Swaham

{{Infobox film

| name = Swaham

| image = Swahamposter.jpg

| director = Shaji N. Karun

| writer = Shaji N. Karun
S. Jayachandran Nair
Reghunath Paleri

| producer = Shaji N. Karun

| starring = Ashwini
Kalamandalam Haridas
Bharath Gopi
Praseetha
Mullenezhi
Sarath
Venmani Vishnu
Gopalakrishnan

| music = Isaac Thomas Kottukapally
K. Raghavan

| cinematography = Hari Nair

| editing = P. Raman Nair

| studio =

| distributor =

| released = {{Film date|1994}}

| runtime = 141 minutes

| country = India

| language = Malayalam

}}

Swaham (English: My Own) is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language drama film produced, co-written and directed by Shaji N. Karun. The film stars Ashwini, Venumani Vishnu, and Mullenezhi. The film's music was composed by Isaac Thomas Kottukapally and K. Raghavan. Swaham met with widespread critical acclaim upon release. The film was screened at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d'Or.{{cite web |title=Festival de Cannes: Swaham |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/2980/year/1994.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907030142/http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/films/swaham |archive-date=2019-09-07 |accessdate=2009-08-30 |work=festival-cannes.com}}{{Cite book |last=Ramnarayan |first=Gowri |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bKVKAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Swaham's+inclusion+in+the+competitive+section+of+Cannes+Festival+'94%22 |title=Frontline |date=1994-10-07 |publisher=S. Rangarajan for Kasturi & Sons |volume=11 |pages=74–75 |language=en |chapter=Drowning in despond: Swaham, a story of widowhood}}

Plot

Annapoorna lives with her son and daughter, and struggles to get by, trying to earn a living from the teashop near a railway station once owned by her now deceased husband. Her son Kannan does whatever he can to help whilst trying to continue his education, but this proves difficult and he fails his exams. His mother decides to send him to a military recruitment camp, hoping he will find employment. This seems to be the family's only hope, but this option is expensive. Eventually Kannan is admitted after Annapoorna pays a hefty sum to a man associated with the camp. Later, Kannan is killed in a stampede at the camp, and his bereaved mother brings his body back home in an ambulance. Annapoorna's daughter waits anxiously for the return of her mother and brother.