization...

 (USA)

• Nominated - PFS Award - Peace - Malli - Santosh Sivan
  Santosh Sivan
  Santosh Sivan is an Indian cinematographer, film director, and producer who has worked in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, and Hindi cinema....
  
  

2001 Satellite Awards

International Press Academy

The International Press Academy is a large and diverse association of professional entertainment journalists, representing both domestic and foreign markets in print, television, radio, cable and new media outlets. The academy was founded in 1996 by Mirjana Van Blaricom...

 (USA)

• Nominated - Golden Satellite Award - Best Motion Picture (Foreign Language) - Malli - Santosh Sivan
  Santosh Sivan
  Santosh Sivan is an Indian cinematographer, film director, and producer who has worked in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, and Hindi cinema....
  
  

1999 Chicago International Children's Film Festival (USA)

• Nominated - Adult Jury Award - 2nd Place - Malli - Santosh Sivan
  Santosh Sivan
  Santosh Sivan is an Indian cinematographer, film director, and producer who has worked in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, and Hindi cinema....
  
  

The film has won the following awards since its release:

1998 Cairo International Film Festival

Cairo International Film Festival

The Cairo International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Cairo, Egypt. It was established in 1976 and was the first international film festival held in the Arab world...

 (Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

)

• Won - Golden Pyramid - Best Film - Malli - Santosh Sivan
  Santosh Sivan
  Santosh Sivan is an Indian cinematographer, film director, and producer who has worked in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, and Hindi cinema....
  
  
• Won - Best Director - Santosh Sivan
  Santosh Sivan
  Santosh Sivan is an Indian cinematographer, film director, and producer who has worked in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, and Hindi cinema....
  
  

2004 Los Angeles Indian Film Festival

Los Angeles Indian Film Festival

The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles ' is an annual film festival held in Los Angeles, California. Established by Christina Marouda in 2003, as a nonprofit organization devoted to paving the way for a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and diverse culture by providing the public with a...

 (USA)

• Won - Audience Award - Best Feature Film - Malli - Santosh Sivan
  Santosh Sivan
  Santosh Sivan is an Indian cinematographer, film director, and producer who has worked in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, and Hindi cinema....
  
  

1999 National Film Awards

National Film Awards

The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...

 (India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

)

• Won - Silver Lotus Award - Best Child Artist - P. Shwetha
  P. Shwetha
  P. Shwetha is an actress. She debuted in the critically acclaimed film Malli , directed by Santosh Sivan, playing the young girl Malli, on an adventure to find a blue wishing stone to help cure her best friend's ailments. She won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist in 1999 for her...
  
  
• Won - Silver Lotus Award - Best Film on Environment Preservation/Conservation - Malli - Santosh Sivan
  Santosh Sivan
  Santosh Sivan is an Indian cinematographer, film director, and producer who has worked in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, and Hindi cinema....
  
  

18th International Festival of Films For ChildrenAle Kino, Ponzan, Ploana (15-20 May 2000)

• Poznan Goats for the Best Director - Santosh Sivan.
• Poznan Goats for the Best Child - actress - Swetha
• Poznan Goats for the Music - Aslam Mustafa
• Award for the special mentions for the Marcinek distinction