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Members of the Problematic Family

Forum 2026
© Labyrinth Narratives
Prabha, a troubled and troublesome young man, has died under mysterious circumstances. Stunned and emotionally numb, Prabha’s mother Santhi, paternal uncle Sellam, cousins Dinesh and Mugil, and other members of the extended family go through the motions, preparing for a 16-day-long funeral that culminates in a feast. Who was Prabha? What does his loss mean to his community? Raw, unflinching and throbbing with abrasive energy, Gowtham’s bracing fictional debut weaves through a dozen characters who embody different ways of grappling with a violent breach in the social fabric. Their frenetic activity, hot-headed exchanges and delayed reflections together paint an expansive, at times absurd portrait of human nature. With an anthropologist’s eye, the filmmaker traces the complexities of bereavement, examining the ways in which grief manifests in the most unexpected moments and objects. Embracing men and women as they are, with their mad outpourings, sordid habits, abusive love, misplaced pride and casual cruelty, Members of the Problematic Family is a work of deep and uncompromising humanism.

Trailer/Film Excerpt

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by R Gowtham (Director, Screenplay)
with Karuththadayan, A.ra. Ajith Kumar, Uvesri, Kanchana Senthil, Saravana Siddharth, TPS aka T Panneerselvam, Aswine, Hari Krishnan, Thaen Iniyan, Thiyagu Kallu, Vijay Sooran India 2026 Tamil 105' Colour World premiere | Debut film

With

  • Karuththadayan
  • A.ra. Ajith Kumar
  • Uvesri
  • Kanchana Senthil
  • Saravana Siddharth
  • TPS aka T Panneerselvam
  • Aswine
  • Hari Krishnan
  • Thaen Iniyan
  • Thiyagu Kallu
  • Vijay Sooran

Crew

Director R Gowtham
Screenplay R Gowtham
Cinematography Siddharth Kathir
Editing Ganesh Nandhakumar P
Sound Design Ganesh Nandakumar P
Production Design Alexander Tamil Thambi
Producer Tamilarasan Kalidass
Co-Producer Mukesh Subramaniam

Produced by

Labyrinth Narritives

Chennai, India

World Sales

Platoon Distribution

Mumbai, India

Photos

R Gowtham

© Labyinth Narratives

R Gowtham is a published poet in Tamil and has translated the works of Lydia Davis, Alejandro Jodorowsky, and Amol Palekar into Tamil before foraying into amateur filmmaking. He has worked on short documentaries, heading content in TV for Zee Tamil and digital for Asiaville Tamil. Gowtham worked with director PS Vinothraj and was mentored by director Bramma. His documentary On the trails of Aandi was selected for the Vancouver Asian Film Festival 2023. His recent work includes Talking Poetry with Shankarramasubramaniam, a three-hour-long interview with the finest contemporary Tamil poet.

Filmography

2021 Talking Poetry with Shankarramasubramanian; documentary 2023 Meetchi (Redemption); short film · On the trails of Aandi; short documentary, co-directed by Saravana Siddarth 2026 Members of the Problematic Family

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2026