Underplayed Gems

Kunku (1937)

Kunku poster
Directed by
V. Shantaram
Genre
drama film
Country
British Raj
Runtime
2h 42m
Rating
6.0 of 10 from 4 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A young woman is forced into a child marriage and struggles against the traditional treatment of women in society. The film follows her emotional journey within a restrictive household.

socially consciousdramaticseriousmelancholicslow-burnlyricalintimatethoughtful

What happens

Kunku (Marathi title) is a 1937 Indian Marathi-language classic social drama film directed by V. Shantaram, and based on the novel, Na Patnari Goshta by Narayan Hari Apte, who also wrote film's screenplay. The film was simultaneously shot and released in Hindi as Duniya Na Maane. The film went on to become both a critical and commercial success, and was shown at the Venice International Film Festival. The film is now hailed for "its daring attack on the treatment of women in Indian society." and depiction of child marriage. For film's lead actress, Shanta Apte, it was third most memorable performance in a row, after Shantaram's previous classics, Amrit Manthan (1934) and Amar Jyoti (1936). Besides other songs, she also sang a full-fledged English song in the film: "A Psalm of Life", written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882). (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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