Parched

The mother of all realistic films, it doesn’t get more “real” than this.  The film literally takes you inside the houses of rural Rajasthan, into the lives of oppressed women and their tragic existence. Brutal blows and punches into the delicate faces and fragile bodies make you cringe with pain. The pain was unbearable as I watched three women bear physical, emotional, mental trauma day after day. An existence so depressing and archaic, that you will wonder if you are living in the real world or living a dream. The behavior of the men and the patriarchal systems seem unreal and unfathomable.  Leena Yadav gives it to you in your face, the life of women, women made of steel for no man has the endurance to bear what she bears. Radhika Apte glorifies her role and goes beyond what the script would expect of her marking the strong character of this artwork.

Equally fulfilling are the performances of Tannishtha and Surveen who do not let go of the soul of Rani and Bijli. Rural uneducated women with no access to information in the digital world decide to fight back and recognize their identity to fulfill their existence. A rapid transition and transformation seen in Hindi cinema in the past couple of years “Parched” goes to the next step in taking the issue of feminist movement to the heart of hinterland in rural Rajasthan. The war cry has been called. The stage is set, for mythololgy to repeat itself as Kali and Durga. The scripts have the right ending. Will it come into our lives, our everyday lives cutting across geographies, castes, economics and household walls  and end this blasphemy of suppression, oppression and regression?