Parashuram (1978)

This offbeat drama revolves around Parashuram, a young man who is named after the sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu, who avenged his father’s death by raising his axe 21 times, killing the king’s men with every blow.

Parashuram is an axe-wielding dispossessed peasant (Mukherjee), who arrives in the city and finds shelter in a hovel at an abandoned cemetery, together with a beggar (Bhattacharya).

Parashuram is haunted by his encounter with a tiger and is prone to fantasies of heroic actions although he lives in fear of authority and petty criminals. Into the world of the destitute a young woman appears, Alhadi (Majumdar), deserted by her husband. She and Parashuram live side by side for a while but then she leaves, presumably because she feels strong enough to look for a better life.

The lonely Parashuram sinks into his fantasies and ends up madly wielding his axe against the darkness overwhelming him.