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 Sand Storm (2003)
Director:
Jag Mundhra
Stars: Nandita Das, Raghuvir Yadav
Release Company:
R.S. Entertainment
MPAA Rating: NR
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Women at Taj Mahal on River Yamuna, India
Photographic Print
Adams, Claudia
Buy at AllPosters.com
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Sand Storm (Bawandar) isn't likely to play in Peoria unless a women's rights group procures a screening, but it's certain to never play in New Delhi. The Hindi language film (subtitled in English) has been banned in India. Sand Storm is making the rounds of a few arthouses around the U.S., where it draws attention to two sore points of Indian society—women's issues and residuals of the antiquated caste system. The fact that the injustices are being championed worldwide by "untouchable" further embarrasses the government, which remains dominated by the upper reaches of Indian society. Although the film scores highly for cultural aspects, has some good performances, and certainly carries political weight, its overall execution routinely relies on simplistic melodrama, underscored blatantly with a final propaganda plug—as if the audience might not "get it."
Based on a true story, a low caste woman activist in rural Rajasthan, who is raped by disapproving upper caste village elders, strives to achieve justice from India's hideously corrupt judicial system. To give the subject more credibility, director Jag Mundhra frames the story around a journalist Amy (Laila Rouass), who has come to investigate women's issues and child marriages, as well as conveniently meet up with her boyfriend Ravi (Rahul Khanna). After a deliberate exposition focusing on traditional Indian practice of pairing 4-5 year olds for irrevocable marriage, the film picks up speed through long flashbacks once Amy interviews rape victim Sanwari (Nandita Das) and her steadfast husband (Raghuvir Yadav). Additional nuances are added during interviews with a sympathetic activist social worker (Deepti Naval), compassionate lawyer (Gulshan Grover), sleazy police officer (Ravi Jhankal) that provided the first official roadblock to justice, and others involved with the seven-year old case.
Eschewing a Rashomon-like structure, Mundhra pieces his narrative together chronologically, occasionally breaking the back-story to feature another present day interviewee playing a crucial role. If the viewer hadn't already ascribed pure evil to the police officer, Mundhra seals the deal with Amy's interview session. She discovers the lecherous lawman habitually ogles nudie magazines, providing a ready explanation how unidentified semen was discovered on the skirt Sanwari left off at his office for evidence.
Although most of the characters remain as thinly drawn as tissue paper stock, the goodhearted lawyer has a nice home visit scene with Sanwari where he shows how the Brahmin caste professional fully accepts the victimized untouchable—with a simple glass of water. Also nice humorous touches are sketched by the well-intentioned New Delhi women's activists, who seem to be participating for social status more than anything—one makes inane comments about how "clean" the untouchable huts are with their cow dung finish while another is more interested in checking out the village movie theater and bazaar than supporting the heroine.
Nandita Das, who previously appeared on an international basis in Deepa Mehta's Earth, turns in by far the strongest performance. It's little surprise that she selected this material since she has a master's degree in social work and once taught J. Krishnamurti's Rishi Valley School before turning to acting. Das has great screen presence and captures your attention with her intensity. Although the central rape scene is obviously staged, the camera wisely focuses on her face, and she makes the scene totally believable even without over the top screaming. Her crying and painful expressions effectively convey the horror, and your eyes are automatically drawn to her in every scene.
Sand Storm has garnered a few audience awards the past couple of years at film festivals and stands as a worthy political film, but like the overabundant Holocaust films, this doesn't mean that the film totally works on its own. The politically minded who desperately want the world to pay attention to the horrible treatment of women in India are certain to rate this as one of the most important and vital films you can see, and it's hard to fault their sincerity. All power to them to expose the horrors of female infanticide, the insidious injustices of the caste system, and the disregard for equality of the sexes in India. If this film inspires people to contribute and take action, that is the best testimonial for the film's effectiveness; however, I find the film too preachy and obviously propagandistic for my tastes. |
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