The sea dominates the lives of the fisherfolk of Kerala. Drawing their sustenance from it, they love and fear its mysterious depths, where lives the goddess of the sea, Katalamma, the all-seeing arbiter of their destinies. Her bounty goes to the good; for the evil she unleashes her ferocious wrath to destroy them. Chembankunju, a fisherman, lives with his wife and his two daughters in one of the many coastal villages of Kerala. With no capital and a surfeit of ambition, he arranges to buy a boat and a net with the help of Pareekutty, a young Muslim trader, in return for which he promises to sell to the younger man the fish hauled by the boat. The family prosper, but the old man gets more and more greedy. Money becomes the sole object in his life. Meanwhile, Chembankunju's elder daughter Karuthamma is attracted to Pareekutty's innocence and honesty. Dreamy-eyed and a bit of a loner, he is different from any other young man in the village. But he is a Muslim, and she knows she can never marry him. Yet the tenderness that flows between them cannot be denied. Kruthamma's mother warns her of the need to preserve the traditions of their community. Violation of her codes will only draw the wrath of the goddess on them. As more and more money collects in his box, Chembankunju stops selling his haul to Pareekutty, driving him gradually to bankruptcy. Unhappy at home, Karuthamma accepts the inevitable, and agrees to marry Palani, an orphan boy from another village along the shore. Her selfish father wants her to stay and look after him while her mother is ill, but determined to be a good wife, she leaves with Palani. Her mother dies, and Chembankunju loses no time in marrying again, this time a widow with a son. Neglected by her father and ill-treated by her stepmother, Karuthamma's younger sister finds solace from the other villagers whom Chembankunju has alienated with his greed and miserly habits. Discovering that his second wife has given money from his box to her son, he beats her and drives her out. He also throws out his younger daughter, and as his fortune takes a downward plunge, slowly slips into madness. On another shore, Karuthamma tries to build a happy home. The people in her husband's village come to know of her friendship with Pareekutty, and decide to ostracize them. Palani, who loves his wife and has faith in her, builds a hut at a remote spot on the shore and takes to fishing alone. Karuthamma gives birth to a baby. Pareekutty, penniless, heartbroken and alone, pines for Karuthamma. One night, when Palani takes his fishing boat out to sea, a storm is brewing and a shark circles the waters. But the shore is calm, and when Karuthamma comes out of her hut, she sees, as if in a dream, Pareekutty waiting for her in the moonlight. She goes into his arms. On the rough sea, the shark plays with Palani till he is drawn into a whirlpool. In the morning, on the calm shore lie the bodies of Karuthamma and Pareekurtty. The unforgiving sea has claimed the sinners. Text Courstey of Indianfilm.net Some Scenes from Chemmeen: Courtesy of © Kanmani Babu, Saniya Plaza, Kerala - 682 035, India.
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