He had a brief stint at the Indian Space Research Organisation, where he used Russian fairytales to teach science to children.

Son of a fortune teller, Om's major problem is that, riddled with guilt about his voyeurism, he believes himself to be responsible for everything that happens around him.

Meanwhile, his elder sister, Gayatri, who is being courted by Jagdish, dreams of a future in which she can ride a bicycle or sit in the men's section of a movie theatre.

Many of Om's fantasies about sexuality and death are graphically realized in remarkable song sequences: the science teacher dissecting a frog expands into a Federico Fellini-inspired "Rana Tigrina" number, or the moonwalk on a terrace on the night that Neil Armstrong lands on the moon.

This double-edged satire acquires a further dimension with the entry of Phoolkumari, whose sexuality sends out a beguiling yet horrifying message.

In the end, Om atones by enacting the traditional legend of Brahma's descent to Earth.