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The difficulty of bringing Southern India politically and socially into the 21st century is the subject of this metaphoric comedy-drama. In a small Indian community, political control is slowly beginning to shift from a long-established monarchy to democratically elected officials, and as the fondly regarded Lord K. (Krishna Kaimal) hands the reigns of power over to his newly elected successor (Sudhas Thayat), as a symbolic gesture the departing Lord gives his pet dog Apu to Koran (Thomas), an elderly man who will look after the animal with his wife. Lord K. pays Koran to care for his pet in the manner to which the dog has become accustomed, but more than a few of Koran's neighbors look askance when they see Koran's wife (Lakshmi Raman) feeding their new pooch with a spoon while many local families struggle to feed their children. It also turns out that Apu does not play well with others, and after the dog attacks a neighbor's livestock and hurts a young boy, both Koran and the dog find themselves before a judge, leading to an unpleasant confrontation between the departed Lord K. and the community's new leader. Pattiyude Divasam was screened as part of the Un Certain Regard series at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.