Ozhimuri () is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language period drama film, directed by Madhupal and written by Jeyamohan and starring Lal, Mallika, Asif Ali, Bhavana and Shweta Menon in lead roles. The original songs and background score were composed by Bijibal. The film opened to critical acclaim but did not fare well at the box office. It was an official selection in the Indian Panorama section of the 43rd International Film Festival of India. It is widely regarded as one of the defining movies of the Malayalam New Wave. Ozhimuri is based on the story of the book 'Uravidangal' by veteran bilingual writer Jeyamohan. The title of the work refers to the matrilineal system that prevailed in the Nair community in the erstwhile southern Travancore. A prominent feature of the matrilineal system was that properties were enjoyed by successors of the women in the family. The women were educated and bold, with mothers often being stronger than fathers. They enjoyed freedom in all respects. However, when the system was marginalized in the 1940s, women lost all their powers and soon became 'slaves' in the hands of a feudal male-dominated society. The movie exposes the complexities of a period of transition from a matrilineal to patrilineal society."Ozhimuri" means 'divorce record' in both Tamil and Malayalam. In the matrilineal system, women were free to divorce their husbands if they were not having a sound relationship. The 'ozhimuris' or small palm-leaf pieces recording divorces of couples still stand testimony to the freedom, which women enjoyed those days. Plot The story lays open the ego clashes and complexities of a period through the eyes of its lead character Thanu Pillai (Lal), who witnesses the tale of three women, his mother, wife and son's wife. Fifty-five years old Meenakshi Pillai who is married to Seventy-one years old Thanu Pillai files a for divorce against her husband and ask back the properties he had her transfer to him during the pendency of their marriage. Advocate Balamany who is the defense lawyer tries to convince Meenakshi and her son Sarath Chandran to withdraw the case on various occasions. Sarath tells her that his father was abusive and harsh towards him and his mother. And also tells her about Kali Pillai, Thanu Pillai's mother who was lord of a feudal family which followed matrilineal succession and had considerable power in the local politics and among people. Thanu Pillai was